How A 20 Yr Previous Korean MMO Impressed TSM’s ALGS Win
“One of many issues that differentiates me from numerous Apex gamers is that I did not actually develop up taking part in FPS video games,” TSM coach ‘Raven’ tells me. “At the very least to not the extent that numerous this group has.”
We’re chatting at TSM’s London bootcamp within the Pink Bull Gaming Sphere forward of the ALGS Playoffs, neither of us conscious of the historical past that shall be made the approaching weekend. TSM had a newfound confidence forward of the event – they’d come first in Professional League and all three crew members spoke extremely extremely of their coach, the distinction maker. Raven is humble, however you possibly can inform he has an enormous depth of information in regards to the recreation from even essentially the most transient conversations with him. He title drops the likes of Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare throughout our chat, but it surely’s the unconventional knowledge he took from Korean MMO MapleStory that actually struck me. Might it actually have made the distinction for TSM?
“I grew up taking part in numerous MMOs,” he explains. “Loads of my understanding of Legends and matchups encountered within the recreation and all these interactions comes from ability-based MMOs. Video games like MapleStory, which is a extremely previous Korean MMO from 2003, are huge inspirations to me. That was truly the inspiration behind the Wattson, Seer, Valk comp that we performed with GMT at [the ALGS Championship in] Raleigh, the place we acquired fifth.”
Raven additionally cites the primary Guild Wars as one other inspiration, and provides me examples of how its class system straight influenced his Apex philosophy.
“It taught me rather a lot about, once more, Legends, and their themes,” he explains. “You might have the Fireplace Mage and the Murderer and the Monk, and you actually do not get distracted by mechanics and also you take a look at Legends for what they’re. And that provides you a greater understanding of matchups, their strengths and weaknesses, and counter choosing.
“A hearth mage, thematically, is weak towards issues that may get on prime of them in a short time and follow them, as a result of their skills take time to activate and so they wish to be within the backline. They wish to be within the backline, they wish to be protected, and so they wish to be throwing out their skills like artillery from vary. And so they have some activation time, so characters that may get on prime of them in a short time and cease them from with the ability to do which are what would be capable of beat a Fireplace Mage.
“That’s fairly just like Fuse, within the sense that he desires to be in a backline, and he desires to be given time and freedom to make use of his skills and simply throw them at individuals. But when one thing runs at him, he does get pressured to the purpose the place it is exhausting for him to get better as a result of his skills even have activation instances. They don’t seem to be prompt, the injury isn’t prompt.”
Whereas TSM didn’t play Fuse this weekend, Raven has been attempting out the eccentric Aussie with the crew over the course of Professional League. Pairing him with the movement-centric characters of Valkyrie and Horizon, the Playoffs Champions did effectively with Fuse, regardless of a bit pushback to Raven’s techniques. So long as they don’t have to make use of Catalyst once more, I wouldn’t be stunned in the event that they relent and we’ll see Jordan ‘Reps’ Wolfe don the moustachioed man in Break up 2.
Fuse consuming a beer in entrance of a flaming wall in Apex Legends
It’s not all come simply to Raven, nevertheless. He admits that his early concepts have been typically too targeted on MMO beliefs and talents, and he needed to adapt throughout his time with GMT to the facet of Apex Legends that comes most naturally to most gamers and coaches; the taking pictures.
“Apex is essentially a recreation about gunplay, that is the place it begins to vary,” he says. Earlier than he even signed with GMT Esports, he thinks he went a bit too exhausting on the MMO methods and forgot the gunplay, and leaning too exhausting on skills affected performances. Perhaps there’s a level the place you’ve acquired to go away the MMO behind and embrace the taking pictures.
Nevertheless, this weekend’s spectacular outcome offers credibility to Raven’s unconventional teaching inspirations. Perhaps extra coaches will look to Runescape for his or her rotations and World of Warcraft for his or her stock administration in future. In all chance, although, Raven is one in every of a form, a particular expertise who has discovered the proper house in Apex Legends’ most profitable crew. His concepts are irreplicable, his success inevitable, and all of it totally deserved.
