Slingshot’s Connor Smith caught up with Zac “SFAT” Cordoni ahead of The Big House to talk about Melee, the return of William “Leffen” Hjelte and tournament expectations.

Connor Smith: Heading into The Big House, there’s a lot of top talent flying in from around the world. Is there anyone you’re excited to face in the tournament?



Zac “SFAT” Cordoni: I’d love the chance to fight Armada. He’s one of the few Gods that I haven’t gotten the chance to beat in tournament. Also very excited to fight Hungrybox again because I want to show that last time wasn’t a fluke.

CS: You mentioned Armada, one of the few Gods you haven’t bested. How important would it be to slay the entire pantheon, for your career as a whole.

ZC: To me, it’s not really about how many Gods I slay, or who it is. It’s more about taking the whole thing and playing the best that I can play.



CS: Do you have any side goals for today?



ZC: For today’s crews, so I hope to lead my crew into victory. Other than that, make it out of Round 1 pools. For the whole weekend, just play the best that I can play. The win will just be a bonus, if it happens to be that way.

CS: I know Leffen’s back in the U.S. Any thoughts on having another top competitor back in the scene?

ZC: It’d be great, but I don’t know if he’s actually gonna take it seriously. It’d be awesome if he did. It’s kind of a lose-lose. If he does take it seriously, he’ll be full of johns, like, “Oh, it’s his first tournament back.” Blah Blah Blah. I think him not taking it seriously is just the coward’s way out. It’s kind of like to shield his own ego, but we’ll see.

CS: Any thoughts on the CLG crew for The Big House?



ZC: Nakat and VoiD? I hope that they do fantastic. I’ll be watching them in top eight, hopefully, or as far as they go. I think that we all have a pretty good shot to do well at this tournament.

CS: You mentioned earlier your victory over Hungrybox. What did it mean to you to overcome that demon? Do you think it’s going to be easier the next time, or do you think he’ll step up?



ZC: It meant a lot, cause I’d been trying like all year. Finally, after 10 sets, I finally took one. It was very elevating. I do think he’s gonna come back stronger this time around. I’m gonna be prepared for whatever he’s studied for.

CS: Any final thoughts for your fans or anyone watching at home?



ZC: A lot of people focus on just winning. They focus on how bad the need to win whatever event. Often, thinking about the win will cloud your thinking process and the actual process to winning. I’d recommend, really just focus on the process. Focus on what you need to do, in order to win. If you happen to win, because of that process, then you can celebrate. Don’t be thinking about the win before you actually get it.