Q: Hey LaFaf! This season had started nice for you – a 100% win rate over 80 games with just L11 decks is pretty impressive. Do you think you’re in good form? Or just the start of the season making things a bit easier?
A: I'm not really in better form than usual. I didn’t lose because I met people with identical level units. This has become so rare for me!! For example, last season, I think I played more than 80% of my games against higher unit levels, and it became really frustrating. That's why I take full advantage of the beginning of the seasons and the many events (with level 11 max) that EA offers us.
Q: With GDI, you currently play the meta APC deck. Personal preference, or belief that it’s the strongest right now?
A: Actually, I hate the APC. I find it slow and easily killed with good micro. But
seeing the popularity of the deck, I wanted to test it. And as I won so much with it, it was difficult to change the deck, as it worked very well.
A deck I would like to play if I had the proper unit levels would be: Rifleman-Missile-Sniper / Talon-Orca / Sandstorm. Indeed, it is a very demanding deck in micro with weak starting units but especially in terms of timing and tempo of the missiles
Q: Your Giga Cannon / Banshee Nod deck is a bit less common. What makes you prefer it over the standard 2-3-1 Nod aggro deck, e.g. in the Militant/Seth or Flame/Oxanna variants?
A: I try to play 50% Nod and 50% GDI with 2-3 different decks for each faction. This allows me to be more versatile and to surprise my opponents during a BO3 or BO5 match. For the events I choose my deck and my faction only according to the proposed maps. There are events with more tech-oriented maps, other for air units for example.
With Nod, I prefer this Giga Cannon deck over than the other standard decks (Bikes, Flames, Scorpion Tank, …), because it requires a lot more micromanagement:
- Hit and run with Stealth Tanks
- Protection of the Giga Cannon with blockages of units (Laser Troopers & Wheels)
Q: Everyone who sometimes clicks on the Alliance ranking will know your team, “Baguette”. Tell us a bit about it.
A: When the game launched in December 2018, I wanted to join a great French team. At that moment, looking at the top of the ladder, I saw Baguette's leader: Zarkos. So I applied and Zarkos accepted me. He chose the name Baguette because every time we say that we come from France, most people answer you “Baguette” – especially in videos games. :D
Our alliance discord is very active and we have also an international channel: It’s where ladder people come to say GG if they just win against us – lol. Of course it's open to anyone, whether you come from France or not! Come taste our baguette, our wine and cheeses :)
And if you want to see how we play: In Baguette there’s two people who regularly stream Rivals on Twitch: Zarkos and Mr tchetche.
A "baguette de tradition française" – as delicious as LaFaf’s micro – Source: Wikipedia
Q: Did you participate in Rivals tournaments so far?
A: Yes, I try to participate in every tournament organized by the community. At first, there was a lot (thanks to Denney and Bikerush for their efforts!) but it is very rare now, too bad :(.
The 1st tournament I participated left a mark on me. It was organized by Koda from Terminus Shores and brought together the best players. I think it was during this tournament that my my name was becoming a bit more known in the community :) Very good matches were played!
I wish that more of these tournaments will be organized, and EA also organizes some tournaments, as they did it so well shortly after the release of the game. I found the idea great and I don’t understand why they didn’t continue. Possibly the game didn’t reach their hopes or expectations...
I also currently participate in the Rivals Team League which brings together several teams from around the world. I hope we will go to the final with our international team called "Scrappy". So far, we won 4 out of 4 matches. In any case, my team mates are pretty skilled. Besides me, our line-up is Bikerush / Alicia / Nickcool / Wwfyin / JadeXyan / Chuckylate.
– Remark from the editor: If you want to play Rivals tournaments, I recommend to join the following discords:
- CNCBattles tournament discord
- Rlong’s tournament discord – join this one now, the first tournament will start soon!
- Rivals Team League discord
Q: One of the units that was buffed in the latest balance patch is the Nod Artillery. Do you think it’s viable now? If you had to play it, what deck would you chose?
A: I never played units like Nod Artillery or Juggernaut myself, because i don’t have enough credit to level them up. So far, I met Artillery very rarely. It is true though that once laid with anti air next to it, it is very difficult to dislodge.
Excoundrel showing a replay where he lost against LaFaf, with LaFaf having units 2-3 levels below Excouldrel's
Q: What would be a deck that you would love to play if it were viable in competitive play?
A: A deck with 2-3 Tech units. I like GDI tech units like Wolverine, Zone Troopers and Titan but they are not viable, especially together. Developers should change something for tech units because I find that they are really used too little by top players.
Q: Uhh. you’re one of these Tech lovers! I have to admit that I personally dislike tech. ;) – Are there maps you particularly like? What new types of map would you like to see?
A: I like the maps where the four Tiberium patches are packed tightly together. Many players take advantage of this by opening with 2 harvesters. And that’s the moment when you can come in with a Giga Cannon, buffed by Oxanna. It’s just magic! … and then players leave :D
Q: Are there any multiplayer games that you played competitively before? Which ones?
A: Yes I love RTS games in general. I played a lot of different ones, but the ones I played the most are Warcraft 3, Starcraft 2 and Dawn of war 1 & 3. I could not play many tournaments in Warcraft 3, because of my bad connection bad in the days – 56k. On the other hand, in Starcraft 2 I managed to get into the Master League and played a lot of tournaments. However, it was too demanding and too time-consuming to reach the top level, so this wasn’t possible for me.
Q: You seem to be spending no or very little money on Rivals. What’s your perspective on this experience? Do you think the game works well for players who spend little or nothing?
A: Indeed, I spent very little money on the game. A few months ago, I didn’t have too much problem to access the top 25 of the ladder. But today, I feel that the number of “p2w” players increased a lot and it is very difficult to access the top 100 with L10-11 level units. It’s very frustrating to lose against players with L15 units, knowing that you’d be are sure to beat them with identical levels. That's why I stopped playing much ladder, basically only for bounties. The most enjoyable part of Rivals for me are the events. Beating players who pay for higher level units, but don’t have access to these high levels in the event, is very funny. I sometimes picture them rage behind their screen!
Q: What would be one thing you’d like to change in the game or app outside of unit balance?
A: Clan wars! I find this concept in Clash Royale very nice. There should be added functionality for the alliances, because currently their only real purpose seems to be card requests & donations. Clan wars with rewards, and maybe an associated ladder, would be a good idea.
Q: Thanks for taking the time for this interview. Last question: What is your #1 tipp for newer players who want to improve at Rivals?
A: Never allow a unit to be beaten. I see a lot of players even in Tiberium league let their units attack their counters. Always keep an eye on each unit and manage them all at once. I know it's easier to say than to do, but with training and quick hands, you can do it!
And: Never surrender! Even with units with much lower levels, it is quite possible to win. I often beat players who have 2 to 3 and even 5 levels more than me. In such cases, I wouldn’t like to be in the shoes of my opponent. Skill > $$$.
→ Talk to LaFaf on the Baguette alliance discord
Super interview!
ReplyDeleteYes, great interview!
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