Interview with FaZe Clan’s FCTFCTN

An interview about the Overwatch meta, map draft process, and more.

Courtesy of Major League Gaming

I had a chance to speak with Russell “FCTFCTN” Campbell from FaZe Clan last week to gain some insight about Overwatch and his life in general.

“Hey FCTFCTN, how’s it going man? How was your holidays?”

Hey man, I’m doing pretty good. My holidays were pretty boring, just relaxed and hung around my house, but it was a nice break after MLG Vegas. I love coming home after traveling, reminds you of all the good stuff at home.

“Can you introduce yourself and give some background as to who you are, for those that might not know?”

Hey, I’m FCTFCTN or Fact Fiction, and I play main tank for FaZe Clan. I started playing Overwatch on release and have been playing professionally since July. I have pretty extensive previous esports experience as I played Dota 2 at a pretty high level (6k mmr). I also played on various tier 2–3 NA teams like Leviathan and Istari and played a lot of NEL.

“So first off, how was your time at MLG Vegas in December? Both in competition and just in general?”

MLG Vegas was great, obviously we had a really good result but I always love going to LANs. My favorite part about gaming is meeting people. Everyone is unique, and interacting with fans is always a blast.

“You guys obviously played great, but unfortunately fell to Team EnVyUs in the finals. Can you tell us what exactly makes them such a good team?”

EnVyUs is a great team because they aren’t afraid to adapt. Like on Numbani for instance, they were having trouble breaking our defense and Hulk swapped to Winston, so they weren’t running a Lucio. They also are very good at punishing mistakes and also creating situations for them to excel. They have really good setups on every map, like on Nepal Shrine for instance, they set up their hog and soldier on opposite sides of the point which creates an immense amount of pressure. They aren’t afraid to go for cheeky plays to win fights with an ult disadvantage, and they manage to win unfavorable fights. Also, all their players are insanely mechanically skilled, and they have really good teamwork.

“I’ve asked similar questions to other players like Mendo… Can you tell me how this meta has effected FaZe, and is it good or bad for professional Overwatch?”

I think the Meta hasn’t been too kind to us, but we’ve also adapted decently well compared to some of the other top teams. Obviously it doesn’t compare to when it was Genji meta, as many considered us one of the best teams at running dive. I don’t really know if I can say the meta is good or bad for professional Overwatch, I think there is still a lot of ground to push. Based on my experiences in Dota 2, I’m sure the meta can shift even if no patches come out, it’s just on the players to not be lazy and to figure out how to beat the dominant strategy.

“With the new PTR patch just going live, what have been your initial thoughts?”

I think the changes are a step in the right direction but I would like to see Ana’s abilities have increased cooldown.

“What about when it comes to tournaments and their map drafts? What do you feel like is the process for pro play?”

I think ban-ban-ban-ban-pick-pick is one of the worst ways to select a map, because the maps that are chosen are the maps that players are least upset about playing. They’re not maps that they are exciting to play. I think the best format for map drafting is ban-ban-pick-pick-ban-ban, because it allows teams unique practice strategies where they can create unique strategies on a few key maps. The map pool then features maps that the teams really want to play. It also allows for teams to create pocket strategies, where in the current format pocket picks are rare. I dislike predetermined map pool because map drafting differentiates teams. I dislike randomly selected first map, because I dislike randomness in skill based games in general.

“You’ve been one of the best tank players in the world for months now. Can you give us some insight as to what makes a good Reinhardt?”

I think what makes a good tank player is awareness. Knowing what abilities are used on both your team and the enemy team, and then making plays based on that. A good Reinhardt constantly skirts the line between aggressive space creation and defensive team protection. Great Reinhardts find a balance which sets up their team for success. Furthermore, great Reinhardts have great mind games. They are able to bait out abilities, block earth shatters, and constantly be unpredictable.

“What was your favorite esports career moment in 2016?”

I think my favorite moment in 2016 was when we beat Rogue to qualify for E-League after they came back from Gamescom. I think beating the “best team” gave us great motivation for the future and it really cemented our roster as one that could contest with the top teams. Though I will say a close runner up is our set versus Fnatic at MLG Vegas. That set was back and forth and our teams were so close in skill level, it was a lot of fun to play.

“ShaDowBurn is widely regarded as the best Genji player in the world. What is it like having him on your team in general, but specifically when he’s on his Genji?”

I’m a bit biased when I say this, but I think ShaDowBurn is one of the smartest players in the game right now. When he’s on Genji, he pushes the limits of that hero and survives forever. ShaDowBurn creates an enormous amount of space no matter what hero he’s playing which allows the rest of our team an immense amount of freedom. Shadow has the aggression that Russians are known for, but he does it in such a smart way that’s always a pleasure to watch and play with.

“Are there any funny moments or stories you can share about your team?”

When you play with the same people 6–8+ hours a day for many months, some funny things get said. We laugh about the stupid stuff we’ve said over comms over the months, it helps us stay grounded.

“So aside from Overwatch, I know you’re a big Dota 2 fan. Do you have a favorite team or player you follow?”

I’m a huge Dota 2 fan, but I’ll give pretty common answers for my favorite team and player. My favorite team is EG, always has been. Coming from NA dota, you’re basically forced to root for the one team from NA that’s always been relevant. I went to TI5 and I was in the audience chanting USA everytime EG played. Again, being an NADota boy, my favorite player has to be NA’s own Arteezy. I’ve been an Arteezy fan since he had less than 100 viewers. Watching his growth from pubstar to top player was inspiring for me. He’s also so funny and genuine all the time and you can tell how passionate he is.

“What’s your favorite song at the moment?”

My favorite song changes every week pretty much, but recently I’ve been going down a high school nostalgia trip. Been listening to a lot of Blink-182 and Brand New. Can’t go wrong with a classic like Stockholm Syndrome from Blink-182. The drums on that song really hype me up.

“Alright Russell, I appreciate your time and thank you for joining me. Are there any shoutouts or callouts you’d like to give?”

Thanks for having me. First I’d like to shoutout FaZe Clan and my sponsors, Turtle Beach, G-Fuel and Scuf Controllers, shoutout to all my friends for supporting me over the years, shoutout to my parents for letting me live out my dream, and shoutout to all the fans who watch our games. If I have a callout I guess I’d have to call out Rawkus and TwoEasy’s hair, why did you dye your hair you fools, both of you looked way better with undyed hair!!!

Be sure to follow Russell “FCTFTCN” Campbell and FaZe Clan on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FaZeFCTFCTN and https://twitter.com/FaZeClan