Although known for their lack of consistency, Team Renegades made a statement in Day 1 of the Halo World Championship 2016 by upsetting powerhouse Evil Geniuses and taking down Team Infused. With confidence and momentum running high, we spoke with Victory X about the team's performance.
ESL: Before we get too deep into things, how are you feeling after Day 1?
Victory X: Well, we came in against Team Infused and although we had not seen much of their game play, we knew not to take them lightly. They were the number one European team and we knew that a loss to them would likely mean a three-way tie that we didn’t want any part of. Right before all the games started we went over what the plan was, what we needed to do and applied that in game. We came out hot and well, we 3-0ed them. It was great!
ESL: It is well documented that Renegades has a bit of an ebb and flow to their playstyle. You guys can be hot and sweep anyone in the world, then there are times when things are the complete opposite. What have you seen in today’s performance that was the difference maker?
Victory X: This was actually our number one focus coming into the HaloWC. At HaloWC: Columbus we played against some teams and got steamrolled by others, so it was a focus for the last month or so. We knew we had to find a way to keep momentum, and how to shake off something while losing. Communication is a big part of that for us. If we weren’t communicating well, we would have lost 3-0 to EG. I think we did a great job of that in both of those series and it showed.
ESL: How has your coach Symbolic played a role in keeping you in the game mentally?
Victory X: Oh man, I can’t say enough good things about him. Every single night we practiced he hopped on to watch the film. When we are down on ourselves he taps us on the shoulder, picks us up and if he sees one of us make a bad play or get outshot he is quick to encourage. We count on him to keep us in it, keep us focused, and kudos to him for his powerup control.
ESL: Your series against Evil Geniuses was incrediblyclose, and that may have been the best showing we’ve seen of Renegades all season. What happened?
Victory X: Man, that series was a roller coaster. Lost a close Game 1 with a couple of minutes left. That was pretty devastating. We knew we were playing well though, so we felt good heading into Game 2. We practiced all five game types against EG probably twice as much as any other game type so we knew we were good at these. They tried slowing down the game at one point, but we were able to take control of the pace again. We were a little shaky heading into Game 3, it was our worst game type but we ended out-rotating well which was a weak spot for us in the past. Game 4 was tough for us. I wish we had closed it out because we have a history of choking in close games, but they got us. I felt great heading into Game 5. We have played them well in Plaza Slayer in the past so I knew we were in good shape. We managed to get Overshield control and took the game fairly easily. I’m very proud of the guys and look forward to tomorrow.
ESL: Speaking of tomorrow, what is your preparation plan?
Victory X: We are definitely going back to watch the EG series again, see what we did wrong. We have already started talking about it and are going to fix it for tomorrow. We are going to apply it all and hope for the best!
Renegades have placed themselves in a great position for a deep bracket run tomorrow, and you will not want to miss it. The Halo World Championship 2016 resumes on Saturday at 9AM Pacific / 12PM Eastern / 1700 CET. Keep tabs on all of the #HaloWC action on Facebook and Twitter!
