We had the chance to interview Jeppe 'Trixtank' Gylling, Paradigm's support player. We talk about item and god changes, and about the meta shift overall.

How did you come up with the name ‘Trixtank’?

Trixtank: Well, I always played support, so I wanted something with ‘tank’ in my name. So because I thought I was a trickster, I wanted to call myself something that sounded like that and I came up with Trixtank.

How did you first get into Smite and what made you play it competitively?

Trixtank: Me and Qvofred got picked up by a team because we were a dominant duo lane, so people noticed us.

Who is your favourite god and why?

Trixtank: Sun Wukong - his damage is amazing, he can peel, and he can solo kill mage carries in the late game!

How do you feel about the recent nerf of Weakening Curse?

Trixtank: I think it is good - healers were completely useless for a long time now. With gods that have 100% healing reduction being viable in competitive games it was too strong with another 100% healing reduction. I think it is a good nerf on the item and I hope to see an improved god pool in the competitive scene.

What is your opinion on team compositions that focus on healing? Are they advantageous in the current meta? Do you think that there is enough tools to counter them?

Trixtank: I still don’t think healers are the best in this meta where Serqet is overpowered and bruisers are coming in as supports - a good example is Odin which counters healers completely. I think there is enough gods and items that counter it so that healing isn’t extremely strong.

Do you like unconventional support picks? If you do, what is the reasoning behind it?

Trixtank: I do like unconventional support picks because when you use gods that aren’t used in the support role often, the enemies have a hard time figuring out how to play against it and that is often a good thing.

What thoughts go into the picks and bans phase for your team? Do you go in with a certain strategy in mind or do you usually improvise?

Trixtank: Well first we look at the meta’s overpowered picks and see what we can get and after that we go into the enemy team’s prioritised picks so we can shut them down and get them out of their comfort zone.

What do you think is your team's style? Do you prefer meta picks and builds or do you like to confuse your enemies with some niche strategies as well?

Trixtank: I think we pretty much go with the meta - item wise it is always best to follow the meta but when it comes to gods it is also good to have some strategies that can confuse the enemies :D

Do you like the meta shift that came with the change to Bluestone Pendant? Do you think that the item is balanced?

Trixtank: I love the Bluestone Pendant change, bruisers are now back and I am known on these gods even though I just got comfortable on guardians. I do believe I will still play guardians so I hope to be one of the strongest supports in this meta!

Mail of Renewal got some big changes in the last patch. Is it worth the 2415 gold price tag?

Trixtank: I would say it is best to get it in the late game because that’s when teamfights really get going. As a support you can also sustain with it better because of your high health and because you are not the target and you can get a lot of health back from the item. Overall I would recommend picking it up on supports, junglers and solo laners.

Guan Yu received some minor buffs. Do you think that we will see more Guan Yu supports being played?

Trixtank: Maybe - I haven’t played him too much in the support role but I think we may see the god come back, but rather in the solo role.

Is your team going to release any more song covers? The cover of Baba Yetu was truly wonderful.

Trixtank: Well Funball has a creative mind, so I hope he will come up with some new proposals soon!

Thank you for the interview Trixtank and best of luck to you and your team in the SPL!

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