Interview with Phoenix1 Brandini on his time in LCS, the meta and the team

Brandini is the substitute top laner for NA LCS team Phoenix1. In the past, Brandini has played for teams such as Frank Fang Gaming and Top Dog Gaming. Here, we discussed the top lane situation with Phoenix1, why he started in the last week and what his hopes are for the team for next season.

How were you able to land a spot on the Phoenix1 roster? Was the original intention to keep swapping you and Zig or was the plan always to have you as the backup?

Brandini: I first heard that the owners that bought the TiP spot were holding tryouts. I got one of the owner's contact through Slooshi and was able to play in the tryouts. I performed well during tryouts and the coach and managers thought I had potential. The original intention was the keep swapping Zig and I but, more of Zig playing over me. I think I could have had more playtime if I took the team more seriously at the start.

Was it due to a lack of drive or was it because you were not used to the LCS regimen?

Brandini: I had the most drive I've ever had coming into this team, but that slowly degraded due to certain situations and reasons. Favoritism and personal grudges were the two main reasons I wasn't receiving as much playtime as I thought I would have. As I said in the previous question, I should have taken the opportunity much more appreciative and seriously. I wasn't really used to the LCS regimen coming back to it after almost a year. I scrimmed with Team 8 during their month of preparing for their relegation series against Imagine so I've had some experience with what an LCS team's regimen is like.

You played your first full week of LCS in Week 9. What prompted the team to start you instead of Zig?

Brandini: The team wanted to give me some playtime since I only played a single game throughout the whole split while also thinking that I was a better fit for the team that last week.

You played Trundle in a lot of your games and found success with the pick. Were there other champs that you had in mind to play if Trundle was banned? Also why did you guys put a preference on Trundle?

Brandini: I honestly didn't expect to play Trundle that often in the games I played. It just came to us as a top lane champ that doesnt rely on too many resources while still being able to be very useful to a teamcomp. If Trundle is banned, I don't mind playing other meta champs like Gnar, Rumble, Maokai and Shen. When Trundle was working, the team wanted to keep using him and it was perfect for us.

 Brandini after a 2-1 win over Team Envy. Image courtesy of lolesports.com

The series against Immortals saw a lot of interesting picks like Kalista, Mordekaiser, Maokai, Twisted Fate and Vayne. Were these picks played during scrims as actual strategies or where they just picks that you felt like paying because the games no longer mattered?

Brandini: In our series against Immortals, we had the mindset that we had against TSM where we had to play off-meta champions like Rengar to throw them off even if we didn't practice them in scrims. It didn't really matter whether or not we won our series against Immortals but, it would have felt really nice if we did. 

In particular, when the Trundle got banned you moved to Maokai. Where do you believe Maokai ranks in the top lane tier list? Why would you put him there and why do you believe not many people are playing him as much anymore?

Brandini: Maokai became weaker over the last couple of patches and now the counters he's had in the past are coming back up. I don't think he's that bad knowing that he's still the best late game tank and team fighter. I think other top laners prefer playing split pushers and heavy damage dealers such as Gangplank, Fiora, and Gnar.

Are there any champions that you would like to see come back or become relevant in the toplane?

Brandini: I'd love to see more Olaf, Nautilus, Gragas and Jax even though he has little.

Phoenix1 will be playing in the promotion tournament as the 8th place seed and will play against Echo Fox, who recently took down TLA. How confident is Phoenix1 towards that match and how strong do you believe Echo Fox is right now?

Brandini: We're pretty confident in winning our series against Echo Fox. Although it was surprising that Echo Fox took down TLA, I still don't think they're that strong. They are a little better than they were a couple weeks ago but it's not like we aren't improving even more.

Phoenix1 currently has Slooshi, you and Fixer sitting on the bench. Is it possible that we will see players switching in between matches? Do you believe that switching players between a b05 or b03 situation is a good move? Or do you believe that it disrupts the team synergy?

Brandini: It's a possibility, but right now I don't think it's that great of a move. It could throw off the other team while disrupting our synergy as well. I don't think its worth the trade in that case.

What are the plans for Phoenix1 in the offseason?

Brandini: We'll most likely be boot-camping and look to resolve issues within the team after taking a break. A team re-evaluation will probably take place as well.

Something that I have noticed is that Phoenix1 is a team that brought on a lot of challenger talent that never got their break with people like you, Zig and Inori. How does it feel to prove that you are an LCS caliber top laner?

Brandini: The challenger talent probably just stems from experience and dedication to the game. I know that both Zig and Inori have been in the challenger scene much longer than I have and it's interesting to learn what they've been through. Now being able to prove themselves in the LCS makes me happy to see them play and succeed. It feels really great that the time and effort I've spent during the year is showing in the LCS

It appears as if all the players on the team have so much love for the organization. What are things that Phoenix1 has done that previous organizations failed to do?

Brandini: The owners have done so much for us during the split, it's really hard not to notice the kindness they have shown to us. They stick to their word and keep every promise they make. They will expend whatever they can as long as it helps or comforts the players such as buying them something they like or taking them out to good food.I've seen and been on past teams that have made false promises such as Top Dog Gaming in my last split.It really demotivates and angers a person when an organization promises you something and doesn't deliver at all.

What are the first three goals you would like to achieve with Phoenix1 next split?

Brandini: The first goal would be to make the owners as happy as possible to thank them for the kindness they've shown to the team. Second, I want to make Phoenix1 a top 5 team in the LCS. Lastly, I want to use the time I have now with Phoenix1 to improve myself as much as I can, to be the closest to the best and work even higher up from there.Helping the owners succeed in the League scene is what would make me happiest.


Do you have any final words to the Phoenix1 supporters and everybody else?

Brandini: Thank you to the kind fans that have been supporting us in the first split.I'd like to thank my friends and family personally. To everyone else, please keep an eye on us and see how much we will improve in the future.

Alright, thank you Brandini for your time. It was a pleasure to interview you and I hope to see you in 2017 with more playing time.

Brandini: Thanks for having me Sage. Best of luck to you too.