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What is your relationship like with the players?<\/h4>
I have a good relationship with everyone. It’s tough as I don’t get to be there daily, but I have spent a lot of time out in Los Angeles with the team this split and will be there for the coming weeks. When I’m not in LA, I speak with our Player Manager and GM daily and have weekly discussions with each player.<\/p>
How did you arrive to the decision to bring in Nisqy?<\/h4> <\/p>
We sent the team out to Korea specifically to try out new midlaners. Oddly enough, Nisqy came up near the end of that endeavor via his management in France\/Belgium and we worked it out with Fnatic to have him catch the tail end of the tryouts. The team was really pleased with the way he performed and we managed to complete the transfer with Fnatic.<\/p> <\/p>
LirA has become a star over the last couple splits. What makes him so good?<\/h4> <\/p>
He’s honed in. The guy is constantly watching VODs from LCK and other regions in his spare time. He is a hard worker and truly has drive to take our team to Worlds. Aside from those characteristics, he is mechanically and mentally gifted. When we lost Procxin to retirement, we were left without much time to find a jungler. We knew we wanted to go ahead and invest in a big way. We had some discussions with extremely high profile junglers in Korea, but ultimately decided that LirA had the most potential. He has certainly proved that here int he NA LCS.<\/p> <\/p>
What is LirA like in the gaming house?<\/h4> <\/p>
LirA is very reserved, but also hilarious. One of my favorite things he does during live, official matches happens in comms. Whenever he is setting up a gank or making a move in jungle and he recognizes he has been seen by the enemy team, he says “They seeeeeee me!” in the most happy voice. It’s always funny. He also says “Oooooooh scarrrrrrry” when he barely survives a fight.<\/p> <\/p>
Franchising<\/h2>
What do you think of Riot’s franchising plan for the NA LCS?<\/h4>
I wouldn’t say we were very vocal about franchising, but we certainly appreciate the opportunity and believe it is in the best interest of the players, teams and league. I think the model that Riot has laid out is the absolute best and most survivable model I have seen in all of esports up to now and we like just about everything there is included.<\/p>
I think franchise models are very important in accelerating growth of the esports industry.<\/p>
You’ve lagged behind some other teams in terms of promoting yourself. But now you’re doing an AMA\u2014is more on the way?<\/h4>
In many ways, we have been reserved about our team and I think that was a result of us just wanting to make some kind of a mark before we started to wave our hands in the air and say “Hey! Look at us. Look at all the great things we’re doing.” I think we’re comfortable coming out and doing that a little bit at this point and it certainly is important for me to do this so that our story is a little more clear when we do an application as a permanent partner in the LCS. I think you will find that we are quite an open organization with our supporters or fans of any game we participate in once we break the ice a bit.<\/p>
What sets EnVyUs apart as a strong partner in a franchised league?<\/h4>
We care about performance, winning and most of all with providing our players with a platform that gives them the best chance to succeed. Although it might not seem like it at times, you have to consider that there are challenges in the way of that like being a new team in a league with very established organizations some of whom have been in the league since its inception. We are an unwavering group who will not stop giving effort until we succeed. Our fans can rest easy at night knowing that we will always come back strong from a defeat.<\/p>
We are very confident in our ability to be competitive in the NALCS and begin an era at the top of the standings. I think our organization has proven that by winning more championships across multiple esports title than any other organization in the past 3 years and taking the 2016 Team of the Year accolades at the Esports Industry Awards. That doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of know how and a lot of hard work from our office.<\/p>
All photos via <\/em>