Today we will be sharing an exciting first interview with Dizzle, RizRaz, NeophyteR and Magnet, members of Fnatic (formerly Mindfreak) to find out more about their first experience with their new organization and the ambitions they have at the APAC LAN Finals in Sydney and beyond.
** 1) You started your adventure in Rainbow Six esports on Xbox. Can you give us the story on how your roster evolved overtime?**
Dizzle: Our journey began in competitive Rainbow Six Siege on Xbox. After a mediocre result at the 2017 Six Invitational, four members attempted the transition from console to PC. This roster included Etienne "Magnet" Rousseau, Nicholas "Punisher" Stefanou, Matthew "Acez" Mc Henry and myself. Even though the team received gaming PCs just four days prior to the first ANZ Pro League qualifier, we performed strongly and secured our spot in the Pro League. Our next goal was to qualify for the Year 2, Season 3 APAC LAN Event. I moved myself to a coaching role to make way for two PC veterans: Connor "Kngz" Wickham and Jason "Lusty" Chen.
Sadly, we fell short of what we set out to do and with a little bit of internal reflection we looked to improve our roster. At the time, Ethan "RizRaz" Wombwell was playing for the other team representing ANZ at the APAC Event. RizRaz was the only ANZ player that was performing on the same skill level as us, so we recruited him to compete with us and help the team qualify for the APAC spot at the 2018 Six Invitational. Now, with the third year of R6 Pro League looking towards a pick/ban system, we needed to make sure our roster consisted of the most flexible players in all of APAC. Our final addition to the team was a top tier player: Daniel "NeophyteR" An. Neo consistently performed well against us and had a vast variety of operator choices under his belt.
2) What are your first impressions of representing Fnatic and wearing the jersey for the Season 7 APAC Finals in Sydney?
Magnet: Representing Fnatic and wearing the jersey for the Season 7 finals will definitely be one of the most career changing moments of my life. To me, Fnatic has always been so prestigious, so to be able to represent them at the finals this year has me humbly excited. I cannot wait to continue to grow with Fnatic and become the best Fnatic ambassador and player I can be.
NeophyteR: Still feels like a dream to me, never did I think that I would be able to represent such a prestigious organization. I'm a bit nervous having to live up to the Fnatic name - so I hope I don't disappoint.
RizRaz: Unbelievable. The thought of it is unreal, and I'm eager to wear the jersey of one of the most reputable brands in esports. I look to make sure we represent them professionally and give them a good first step into the APAC region.
3) What are some of the changes you expect being part of an organization like Fnatic?
Magnet: We are expecting to be more exposed and more involved with the other regions now, which will help us grow and reach our full potential. We feel like our options have expanded by a massive amount. By getting involved with the rest of the world, I think it will help us stay on top of the APAC scene and continue to qualify for the world events.
4) You had a great showing at the Six Invitational in February, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals. How will you use this experience at your upcoming LAN?
Magnet: Playing at the Six Invitational has given us a lot of experience. To me, the biggest thing it taught us was resilience. We are a team that will always fight to the end when it comes to official matches. It also helped me learn how to keep going in highly intense situations by backing up my teammates and receiving support from them.
RizRaz: We need to make sure the same mentality and performance is transferred from Invitational to this LAN. We understood the meta during the Invitational and made sure we adapted to it. However, with the introduction of Lion, it has shifted everything once again. We need to make sure we are on top of our game.
5) Some Rainbow Six teams are known for their singular playstyle. How would you define yours?
Magnet: I think one of our biggest strengths is how good we are at playing aggressive and trade fragging. At the Six Invitational, some LATAM teams expressed their thoughts on how good we were at trade fragging through our aggressive playstyle.
RizRaz: We have been told that we have one of the scariest playstyles to deal with: we all can clutch, we all can frag, and we all get along and coordinate with each other. I think we're pretty unique in that sense, although we do have our flaws that need to be worked on.
6) You’re scheduled to play against Sengoku Gaming Extasy, a roster composed of former eiNs players. What’s your mindset heading into this first game of the competition?
Magnet: We always have to go into a game feeling confident. If you don't believe you can beat your opposition, then you've already lost. Sengoku Extasy has a very strong line up and the ex-eiNs players have a lot of experience. However, I do believe they may be lacking in the leadership department, as ShiN (their old IGL) is no longer on the team. Their new IGL might not have as much experience as ShiN, and that may influence their performance at this event.
RizRaz: We understand and study eiNs' playstyle and the specific players that have moved to Sengoku. We will go into the match confident but remain comfortable and flexible should anything unexpected happen.
7) Which team impresses you the most in the APAC region? What about the global scene?
Rizraz: Element Mystic for APAC, due to their fragging power as well as how smart they are with their strats and movement; they are very well coordinated but everyone on that team can make a play when necessary. On a global scale - PENTA undoubtedly - they are very well aware on how the game works and individually all amazing players that can make the play when it's needed to.
Dizzle: Cryptik in the APAC region. They adapt to each meta shift really well and have played together for a long time. They are always a formidable force and never out of their element. On a global scale, EU is looking very strong. I am really enjoying Vitality and 1UP’s playstyles at the moment.
Thanks to the players who took the time before the APAC Finals to answer to our questions. You can follow them on Twitter (RizRaz, Dizzle, Magnet, NeophyteR) for additional insight into the APAC LAN event! The current Fnatic Roster consists of Captain Etienne "Magnet" Rousseau, Matthew "Acez" Mc Henry, Jason "Lusty" Chen, Ethan "RizRaz" Wombwell, Daniel "NeophyteR" An and Jayden "Dizzle" Saunders. For more information, please visit the Rainbow Six Esports Twitter page or Subreddit.
