The Renegade Cup Monthlies are a fantastic way for young, unknown players and teams to get their name out there. The best way of doing so, is by defeating a team that’s among the favorites of the tournament. David versus Goliath, the old story. This week a previously unknown team called Moplo Storo caused the biggest upset of the Rocketeers Thunderdome yet: In an intense match the three players from Europe defeated Nordavind, a team with RLRS and Gfinity Elite Series experience.

We spoke with Labyrinth from Moplo Storo about their success and the Renegade Cup Monthlies.

“We tried to keep our feet on the ground”

Congratulations on your success in the Rocketeers Thunderdome. Your team Moplo Storo managed to secure their place in the Top 8. With what kind of expectations did you enter this Renegade Cup Monthly?

Thank you! We entered the tournament with the mindset of achieving at least top 16 by guaranteeing our spot in Round 2. We were hopeful for a spot in the top 8, however; we tried to keep our feet on the ground and focus on our matches.

Qualified for the final bracket of the Thunderdome with Sharp and @Eversax! Happy with how we played and I’m proud of us as a team ? — Labyrinth (@LongLabyrinth) November 14, 2018

You’re in a team with Eversax, Sharp and your sub is Vano. How did you meet these guys and got to form this team?

We had all heard of each other or seen each other in the game beforehand, but we only really started to get to know each other through 6-mans. Vano also came through for us during the qualifier when Sharp couldn’t attend because he forgot his mom’s birthday. So, big shoutout to Vano for putting in the time when we needed help. Without him we wouldn’t even be here.

“We could tell that they were affected by their loss to mCon”

You were responsible for the biggest upset in week 2 as you eliminated Nordavind, one of the most favorite teams of the tournament. You faced them earlier in the bracket and they defeated you 3-2. In the second match you had the upper hand: What did you change in between the two matches and what gave you the edge over Nordavind in the deciding match?

In the first series we were somewhat nervous, Nordavind is a well-respected team in the community, and we were expecting a hard fought match, and it was. The match ended 3-2 for Nordavind but we felt as if we could beat them if we fixed our defense and communicated more throughout the game. We went into the second series more confident and focused as we knew we would no longer have a safety net to fall on. We could also tell that they were affected by their loss to mCon and were frustrated, which we capitalized on well in the first game. Game two aside, we kept a solid defense and focused on getting attacking opportunities of good quality.

OMG! Moplo Storo defeat @NordavindGG and take their revenge for that loss earlier. They advance to the Final Round of the Rocketeers Thunderdome while Nordavind are eliminated. We didn’t see this one coming, well played, guys! — Rocketeers.gg (@rocketeersRL) November 14, 2018

What was going on in your voice chat the moment you realized that you had just qualified for Top 8 by defeating one of the strongest opponents?

While we were exhilarated and celebrating for a good minute, we were confident and knew that we could do it. Throughout the series we had good vibes and knew we had nothing to lose, and that continued when we beat them.

“Our realistic goal is to get at least to the top 4”

Now that you’re among the 8 best teams in the Rocketeers Thunderdome: What is your goal for the Final Round of the tournament and how do you prepare for the challenge at hand?

While winning the whole tournament would be nice, our realistic goal is to get at least to the top 4. I believe there are only a few teams that would be difficult to beat, but as we are a new team, we are using this more as a learning experience. Even though we do not have high hopes for winning, we’ll still try our best. We often prepare by taking it easy before the games and try to learn how to increase team synergy overall.

“The Renegade Cup Monthlies are a perfect opportunity for new teams like us”

In case you don’t win the Thunderdome, will you also apply for next month’s Renegade Cup Monthly?

Of course, the Renegade Cup monthlies are a great experience and good competition, and it’s the perfect opportunity for new teams like us to see if there is potential. Normally we are only limited to Gfinity before RLRS, so it’s great to have another big tournament which we can play, and improve and learn from.

.@teamsecret, @mConesports, French fries, pizza & Rugbrød & Moplo Storo are the first 4 finalists in the @rocketeersRL Thunderdome in the November monthly version of the #RenegadeCup for Europe. ?https://t.co/eSIzVOJ8ID pic.twitter.com/K8Z9USSWFT — Liquipedia RL (@LiquipediaRL) November 14, 2018

Finally, can you solve one riddle for me: What does Moplo Storo mean?