NME Changes

Normally I'm not the one to handle releasing statements, and to be honest this was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.



I've probably been one of the most transparent pros in smite, I don't stir up drama and I try to be as nice and simple as possible. What I wanted most when I was grinding my way through challenger cup was to get to SPL and play in an environment that was hyper supportive and productive. I for one did not expect the amount of drama that exists in esports, despite knowing it happens all the time. I think to myself everyday I wish more people in Smite just got along and worked towards having fun at a high level, rather than simply looking good. Before Super Regionals, there was so much hate between players that spawned across all levels of play. It was just sickening to me because much of it was unwarranted. All I wanted was to sit at my desk and enjoy my time playing a video game. This type of drama ended for me in my high school days, and I thought I was rid of it. Fortunately after SR, the entire community seemed to be friendlier and closer, and I hope it only continues to go down this path, despite the rosterpocalypse.



Where does this all tie in? It's hard, at least in my opinion, to ever play in an environment where the dramatic factors are always interrupting my focus. And with this roster, there was constant drama that prevented either party from really progressing. I won't go into detail, and both parties were definitely at fault, but things only got worse after worlds. Without either party able to find a common ground, it only made sense that this split occurred. The many topics of concern for both parties were constant, and information was always skewed, and therefor made it impossible to repair the trust issues within the team. When I have to go to one of my teammates to find out truthfully what another teammate was saying, it's impossible to feel comfortable. This persisted for far too long than I was willing to tolerate.



I am a very positive teammate, and if you talk to anyone who knows me I'm probably one of the most humble players in the scene. I've done nothing but review vods, watch streams, scrutinize replays, and ask other pros for advice. I highly believe in vod review, and whenever we were watching back scrims, Vetium/Salt never found the time nor the patience to sit with us. They had their reasons and I will not dive into it, but imagine that attitude applied to many things involving team collaboration. At least to me, it just felt like we were team of 3 different factions, Pain and I on one side, Vetium and Salt on the other, Mask/Draylo in the middle.



Eventually, scrims were becoming so impossible that a change had to be made. No single player on this team performs poorly when they are comfortable and in the right mindset. Unfortunately the drama that followed world's hit Pain and I the hardest. Second place was an incredible feat for me, I never in a million years expected to make LAN, let alone worlds, LET ALONE THE FINALS. I was ecstatic even after we lost. All of us were planning on celebrating and I had a conversation with Vetium who seemed at the time disappointed and upset. I talked to him and said "duuude don't put a sour note on this man, think of how far we got!" to which he replied "Oh, I'm going to put a sour note on this, I don't like losing."



That phrase is the embodiment of our internal conflicts. When you feel pressured about making mistakes, or concerned with trying new things, because if they don't work your teammates will conspire against you rather than working with you, you can't succeed. No one expected us to make it that far, and I damn well am not gonna feel bad about what we achieved. I want to work with people that are supportive and practical.



So, because this was an ingrained personality conflict, the team decided to bench pain in lieu of someone else they got better along with.



Now, I have grown to become very close friends with Pain over the past split. He's one of the nicest, caring players I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I had the same issues with Vetium/Salt that Pain had and even after scrimming with the new support I felt I could not move past some of the things I had to deal with over the split. So with that in mind, I decided to stay with Pain and rebuild the team with an environment both of us can properly function in. It seemed like the best decision, as I wanted to be away from the source of stress and drama I've had to deal with for almost 7 months.



To Mask/Draylo you guys are actually incredible. Mask you said one of nicest things any player has ever said to me, and I will never forget it. I waited 2 years to be on a team with you again, ever since we had become friends during season 1 and I tried to bring you into the challenger scene. You were always my favorite jungler to play with, and I wish things lasted longer than they did. Draylo you were always caring and supportive, and I felt like we were very close after all the LAN experiences. I loved the time hanging out with you and hopefully we can do it again some time. I still have the pickle ;)



To Vetium/Salt obviously we have creative differences, and we weren't really able to get along all that often, but I still love you both for going this far with me and everything that we accomplished.



I wish all my ex-teammates the best of luck in the future. You guys deserve success.



More details will come about our new roster, but I'm insanely excited to be working with some of my closest friends I've gotten to know over the past couple years. Let's make this split HYPE AS FUCK!



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