ATK player Brandon-Lee “Chambie” Ellis: “It felt so surreal thinking that we could possibly be winning playoffs on 230+ ping if we kept up this momentum.”
One of the top teams in the MEA region, ATK, came out swinging during the ALGS EMEA Autumn Playoffs, bringing the spotlight to their region. Playing from all the way down in South Africa we talk with Chambie about the playoffs, their experience competing from South Africa and the MEA region, and look ahead for the Winter Circuit.
So first off I want to go back to the Autumn Playoffs, coming into it it’s safe to say that being a team from the MEA region, you’re coming in as the underdog. However, after the first game you guys managed to propel yourself up to a first place. Not only good for your standings, but the support that followed from both the casters and the viewers seemed to come flooding in. Would you say that affected you guys going into the following games?
Chambie: Oh 100%, the mood was at an all-time high after that first game, even though we didn’t manage to win the round, we were very happy with our performance, and after seeing all the kind words from the casters themselves and everyone supporting us from home, It felt so surreal thinking that we could possibly be winning playoffs on 230+ ping if we kept up this momentum.
Touching on those comments, it definitly seemed like it wasn’t just that you represent a team like ATK, but also represent South Africa as a region, do you also see it as a goal to put your region more on the map?
Chambie: If it is possible, yes! It’s not impossible for South Africans to compete internationally, but in most cases, people turn away from competing since it can be super difficult with ping, so we want to be an example for others to look up to and prove with the right mindset and determination it is possible, even though it can be tough. We really do have a lot of talent here and whenever someone is able to do well in their respective game, the whole community pulls together to support them to do their very best.
Coming on the issue of the high ping, how much would you say it affects you in the competitions?
Chambie: For MEA it’s not as bad, since most people play on somewhat of a high ping, you don’t notice it as often, but for EMEA it’s a bit different. Sometimes you can play it as perfect as possible, especially in gunfights where you hit all of your shots or using abilities, but will lose because of no regs or stuttering. It does sting when it happens, but it’s important to carry on and that it doesn’t affect our mental for the rest of the competition, which can be hard, but it is necessary. That’s why we have to be more cautious about what fights we take and where we are standing to compensate for some of these things.
I see, so now coming unto the MEA region, how do you think the region stacks up against Europe? Often times it’s seen as a less competitive region, especially due to its size.
Chambie: MEA has some ways to go still till it reaches the quality of EU games, not necessarily in competition only, since there are good teams playing, but you can notice the lack of experience for the newer teams that you see playing since the region doesn’t have its own way of practicing.
Because of the player base not being big enough to host its own GLL scrims like Europe. Because of that, I think when these newer teams play against the more experienced teams they get super discouraged and just stop all together. It has happened where teams just pull out halfway through our finals and it changes the flow of the game completely.
So hopefully we can encourage more of the newer people to play in the European scrims since we don’t have our own so they can be prepared and we’ll have more recurring players and eventually just improve the overall quality of our games.
I remember seeing some South African scrims and smaller community events pop up, do you think those have helped the region a bit?
Chambie: It has definitely helped building up our local Apex scene here to get more people involved in competitive play, but it's very small still and only a handful have given the ALGS a try. Hopefully, with more events coming up here they will feel comfortable enough to try it in the future.
Now moving on to the Winter Circuit, there’s quite a bit on the line this season, as Championship qualification is also on the line, you didn’t have the best of starts, but how are you feeling for the rest of the circuit?
Chambie: Still very confident to say the least, we might not have done our best in our most recent circuit, but the losses are just as important as the victories, if not more in some cases. We learn a lot about what we can improve on and having the chance to be part of the Championship series keeps us motivated to keep on trying our best for the rest of this circuit.
Which teams would you say would be the toughest competition within the region?
Chambie: For me personally I would say it’s Flying Camels and Fenerbahçe Esports. They are both really strong teams and work well together making the competition harder.
Looking ahead to the Championship, if you’d were to qualify, are there any teams or players from abroad that you’re interested in facing?
Chambie: Most definitely, we really look up to a lot of other pro players, even though we do play against them in scrims, it would be an honor to play against Alliance, Nessy, TSM, and Complexity on the same playing field at a LAN event.
Now coming into season 8, do you think we’ll see any changes in the meta for the upcoming tournaments?
Chambie: As of the moment I don’t think any major meta changes will happen, it seems like Caustic is still the go-to with Wraith/Gibraltar/Crypto/Bloodhound. Interestingly enough, I have seen more and more people substitute Wraith for other characters so we might potentially see some new comps doing really well in due time.
There has also been some discussion around Kings Canyon making its way back into the competitive rotation, although it’s confirmed now that it won’t be added back just yet, what are your opinions on Kings Canyon as a map for competitive?
Chambie: I’m very happy that they decided to listen to the comp community with the concerns that they have with the map. Kings Canyon in its current state is just too small for competitive play. The new areas are a really nice addition and do help a bit but ultimately teams are still on top of each other constantly and so fights break out constantly leaving end game with very few teams left.
Looking ahead for the year, would there be any things you’d like to see added or changed for competitive Apex?
Chambie: Mostly just balance changes really, I would like to see Caustic getting toned back a bit more, whether it’s just nerfing the damage on his ultimate a bit or the time it stays up, that would make the meta a bit better, and hopefully we can maybe see some buffs in the Wattson department so we can potentially make her viable again.
Anything else that you would like to add?
Chambie: Nothing that comes to mind really, just a big thank you for your time and the opportunity :)
