G’day squids and kids! As we draw closer to the start of the inaugural Firetail League, over the coming days a series of articles will be released featuring a brief Q&A with a member from each Firetail League team to see how each team is preparing for their campaign. The first interview featured in this article is with Goizord from the Melbourne Maelstrom. He played in Division 1 with Positive Inking in Season 6 of the Oceanink Series where they finished 4th, managing to take 3 games off the undefeated Untitled Splatoon Team in their best of 9 series. Goizord is no stranger to the top level of Splatoon 2, finishing runner-up on ScarthAce in the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup. He will be joined on the Maelstrom by Cyleris, Lobster, LooseGoose, Pitviper and Shockwavee.
What are you looking forward to the most when the league begins in June?
Easily the production values that Firetail Events brings forward, interviews and maybe some team rivalries popping up because of it or set results.
RIght now what do you feel are the team’s strengths and what aspects of the team need significant improvement? (e.g. regarding weapon comps, push timings, communication, managing egos)
I personally focused on my series team more so far since it was a new team, and haven’t put in much time with them as I’d have liked to, but I think that push timings and to a certain extent the weapon comps are the aspects of the team I feel most confident in, and communication and egos less so.
How do you think the team is going to use substitutions within sets? Do you have certain players that are strong in particular modes that can be super-subs or just play out sets with the same 4 players?
I personally prefer minimal subbing to maintain confidence and momentum, but I believe the team’s consensus was that we’d all have to sub out based on league rules and not based on personal preference, which might need clarification.
Which team in the league do you feel will be the hardest to face and why?
Brisbane Boom, I fear jsod’s Slosher, Murray’s backlines, personally have dealt with Neru’s perfect heavy aggression, Owlsy’s 1v1 capabilities and knowledge in the game, and I think that’s the REI on Sturgeon Turf? The only one I personally don’t have a good opinion on is W* as they’re someone I haven’t had much contact with, but I’m sure that team will have great results. (Brisbane Boom has REI-25, a member of the now ex-team, Shrimphony. REI-13 from Sturgeon Turf is playing for New Zealand Rush in the Firetail League).
Do you or the team have a favourite Splatoon-related meme?
I’m not much of a memer, either showing my age or my personal views, so can’t answer it.
For the next balance patch, what weapon would you like to see get buffed and what weapon would you like to see get nerfed?
Something to make armour punish high damage low firerate weapons less would be nice, but I don’t see it happening and I don’t really see anything needing a nerf (maybe stuff like Bloblobber, Slosher and Blasters getting full shots out even if they die frame 2 of the animation would be nice to make dumb trades when you kill one of them less likely to occur).
What’s one misconception about AUNZ/OCE Splatoon 2 players you’d like cleared up?
I feel most communities judge us by our 1% instead of the whole, which is common for most communities, but it still makes for bad misconceptions and a lack of understanding of scenes as a whole.
You’ve played in quite a few different teams and pick-ups in your Splatoon career, is that helping you adapt well to your Firetail League team?
Personally I feel like I have a good ability to flex what needs to be done in a match between map control, objective control, slaying if need be, and that is what I’m most confident in adaption wise.