The first grand finals of Overwatch APEX took place last December in Ilsan Kintex. Afreeca Freecs Blue had advanced all the way up to the finals, being the last remaining Korean team to go against the western giant EnVyUs. AF Blue lost to nV and came in second, but the team still got a chance to spread its name around the world and play on the big stage. Then there was Afreeca Freecs Red, the team that did not make it to APEX and remained in Challengers. Looking at AF Blue gain popularity and shine on the big stage, the players of AF Red had to carry on their lonesome fight throughout the two seasons of APEX Challengers and also the Super Week. They finally claimed their position in APEX Season 2, ready to unfold what they have prepared and shine on a bigger stage.

Congratulations on being promoted! How does it feel coming all the way from the qualifiers at PC Bangs, two seasons of Challengers, and now standing before APEX Season 2?

LagerMan: It feels awesome to see our effort finally bring about a good outcome. APEX Tournament is definitely more popular than Challengers, and there is greater opportunity for us to show what we’ve got.

QuarterMain: It was a harsh schedule. We had weak showing during the early stages of APEX, which literally drove us to the edge of a cliff. We also had to wait for a long time in between each game, which made all of us really tired. We managed to pull ourselves together and said, “okay, let’s do this.” Then we won, and found out that we had to keep playing and keep winning. So we waited, and… We tried our best, but the way the event was scheduled drained a lot of energy from all of us.

LagerMan: We were at a PC Bang for qualifiers, and I was a little shocked to see them receive customers when the entire thing was going on. Things were hectic and distracting, and it was pretty tough dealing with all that.

QuarterMain: Honestly, APEX Challengers was really tough. We were playing four games per week for two months. It was really tough. We always had to keep APEX Challengers in mind no matter what we were doing. We also had to attend G-Star event while the tournament was going on, so we were going through a tough schedule.

How did you prepare for the matchup against LW Red? Do you think the match turned out well?

LagerMan: Shutting down enemy Ana was top priority.

TaiRong: I think LW Red was not at their best that day, although it is unclear exactly why. They seemed frustrated and were unable to unfold the game as they intended.

Tydolla: I knew what I had to do and tried to stick to that mission, but there were times when I was not really able to match my gameplay with the rest of the team. We won in the end, but there was still some regret, at least for me. I thought we could do better. I had to focus on enemy Ana or Zenyatta and shut them down. Even if I couldn’t fully shut them down, I had to hold them there for a while and at least drive them away from combat. I don’t think I did so well on that.

QuarterMain: We all did what we could and came together as a team. It all turned into a good result. We were under pressure when we went all the way from 2-0 to 2-2, but we had this feeling that we could win by the fifth set in Hollywood.

Tydolla: We played hard, but we also saw LW Red making some random mistakes. They mistakenly used Sound Barrier in Eichenwalde, and some skillshots seemed like they were just not connecting.

QuarterMain: We always lost to LW Red in Challengers, so we were a bit worried. However, things turned out quite well, and I feel happy that we won.

Another season of APEX means another tournament with teams from overseas. What do you think is the difference between Korean teams and the foreign teams that are invited to APEX?

TaiRong: One thing I can surely tell is that teams from the West don’t necessarily have broader hero pool. Their strength is flexibility, largely due to their flexible thought process in the game. They also recover from loss very quickly, especially when it comes to team strategy. I felt that when I was watching the Rogue vs. Lunatic-Hai matchup in APAC Premiere. Western teams are really good at coming up with backup plans if their current strategy doesn’t work out. I think Korean teams are slower in making comebacks, which usually results in the game turning in favor of the western teams. I think that’s the main difference.

Honestly, I think there is almost no difference between Korean teams and western teams in terms of the individual players’ mechanics. The real difference comes from the bond in between teammates. If the players can get together and openly talk about the game, they will eventually find a way. If players can’t discuss their game thoroughly enough, it immediately results in poor performance. I think that’s what happened to LW Red during the first two sets and also to us in the following 3rd and 4th sets.

Overwatch players are under heavy pressure in a fast-paced game. To deal with the pressure, you should talk a lot with your teammates and understand how each one is feeling. That’s what differentiates a good team from teams that are not. If there is a team that seems to be underperforming, it generally means that the teammates are not bonding very well with each other.

[To players] Do you agree with TaiRong?

QuarterMain: I certainly think it is important to bond with your teammates. The situation becomes really difficult to deal with when things don’t turn out well and you become emotional, and that does have impact on the team’s general performance in tournaments. Overwatch is a team-based game. We should talk a lot and understand how each of us feels. Things turn out well if the teammates bond with each other. If we stay together, we can connect skillshots and cover up mistakes, because we understand each other and know how the situation is for all of us. If you understand your teammates, you can always make the best decision whether they are doing well or not, because you know what’s going on and what they will do. If you can’t do that, it’s just like meeting random guys in Competitive Play.

How do you guys bond with each other?

QuarterMain: We get along pretty well. We just have some sensitive players that need extra care.

Tydolla: I joined the team a month ago. I just tried to fit in because there were already five of them who have already been playing with each other. I tried to listen to them and meet their needs instead of making requests. I took a step back whenever there was an argument going on and let them resolve it.

QuarterMain: Tydolla actually got along with others pretty well. Too well. [laughs]

LagerMan: Navi here and I are brothers. I’m the older one, although I don’t really help my younger brother because this is a strictly business and work-oriented relationship. [laughs] My parents also supported our decision, which is great. We just have to do well. Navi here joined the team because he was a good Zenyatta player, but ever since he joined the team, Ana became a must in pretty much all team formations. He should step up his game and improve on his Ana.

Navi: Hey, mind your own business. [laughs]

TaiRong, you have notable career in Korean Overwatch scene, since you played in the World Cup as a player-coach and sent both teams to APEX. How do you assist your players? What kind of feedback do you give to your players?

TaiRong: Well, if there is a player who has weak mechanics, like aiming, I give them new gaming gear, like how you give good shoes to football players and good golf clubs to professional golfers. I make suggestions like that, and the players figure out by themselves how to make their own set-ups and how they can better their mechanics. I think what matters the most is the thought process in-game. Being able to make quick decisions is especially important in Overwatch. You have to be aware of your role in the team and be flexible in dealing with different situations. That’s what I am looking for. Overwatch is so fast-paced with a lot of things going on all at once, and it is hard for the team’s coach to have as much control when the match is going on.

Does that mean it is up to the players when dealing with various situations in-game?

TaiRong: It’s mostly the players. TakeThis is usually the main shotcaller when the match is going on; QuarterMain also calls shots, but it really depends on the situation. If any player sees room for the entire team to make an advancement, he should just call the shot right away.

What are your thoughts about APEX Season 1 finals’ Afreeca Freecs Blue vs. EnVyUs matchup?

TaiRong: That turned out almost as I expected it to. I thought we would have decent performance if we won the first map and carried the positive vibe throughout the entire match. At the same time I was thinking, if we lost the first map, there must’ve been something we missed and failed to prepare for, or maybe something was really different in terms of the team’s quality itself. I was expecting it to turn out like that. The players were frustrated not because they lost and came second in the tournament, but rather because they couldn’t show everyone what they had prepared.

[To players] How did it feel watching Afreeca Freecs Blue advance all the way up to the finals?

QuarterMain: Of course we want to perform as well as they did. That gives us another reason to try really hard to do well in the upcoming APEX Tournament.

LagerMan: Definitely.

TaiRong: The general atmosphere here is like, “We will win against Blue.”

What are your thoughts on Sombra? Will we be able to see her this season? She is still not popular in Competitive Play at the moment.

Attune: I think the reason why she is not popular in Competitive Play is because it takes serious teamwork to successfully utilize her.

LagerMan: The recent patch did make Sombra stronger. I still don’t think she will be among the most popular heroes, but I think Blizzard gave her a good enough chance to appear more often in the competitive scene. I think the reason why she is not so popular is because, while she is a DPS that sacrifices damage output and focuses more heavily on utility skills, the skills are not as great or useful in comparison to other support heroes. Unstable mid-range DPS adds another reason.

Tank heroes are really popular these days and we are not seeing as many DPS heroes as we did before, and the triple tank meta became a thing. What are your thoughts on that?

Tydolla: It felt good to see D.Va buffed. However, the current state of hero balance resulted in a fixed meta where there is not as much diverse strategy.

TaiRong: I think Blizzard tends to establish a fixed meta and just iron out the hero balance within that frame. That’s what they did for HotS, and I don’t think it’s so different in Overwatch.

New patches hit tournaments right away once they go live, so I assume it would be frustrating for you to adjust to the new patch every time it goes live.

TaiRong: It puts pressure on players and coaches together. I don’t really have any opinion on that, because everyone is in the same condition. You just have to be good and that’s what matters.

Tydolla: We are not the only ones having a hard time because of it. Other teams have to deal with it as well, so I think it’s fair enough. We just have to prepare ourselves to deal with every possible situation.

LagerMan: Flexible play and a broad hero pool are the first steps to being a good pro.

TaiRong: What matters the most is what you have been doing. If you tried hard and trained yourself, your effort will eventually pay off, unless the effort is restricted to a specific meta. You have to stack up your cards and draw the right one as the game unfolds.

How do you think Overwatch can better itself as an eSport?

Tydolla: Hack programs. It’s hard to play Competitive with all those aimbotters around, but at the same time it’s hard for us to stay away from Competitive Play because it tells you how good you are to some extent.

LagerMan: Nerf Ana.

Tydolla: We need heroes that can replace certain other heroes that always show up in tournaments.

TaiRong: For now it feels like the meta is fixed; also, strategic integrity. There are not as many heroes to experiment with, so there is not as much diverse strategy. I am also looking for better ways to scrim and train with others. Competitive Play in Korean server right now is not as profitable because of all those hackers. Players should be able to take away a good amount of training per time spent in Competitive Play, but hack programs are putting a ceiling on the players’ gaming experience.

What is your opinion on region-based Overwatch League?

TaiRong: I’ve been wondering about how there has not been much update information, even though it's been about two months since Blizzard made the announcement. I think the Winter Premiere is representing the idea of Overwatch League, but it’s still questionable when it will come to Korea. We haven’t really heard anything about it.

LagerMan: It definitely means something to represent your region. I want to grab such an opportunity.

Any last words, or shoutouts to your fans?

QuarterMain: Uh… We don’t really have fans. [laughs] We thought we didn’t have fans, but we actually found people cheering for us and that was quite amazing. We don’t have as many fans, but we are so thankful just to know that there is someone out there cheering for us. I hope they keep doing that. Even the smallest cheer does so much for us.

TakeThis: People call me Ajumma (Korean term for middle-aged woman) because of my hair. I would much rather be called Heimerdinger.

Tydolla: I feel thankful for my girlfriend who always cheers for me.

LagerMan: I will keep it up with my younger brother.

TaiRong: I think the upcoming APEX will be a good chance for our players to gain much experience and mature as a team.