Volamel
2020-04-28 07:06:43
You’ve also made a large change in your role within the team as well, moving from an active member of the team to a coach now within Valorant. Could you talk a little bit about that and how you’re enjoying your new role?
Like I mentioned before, for me this step is largely a step away from certain commitments you face as a player. Being as passionate about actually playing a game like Valorant competitive can be difficult when it's your hobby and your job. Taking that step away from needing to actively play and practice the game full time has sparked some competitive drive again.
I hope that after some getting used to, from both myself and the team, my role can be very valuable to the team as an extra perspective at all times. I really enjoy problem-solving which is a lot of the reason I did drafting in Paladins, so the practical parts of the new job should fit me well!
One thing that I’ve noticed that separates NiP from some of these other teams is the distinct lack of Brimstone being played. Could you talk a little bit about why you guys aren’t using him currently?
I don't think there is any real reason behind this. The game is in such an early state and our team comes with a mentality of everything being an option: if it exists, try it. For us the most important thing right now is finding a team identity, which is something that any agent pick isn't going to change. Next time you might not see a Sage, or a Raze, who knows!
Another thing which I find interesting is the continued use of Raze. Without leaking too much, how exactly does she fit within your team composition and the metagame at the moment?
This comes as a combination of two things mainly. Firstly, similarly to the Brimstone it comes from an entire team picture, more so than any specific agent. In the case of Raze specifically, it's something that Tenner so far has enjoyed playing, something that fits his identity, so it's something we're happy that he can play.
Secondly, we're very used to drastic changes to balance and the short and long term effects of it. I couldn't tell you how many times we've seen something change in Paladins, only for it to slowly creep back into the meta just because people overreacted at first. We like to ignore what's happening in terms of fine-tuning when possible and focus instead on what the agents do as a whole, what unique quality they can bring to a team composition.
Let’s look at the COOLER Cup for a moment. After besting them in the group stage, you guys slipped in the finals to fish123. What exactly happened in the grand finals?
I don't think it was any one thing that caused it. It really was just a combination of a long day and not being worried about the result itself. While we love to win and it's always our primary focus, sometimes it's more important to take it a bit easier and learn. In this case, we got to feel a taste of some serious stamina and it's definitely something we can work on - clearly!
To round it out, I know you’ve mentioned that the old bird tiers lists might make a comeback for VALORANT. Could you give us a hint at what that might look like? Who is an agent you think the community has the wrong read on?
I would love to get into doing some content to help the community learn things about the game, especially things you might not see in casual games. While playing casually and playing competitively are two very different games, there's a lot that people can take away from those with competitive experience in my eyes. That was always the idea behind my tier lists in the past and why I could definitely see myself doing it for Valorant as well.
As of right now however I'm still settling into my new role, but hopefully, when I've gotten more familiar with the game I can start sharing some of my thoughts and ideas again.