Pre-Season Interview Series pt. 1
UnitedBase is back with the long awaited Fall Cup! The registration has been closed, groups have been revealed and while we are waiting for the matchups and pre-rolled maps, we can sign up for the Fantasy League on discord, or we can enjoy a this interview series, where our captains answered some of my serious or not so serious questions.
TCFC
How did your team spend the summer break? Do you feel prepared for the Fall Cup?
stvno: “In the summer the team was busy with the usual summer stuffs so most of the team members were totally inactive.
If I look at the fact that since the last major cup, the members of the winning team have played together only once in total
then I can say for sure we’re not well prepared for the cup. So the group matches will be used to regain the old flow as a team.”
As the reigning two-time champion, your team should expect nothing but to win again. How do you see your chances of winning this time compared to previous competitions? How are you keeping your team hungry after the wins?
stvno: “With the name TcfC of course we can have no other goal than winning the cup.
With the name TcfC of course we can have no other goal than winning the cup.
– stvno
Looking at the chances, as long as you see the names of teams such as FRS or Dreamteam in the signup list, you can never clearly state that you are the clear favorite.
Furthermore, there are some teams that can cause surprises and we have a new cup format even if only affects the group stage I can say it will be really interesting.
If I want to be completely honest about to keep the team hungry I will have some things to do since some of us lost a bit of interest about the game mainly because of lack of free time.”
You “only” finished third in the Mini Cup. Does that make your team less of a favorite to win the Fall Cup?
stvno: “Mini Cup was really fun to play something competitive during the summer but I wouldn’t consider the result of the Mini Cup as the basis of this cup.”
How big part did using mixers play in the Mini Cup losses or would you rather say that it was your team’s lack of focus?
stvno: “Using mixers obviously could be a part of our losses, we were not that well organized as we were in the last two major cups and let’s just say that the others were better this time.”
With particular regard to fantasy league participants, can you tell us your anticipated main lineup for the Fall Cup?
stvno: “Our main LU will be depending on availabilities:
cartz, L1mewax, Messy, norberto, stvno”
Can you please share some more personal details about your team and players?
stvno: „Then let’s start with a little history lesson. I founded TcfC at the end of 2004 with my 2 classmates, Satanka and Marcee.
We had many successful lineups during the years with the best hungarian players such as NEo(P8N), Kradzzje, R!dd!ck etc. (sry to others to not mentioning them)
But our most successful Lineup was built around 2008 with the basis of the current team. cartz, Limewax, Messy, sHtyKa, me.
Messy and I played with each other and against each other during the Xternet Lans and we met on other occasions too, about cartz we only met during xternet Lans and
I lived in the same city with Cobra so we know each other well, spent a lot of time in real life, common holidays, drinkings etc.
None of us had ever met with Lime or norberto but that might change in the near future, since there will be no UO lan, so maybe we will be there on the cod1 lan in Zagreb.
About nicks, we hardly call anyone exactly like his nick name.
We call limewax as Fészek (means nest in hungarian, as he used to have hair like that in the past), cartz as Csongi (nickname of his real name Csongor)norberto as Norbi, messy as Mészi, Cobracska as Kobi, and me as Pista/Pityu (nickname of my real name István).”
FRS
How did your team spend the summer break? Do you feel prepared for the Fall Cup?
Snurk: “Except for the Mini Cup we didn’t play at all. Actually I can’t remember the last time we did a prac together. So in that sense it’s a bit different from two years ago when we were the most active team in the scene. But just like with many other historic all-time-greats like Michelangelo, Mozart or Shakespeare, it’s not the time it takes to create the painting, composition or script that the customers pay for, but rather the 10 000 of hours it took to master the craft. Same can be said about FRS and we rely on our natural born talent and foundations we built since 2006.
What was the question again?
If we feel prepared for Fall Cup? Not so much, no. Then again winning Mini Cup was a good hint of where we stand as a team.”
I think FRS cannot expect anything in any competition but to win it. What is the morale of the team after winning the mini cup and how satisfied are you with the available lineup?
Snurk: “The morale is really high and I think the title meant more than we thought it would. We went into Mini Cup in a pretty light mood to just take everything as it comes. But the competition was high and especially the Grand final was one of the most intense game any of us played so coming out on top of that brawl was a big boost. We have most players available and as always luxury problem with too much talent to choose from, can’t complain.”
With particular regard to fantasy league participants, can you tell us your anticipated main lineup for the Fall Cup?
Snurk: “Main lineup will be TjEEEBi, xratEd, Ace, dietchi and me. It is ofcourse mixed emotions having such great guys and players as coldiii and Banksy as subs. In my eyes coldiii was the best player in the minicup and overall got some of the best stats of all players in 2022. Banksy also got a great resume with two titles behind his name and offers especially team play in a way that’s rare to find. Not to mention being a strong rifler. Having both on the bench is comforting in case it would be needed. Getting dietchi back in action is however really exciting for our team since he clearly is one of the best players in the scene and possess unique skills with his aggression and super-sharp mechanics and aim. I also feel good knowing me and coldiii had a very transparent dialogue all the way. I think he could have boosted any other team in the cup, but I’m also glad he decided to stay.”
Hatcheri is out for this Cup. Will we ever see him play again? Despite his absence, do you think this is the strongest FRS lineup since the Reborn? If not, what should you improve and which one was it?
Snurk: “I think thats a question only Hatcheriii can reply to. If I were to make a guess I would say it’s equally big chance we might see him again, that we won’t. It might perhaps be a question he couldn’t answer himself at this point since it’s hard knowing what the future looks like when you have kids and a family life to prioritise.
I can certainly only hope so since he is one of the most talented players I ever had the pleasure to play with. Also I think it might itch a bit that he didn’t get to finish with a trophy last cup.
It’s tricky to compare lineups to each other. On paper we had some really strong ones in the beginning of reborn. The xratEd, dietchi, Jsons, TjEEEBi, nanaaa lineup that won Reborn 2 was so far ahead of everyone else so I think at that point in time – seeing how dominant they were – it’s perhaps the strongest we fielded.
The lineup we field now is in my opinion similarly strong and got all the ingredients you would want in a squad.
– Snurk
The lineup we field now is in my opinion similarly strong and got all the ingredients you would want in a squad.
We did however not bring it home last time we played together so that’s something we want to take revenge on.”
We’ve often seen from you some ppsh rushes on harbor, which weren’t only liked by the stream viewers, but they were also effective. You also wrote an article about the importance of the rifles. Can we expect you to drop the sniper more often, or are you not thinking of switching weapons and play styles at this time?
Snurk: “I’m a one-trick-pony on Harbor. Sniping is impossible on that map and I wouldn’t hit a rhino in a phone booth with mosin, so not many weapon choices left. It worked out pretty well so far and perhaps baited some extra nades outside UO-building other rounds. But mainly it’s just about trying to do something useful before I die so others can clutch.
Sniping is getting harder for each day with an ever so fast meta. Teams are getting better at using utility and executing, so more often than not do you find yourself trapped behind a smoke or shellshocked with an opponent sniffing your ear sooner then you know it.
So I’m not trying to force the sniper as much as perhaps a year ago or so. Take a map like Carentan for example where I now mainly play spray, something I see other players do as well. If that’s a reason I often have more frags on Carentan then other maps last cups, I don’t know. But I do feel like having the scope adds a psychological aspect that’s not seen in stats sheet. A kill in a cross on round 1 can have an impact in how a team cross the rest 11 rounds. A tag can have an opponent play scared the rest of the round. Just hearing a sniper rattle shots make a BAR player think twice on what angles he can peek out on long distance. It’s unrewarding to think like this, but I also know watching vods or demos afterwards I can see these psychological aspects and what impact they had on a game in total. In the end of the day I will always pick the gun that helps us win rounds. I know I will not be able to have an impact the way TjEEEBi have in our team, so better make sure he can have his best possible game instead by being properly supported.”
Can you please share some more personal details about your team and players?
Snurk: “TjEEEBi. Met this guy in 2009 if I remember correctly and later had the pleasure to see him join us in FRS. So he is the guy I’ve known the longest from the cup squad. Also the only one I visited. A very good friend, who is soon to be father of two, that I talk to every day about all kinds of things – sometimes more then I talk to my wife it feels like 😅. As a player, obviously super-skilled, has a very keen eye for details and an impressive drive to always improve. Calm and collected but with a very funny Finnish kind of humor 😀
xratEd. Super-fun guy to be around. He is the one who makes sure there is a light mood on TeamSpeak, at the same time as he is one of our most competitive players. Guy hates to lose. He also got a very big drive to improve, and from all players in our lineup he is the one I’m most impressed with how he developed from the time in Devilheroes, to the first cups with us, to recent time.
As no one missed by now he is a teacher, or at least studying to become one, and all I know is that if I was a kid I would have wanted mister Asger as my tutor.
dietchi. Okay, maybe dietchi developed the most from Devilheroes to today. Then he had an incredible potential, but complete lack of experience and frankly was a liability from time to time. Now he unleashed the beast and is sometimes completely unstoppable. The way he understands the mechanics and guns in this game is pretty much unmatched and I think only TjEEEBi also got that skill. Other than that he is a super-chill guy that probably wouldn’t even step on an ant. Loves fries, have seen three different movies in his life, best streamer there is. Doubt more information is needed.
Ace. Our latest permanent addition. Also another DH-oldie that at that time was extremely dominant. He is still skilled, but his shoulders are probably happy he doesn’t have to do that carry now also. He got a very natural talent for fragging and feels like a guy that is just instantly good at things he tries. Great musician and RHCP-fan (probably among many other bands). Seem to live a very adventurous life and likes to visit different places and learn more history – or just climb a waterfall or something. 😅 ”
Keep an eye out for the next part of the series!