“The game will eventually turn into pure talent and whoever has the quickest reaction time. This game no longer needs non mechanical players as they have become pretty useless in teams.” — Noly
How would you describe yourself outside and inside the game?
Noly: I’m a laid back person in and out of the game, but I can also be extremely competitive and I hate losing more than anything.
Scrub: In game I try to hit the ball in the goal, outside I try to figure out how to hit the ball in the goal.
Gregan: Very logical, have a desire to understand things so I can do it right. Inside the game, this often makes me too slow and hesitant.
Scrub, this team is definitely a new challenge for you considering you are basically the veteran on the team - how has the change been going from Vitality to mouz to now Guild with Tho and Noly?
Scrub: Its a big change but even though its a new team it's still the same goals so it's not that different except I am the most experienced in the team now.
Gregan had significant input when it came to choosing the roster of Guild Esports. The notable previous time this happened he scouted the Renault Vitality squad that later on won the Season 7 World Championships in New Jersey. Are the aspirations of this team to dominate the global scene?
Gregan: When Guild approached me, they wanted me to scout a team that they could develop with me to be the best team in the world, pretty much the same brief I had for Vitality. I genuinely believe we can get there, but it will take time and a lot of work.
Scrub: Yes the only goal is to win every possible game we can.
Noly, how has the transition been from Godsmilla to Scrub, considering Scrub has such a unique playstyle?
Noly: For me in particular its been difficult, because of Tho and Scrub’s speed I have had to relax more and become more of a tactical player who brings out the best in his teammates.
We have heard that Team Liquid were interested in acquiring your roster at the same time as Guild Esports and with Team Liquid being arguably the most successful Esports organization of all time, it is a dream to sign for them for many aspiring players out there. What made you turn down the chance to represent such a big name and choose Guild? Was it purely David Beckham’s involvement?
Noly: At first it was a difficult choice between the two, but when Guild came to us and told us that we would be a priority and that we won't just be any other team but an actual pillar in the upcoming of Guild’s success, that's when I knew Guild was the perfect place for me.
Scrub: It’s because Guild gave us a better offer so it would be logical to join them.
Gregan: Guild have big plans with the Academy structure and the plans to focus on the holistic approach when coaching players to the top is what drew me in initially. We have some very experienced staff from inside and outside of esports as well as the support of David Beckham, we are growing with all the pieces needed to be a top organisation.
At the time of writing Guild currently sit 12th in the Grid with only one successful week of making playoffs. What has been going wrong, and what changes are you planning to make in the coming weeks?
Gregan: We have been trying some new things each week, and with change, it can be hard to perform it under pressure as you resort back to what you know. We are working hard to piece everything together and I think some recent chats we have had has really opened our mindsets to what's next and how we will get there.
We often hear people discuss the importance of a coach at the top of the game, however what a coach does isn’t completely clear. Gregan, could you tell us what you do with the team to help them perform, other than supplying them with water?
Gregan: As I am coaching as well as managing I end up doing a lot for the team, and sometimes I don’t quite get it right, but what I try and do is coach the best way for each player and the team rather than the way that’s best for me. We are still working out what that is and as I said, we are having some much needed discussions to get us closer to the right formula. I of course regularly remind them to drink their water!
Psyonix have been teasing a major Rocket League update for this autumn and promising lots of new features to be coming. What would you like to see added?
Noly: I would definitely like to see more involvement with people from outside of the community to bring in big names and more exposure to the game.
Scrub: More unique hitboxes and to see they will do this with Merc is a great start. And non-standard maps back in ranked hopefully.
Gregan: I am really hoping to see the tournament/club structure to create amazing content in game. Recently, many big content creators and pros have produced content around tryharding and viewers love that! If we can get that in the game, then I think we will create an entertaining piece that a viewer would want to watch the story of how a top team does in tournaments.
One thing we don’t see often but you guys have previously experimented with is streaming scrimmages for the community to see — is this something you plan to do more in the future?
Noly: I think with The Field being added, it made more sense to stream that instead.
Scrub: I would love to keep doing that, its more that I don't wanna stream scrims and get clapped because it will feel silly so we need to maybe improve a bit more.
Gregan: As a coach, I personally don’t like streaming scrims as they provide a tougher environment to learn. I think showmatches should be organised more and The Field is a great place to stream competitive games. The Grid has also added another avenue of content creation around our play.
Currently, it seems like the meta in competitive Rocket League prioritizes a mix of speed and physical play. Do you think this meta is sustainable or do you see it turning into something else down the line?
Noly: The game will eventually turn into pure talent and whoever has the quickest reaction time. This game no longer needs non mechanical players as they have become pretty useless in teams.
Scrub: The meta always changes over time so yes I think it will change eventually fairly impossible to predict what it will turn into in my opinion.
Gregan: I believe mechanics are becoming so important in EU to keep up with the top teams that the team that thrives in chaos or under extreme pressure with boost starving, bumping and outplays will come through on top. I think now the game speed is so fast, there isn’t enough time to slow the game down and breakdown a team through logic, you have to build good habits that work well reactively in a fast paced game, similar to that of fighting games.
RLCS X in combination with The Grid has you playing more competitive Rocket League with higher stakes than ever. Are you happy with the changes Psyonix made in totality? Or is there something you wish was slightly different about these events?
Noly: At first I was excited to see more tournaments and then when upsets began to happen it took a little time to adjust to the newer playstyles from teams like Giants and BDS but I have no doubt we will win.
Scrub: No I like it a lot. Just more LANs which isn't in Psyonix control right now, unfortunately.
Scrub, you had an off-season where you were trying out for a few teams here and there. Was there ever any potential fear that you wouldn’t have had a team for RLCS this season?
Scrub: I had no fear of being on a team or not for some months especially when there is a global pandemic. I had to wait 2 years to play I'm still gonna play each day nevertheless. That being said I enjoy top level competitive RL too much to not play for a while.
We would like to thank Gregan, Noly and Scrub for doing this interview!
Authors:
Achilles (@achilles_Xf)
Base (@dionginge)
Jayski (@1jayski)
Falty (@imfalty)
