The playoffs are officially locked in for
Gentle Mates this Friday at the
Esports World Cup in
Rocket League. M8 secured a convincing 4-0 sweep against Brazilian side
MIBR.LOS, who were unable to compete with the French team today.
Following this dominant victory, the most experienced player on the roster, Archie "Archie" Pickthall, joined Sheep Esports for an interview to discuss his team's win, Brazilian teams’ levels recently compared to before, his five-man football team, and who he considers the GOAT of Rocket League.
What do you think of this convincing performance?
Archie "Archie" Pickthall: “It was a very good performance. We got the job done, scored a lot of goals, and kind of dominated them. Even though they're a bit worse than most teams here, they keep it close, and we didn't keep it close at all.
It was kind of an easy win for us because we played super aggressively, played really well together, and got the win.
How important was it to win convincingly, especially after yesterday's defeat against Team Falcons?
Archie: I don't think it matters that much because yesterday we felt like we played good, even though we lost. I don't know, people will probably say, "Oh, they didn't play that good," but we were definitely happy with how we played.
So today we just came and played the same game with a little bit less stress. I don't think we were very stressed today. It was very good, and it was way easier.
You've been playing professionally for a long time now. How do you see the evolution of the Brazilian scene, especially after facing MIBR.LOS?
Archie: Brazilians, When I first became a pro, they were better. They were more scary on LAN. The thing is, I think they had more passion back then, especially the FURIA team. They have the most talent, for sure. But I feel like they lost a bit of their passion, which I think gave them an edge over most teams because they were super excited and super happy to be there.
But now I feel like the Brazilian teams are kind of falling off quite hard, especially FURIA. I think MIBR is actually better than FURIA, but still, MIBR doesn't really have the talent to compete with other regions.
How do you see a quarterfinal against NiP going?
Archie: The thing is, this is the first LAN they've actually played well at. The first two LANs were terrible. But now they're showing their level. They are actually a good team online when they play well together, but I think they always have had mental issues. This LAN, it looks like they're just happy to be here and confident. So they'll be a hard match, for sure.
Oskar "Oski" Gozdowski told me that you would be Harry Kane if you were a football player. Can you give me three things you have in common with him?
Archie: Shooting, for sure. When I'm playing well, my shooting is very good. Other than that, I could say I'm slow, but I don't think I'm really that slow. Maybe I'm slow like Harry Kane. Being a goal scorer is the main one, just scoring goals and scoring tap-ins. But that's maybe more like Ronaldo, to be honest.
I heard you have to go play football after this, so I have to ask you to make the best five-person football team from the Rocket League scene.
Archie: I'll take myself, Oski; I'll put Snaski (Nicolai Vistesen Andersen), AzoX (Thomas Albanese), Nass (Nassim Bali) as the coaches; he won't be playing. He'll do all the other stuff. And let's say... maybe Yan (Yan Bernardo "yANXNZ" Xisto Nolasco). Let's put Yan in there. Yeah, really good team.
You wrote on Twitter, "It's coming home". Do you think England has a better chance of winning the Esports Nations Cup than the Football World Cup?
Archie: To be honest, I think both have a low chance right now. But I actually think England winning the World Cup is highly likely because we're one of the top four teams. The top four teams are obviously us, France, Spain, and Argentina. But as soon as Messi goes, Argentina aren't in there. So the top three will be us, France, and Spain.
And then it just comes down to one game, 90 minutes, and who can win. But the Esports Nations Cup? To be honest, England isn’t in the best form. If we can get Oski next year, we have a very high chance to win. But currently, based on the team and our form, I don't think so. But obviously, I'll play to win.
You said on Twitter that after the Paris Major, Axel "Vatira" Touret might be the GOAT. I have to ask you: how do you define the GOAT and who is it?
Archie: For me, Vatira is the GOAT. Consistency is the most important thing. He's always in finals, always winning tournaments. That's just what matters. People say you have to win Worlds, but for me, no. Because a Major feels the same as Worlds.
It's the same teams, usually the same format. And Vatira, like... how many LANs has he won? Five LANs, something? Maybe like 20 regionals at this point in EU. I mean, for me, Vatira is probably the best, yeah.”
