Insider Gaming caught up with For Fun Esports’ Apex Legends pro Tyler ‘Tyler’ Wood during the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs Group Stages.
His team had an electric start to the event, winning the very first two matches and then placing second in the third during A vs B.
For Fun ended up in second in that series due to fewer kills than Alliance, and then failed to reach the same heights in B vs D.
Before playing on Day 2, Tyler spoke to us about that quick start, the team struggles afterwards, and how he is keeping his teammates from tilting.
So how are you feeling right now? How was your prep heading into the tournament?
Our prep was actually really good. I think we had a few mistakes leading up to LAN, but at bootcamp we kind of ironed them out a little bit.
And we were all really confident at bootcamp and coming into LAN. We were feeling a lot better than what we were like just after Pro League.
Can you expand on like what kind of things you were like ironing out and fixing?
Yeah, so we had like a few macro mistakes.
We were still, because we’re a newer team, we were still like kind of trying to understand how each other plays and kind of like which way we want to rotate through the map, like which way is easier for us to fight, all that kind of stuff.
And yeah, well, we’ve worked on it and our communication skills have been like, we’ve been working on that too because we’ve been lacking. But now it’s looking pretty good for us.
I mean, it showed for the first three games yesterday and then we kind of like slowed down.
And then the second set was, we were in good spots, but we were like a little bit lackluster because all the restarts and it was like, I felt like we were a little bit tilted.
So we kind of like fell off a little bit.
Of course I was going to ask about that crazy start, What went so well for you in those first three games?
I think, well, we knew we had a game plan and we kind of like went by that. And Game 1, we just played our own game.Â
We worried about ourselves. So we just took it like step by step. Game 1 was like, I’d say it was a pretty free win.Â
And then obviously we’re all super energetic, we’re super happy going into Game 2.
I think it was a pause after Game 1. I think it was like a 45-minute break or something. So we were like, oh my God, we just won and now we have to take a break.
That was a little mental-destroying. We got like all the excitement from Game 1. And then it kind of got like drained out a little bit, but we didn’t let it get to us.
We won Game 2 and we almost won Game 3. If I did anything, we would have won Game Three.
In that first group game, you guys actually had the best placements; it was just kills that let you down. Is that something that you’re going to work on?
Yeah, we spoke a little bit about that yesterday. We are lacking on the kills, but it’s kind of like… It’s not like we’re trying.
I feel like we were missing some potential kills we could get, but at the end of the day, we just want to win games and just secure the win.
Kills will come to you. I don’t think we need to go out of our way to force them.
You also mentioned how the second series was a bit tougher for you. People have been talking about how stacked Group D is, so what happened in those games?
The first game that got restarted, we were terminal and the zone was pulling straight to us.
But then there was like 10 crashes or something. So there was a 45-minute pause. They unpaused it and then the server crashed.
So then we were like, I wouldn’t say we were tilted. Like we weren’t, we were just a little bit distraught. Like we knew we had a really good opportunity to win that game.
And then yeah, just full restart. So the next game, we had actually a really good spot, but we lost an important fight because no one on our team had made the fight call.
So we kind of just like lingered, and the team just pushed us and we died for it.Â
Game two, we also had another really good like God-spot. And we kind of just, our Newcastle wasn’t the greatest, so we kind of got pushed and there wasn’t really much we could do.Â
They just came in our building and they just killed us. And then after that, it was like, I wouldn’t say we were like mental nuked, but it was a little bit disheartening.
Like, we could have had 20-plus-point games easily those games, because we were in a really good spot. And then we just couldn’t really get the ball rolling after that.
So then are you changing anything after those games or like fixing anything coming into the rest of the event?
Well, we watched a little bit of the VODs. We kind of learned from those mistakes. And now we kind of know we need to be calling on zone closers.
We need to be calling our priors and like, what we need to focus on and what roles need to focus what. So I think that’s what we’ll be bringing into our games today.
Obviously the pauses were rough, but otherwise, how does it feel like playing at LAN and having the fan meet yesterday?
It’s surreal. People coming up to like ask me for photos, like just saying hi to me. It’s surreal. It’s kind of weird.
Like people ask if I’m famous. I wouldn’t say I’m famous, but like it’s just really, it’s a real thing. People coming up to me and asking for autographs and photos. It feels amazing.
And then going back a bit, you guys have kind of been placing like third and fourth in EMEA. What do you think the team needs to do to step up like that one more level?
Well, this was our first Pro League together, obviously. The Pro League before, I played with Cimetic and Nugget. This Pro League, it was kind of just like, we kind of threw everything together at once.
Like it was so last-second that I was surprised we got fourth, honestly. So that was like a really good stepping stone for us.
And I think this next Pro League, we will do like next year, next year’s Split 1, will definitely show what we are capable of.
And leading into Champs, I think we’re in a good spot for Champs. I think we pretty much qualified already from these last couple of games.
So leading into Champs, we’ve got a lot of preparation, and I think we’re going to do really good.Â
This might be a weird question considering how many games you won yesterday, but how seriously do you take the Groups games? When there’s less pressure, do you use those games to try work on things or is it all about winning and get the momentum going?
Of course we want to win. We want to win every game we play, pretty much. But it is a momentum thing.
We know it’s just Groups. We just want to focus on getting through Groups, getting to Winners. The main goal is just to win.
We want to win as many games as we can. We want to prove to people that we can win, that we can do it under pressure. And that’s pretty much it.
- Fancy yourself an esports expert? Start trading with a $20 deposit at Polymarket and receive a $50 bonus!
And then when you get through to the Bracket Stage and further, what is it that needs to click for you guys to keep up winning games?
I think we just need to stay lightheaded. Sometimes one game can get to us kind of thing.
If someone on our team makes a mistake, it’s kind of like sometimes we point it out too much, I would say.
In the back of your mind, you’re kind of getting a little bit upset in a way. I think we just need to chill out after a game. Just take a breather.
Yesterday, I was telling the boys actually, after every game, I was making them stand up and go for a walk. So that’s a really good thing, I think, to do. I was doing that with Alliance in Mannheim and we got third.
So I feel like that’s a really good team strat to do. It gets you walking around, not just sitting in your chair, tilting, just talking with your team. I think it’s a really good decision to do.
Nice. I was going to ask, do you or anyone else in your team particularly try to lift everyone up?
I don’t know why, but I think it was our team manager. He put me in the middle and I think that was a good decision.
Because I’m always doing fist bumps with the team, making sure everyone’s happy, getting the mood up after games.
I would say I’m the jokester of the team. I’m throwing jokes around all the time. After the games we won, we were doing a little bit of 67, a little bit of scuba.
I was just trying to lift the vibes and that kind of thing.Â
Which team are you rooting for at ALGS Split 2? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
Meanwhile, Respawn confirmed everything new coming in Apex Legends Cipher. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
An esports journalist for nine years with a focus on LoL Jack has written for national newspapers, interviewed major names, and driven people mad with puns. He's most proud of…
More from Jack Stewart
Comments