Hello everyone. I decided to conduct an interview with @banani after the Summer Invitational, and this is the transcript.
Hi Banani, thanks for agreeing to this interview.
For those unaware, Banani is a high 1800 rated player who has just competed in their first tournament, the Summer Invitational, placing top 12; a very respectable placement alongside players such as Se7en, Luceid and Adjux.
So, for those people who are getting to know you, could you share something about yourself?
My friends introduced me to FAF. I've played around 1200 hours of faf over 2.5 years; I mostly play ladder but you can also find me chilling with my buds in minigames or non-standard FAF game modes.
Some people didn’t know this but in the Summer Invitational you had some technical issues, could you talk about those?
My PC died 5 days before the starting of the main group stage. I went to my friend's house and borrowed his laptop to play and got a bit rusty and had done no prep. I even lost my gamepref file which got me really frustrated.
What do you think affected your gameplay the most?
The thing that almost got me depressed was getting used to a new mouse and keyboard. I always missed the right additional buttons and used wrong hotkeys that I have in muscle memory. Also, I cant deny there was a lack of apm, I'd say it was reduced by 2 times at least and I felt crippled.
Do you think you would have gotten further without these issues?
Blast_Chilled was the opponent most on par with me and my games against him were deciding factor for me to advance, and if I had had my PC, I do think that I could've advanced further.
Some players read others’ build orders and prepare for certain tournament maps. How much did you prepare for the tournament and how were you invited or scouted?
As I've said, my pc got broken so I had no time or opportunity to prep for the group stage; in the end, I used my ladder experience. I wasn't scouted, I decided to register in it when I noticed the post on forum. My friends said I was crushing, and I was bored of the same 4 opponents in my range, and I decided it would be a good testing ground for my playstyle.
Now, even without your hardware issues, many players were calling you an underdog due to your newcomer status. How do you feel about this?
When I first saw the bracket and all those flashy nicknames, I was really worried at getting at least in top 12 qualifier, and about showing my skills from ladder. But when it came to actually playing I did not feel anything but the joy of advancing to next opponent.
Were there any players you were worried about facing, or were you approaching each game similarly?
I was scared of almost everyone and I treated them as if they were 10 steps ahead of me. Almost all of the players were new to me and I did not know about their playstyle; I was just happy that I was able to play Seraphim.
During the qualifying stage, some people called your victories unexpected or upsets, especially those against Inspector_Kot and Blast_Chilled. How does this make you feel?
To be honest, each of my victories made me feel that my efforts have not gone to waste and they felt truly great. I don't find those victories unexpected since I'd beaten them a few times in ladder and become even stronger since then.
If your PC was fixed and your group offered you a rematch, would you take it now or would you take time off to relax and improve? Will you rewatch any of your games from the tournament?
Yes, I'd instantly take that offer since I am yet to become rusty. If they gave me more time to improve I would've shown them an even better perfomance. As for my replays, I don't think I'll watch them since I believe all my mistakes were related to pc problems than skill.
Can we expect to see you in future tournaments, be they Invitationals or fun tournaments like Crazyrush and Astro Crater?
Sure thing. But next time I'll be joining with an intention of winning. My intentions are to face against all those rare and skillfull opponents!
Now for some quickfire fun questions:
Any maps from the map pool you hated or loved?
Loved crazyrush and hated 5x5 Neroxis (editor's note: random map generator).
Is there anything you do to get into a competitive mood? Got a favourite playlist?
Total Annihilation music mod.
Any other players you look up to?
All of the players 1800+ on ladder.
How does it feel being able to call yourself a FAF pro?
Dunno. I can't say I am a pro yet. Wait till I beat Tagada.
What helps you focus on your game the best?
A strong opponent.
Can you give us a tip for aspiring pro FAF players?
You can get better by spamming games.
Where did you get your name from?
Better to be a fruit than a vegetable.
Thank you so much for your time, Banani. What a warrior's spirit, always searching for the best and fairest challenge. Good luck in your future tournaments!
(Want to see more interviews? Please leave me some feedback and ideas!)
