ESL UK Overwatch Finalists MnM Gaming - Interview
At MCM, before the inaugural Overwatch ESL Premiership finals, GameGrin got to speak to two members of team Marshmallows and Molotovs (MnM), who arrived as underdogs having defied all critics and odds to reach the final: Eric “Oranjee” Diep and Brandon “NinjaFuya” Channer.
How does it feel being one of the teams playing in the final of the Overwatch tournament at MCM?
It’s really good. It’s a really nice experience, Overwatch is a new game and to be one of the first teams in a final feels really good.
It’s the first pretty big tournament in the UK - the scene here isn’t that big - so right now it feels really good. It’s only been around three months since the game came out so it’s really nice to be one of the pioneers of the UK competitive scene.
© Ravi Lakhini
What do you think makes Overwatch such an exciting eSport to watch?
I think it’s mainly due to the fact that there are multiple characters and multiple heroes which can be changed mid-game. There aren’t many games that allow that and it opens up the game to multiple different strategies that can be put into play. The maps are varied, too, which means there are a lot of different way to play the game.
So what’s MnM’s usual team composition in Overwatch? Do you have a set strategy?
We don’t really have a strict comp, our DPS players are pretty versatile so depending on what we’re against we’ll change it up.
Who is your favourite hero in Overwatch?
For me it’s Tracer. I think she has the highest skill cap of any other hero. If you have the skills you can basically never die. I think she’s my favourite hero.
Mine’s Hanzo, or “Spamzo”.
You’re not the Hanzo who goes on team chat and complains about comp are you?
Haha, yeah! “We’ve got no healers!” Hanzo is just fun, he’s really hard to play properly but if you get the headshots you can win games.
© Ravi Lakhini
Overwatch is obviously a new game, especially competitively. Are there any changes you’d like to see Blizzard implement?
There are a lot of things they could add to the spectator client. One of the biggest problems is that there are no health bars in third person spectator mode. So casters find it really hard to paint a narrative onto a game. It’s hard to tell who’s low, who’s making the plays.
Blizzard are going to be increasing the charge time for ultimates to encourage team fights, what’s your opinion on that?
It’s a good idea, definitely. It would give the game less room for error. Less ultimates in the game will mean that players will have to make every single one count and I think that can only make the game better.
It will slow the pace down a little bit and the good players will be able to shine a bit better because they won’t be relying on their ultimate charging as often.
What game mode would you say is MnM’s speciality?
Payload maps are our best maps, we have practised a lot of the maps, obviously, in preparation. Our best map is probably King’s Row or Gibraltar. The first is a hybrid which are really good for us because they show two different styles of gameplay.
© Ravi Lakhini
Do you think that Blizzard’s incremental changes to the game every season are a good thing?
If it ends up balancing the game then I think it’s good. I’ve not had any problems with any changes recently. Before there were problems, though, like when you could pick six of the same hero on competitive. Changing those things have really improved the game.
I think those changes have been really healthy, you get a few a characters who become the staple for every team and it’s a lot nice to choose a different mix. Right now Zayra and Ana are in every team comp because Ana’s ult is pretty broken.
I think Zarya needs to be nerfed a bit because I have to play every game with her!
Thanks a lot guys and good luck!
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