TWIS M0nkey M00n: "I’m enjoying playing Rocket League again"

Despite not finishing first in their group, Twisted Minds have struck at the heart of the Paris Major as they continue the rise of the MENA region. After a 4–1 victory over FUT Esports in the lower bracket, the Saudi Arabian organization advances to face FURIA in the second round of the lower bracket in less than 24 hours.

Ahead of this next matchup, Evan “M0nkey M00n” Rogez, the French star of the team and former world champion, sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss Twisted Minds’ latest result and his experience in Paris so far. He also reflects on the level of the event and his region, before offering a sneak peek at what to expect for the rest of the tournament.

Evan “M0nkey M00n” Rogez: “I’m extremely happy. It’s the first time I’ve won in front of my home crowd, even though I don’t play in a French-speaking organization. I’m also very satisfied with the team’s performance, as well as my individual level today.

M0nkey M00n: Their performance was within my expectations. I also think Vitality and KC kind of underperformed in their matches against FUT. We play them a lot in scrims, so I don’t think they are that strong of a team. I played my own game, without putting pressure on myself because they had managed to challenge KC and Vitality. And in the end, it went really well.

M0nkey M00n: It’s a bit like today. Even though they beat the world champions, it doesn’t mean they are extremely dangerous or unbeatable. We’ll play our own style. Then we’ll see if it works or not. If we lose a game or two, we’ll try to adjust things as usual. In any case, I’m approaching the match calmly. I’ll try to play my game like I did today, because I felt pretty good. But we won’t underestimate them.

M0nkey M00n: Yes, like today. It’s exactly the same kind of situation. But we’ll try to do the same as today.

M0nkey M00n: Yes, I’m playing a bit more freely now. Especially after qualifying—once I knew it was done, I was able to release the pressure knowing I would play in front of my home crowd. Now I feel really good in my gameplay. The qualification did me a lot of good in that regard.

M0nkey M00n: I think mainly mechanically. Defensively too, I feel very good. Overall, those are the aspects I’ve improved, and they’re working really well right now.

M0nkey M00n: The match against NiP gave us a bit of a boost, because they were a strong team. Before that match, we were a bit stressed, because if we messed up, we couldn’t play for first place in the group anymore. Even though we didn’t get it in the end, we were still in the running at that moment.

But yes, there was a trigger, and it put us in a good spot for what followed. Like today, where we played very well—it’s also thanks to that NiP match that really boosted our confidence. It’s getting better and better. I hope it continues like this at least until Sunday.

M0nkey M00n: Individually, I’d give myself a 7.5. For the team, 8.5. I give one point more because collectively, we played really well.

M0nkey M00n: It’s even stronger than the Boston Major. Rocket League had issues for a few months, which made it difficult for players to really perform. Now I feel like the level is coming back very strong, especially individually across many players.

So naturally, teams are also returning to their level—like KC, who are much stronger than in Boston, M8 who are still very strong, and many other teams. Even North American teams: everyone is getting back to their normal level.

M0nkey M00n: Yes, it changed a lot. Now I can play the game normally again—I’m enjoying playing Rocket League again. It was really a blocker for everyone, it was very demotivating. Because of that, the time we invested into the game wasn’t consistent due to all the issues. Now everything is fixed, so everything is fine for the moment.

M0nkey M00n: They’re not wrong. But in a way, it’s because there used to be only Falcons. Now there are Falcons, Twisted Minds, and even R8 who qualified for Paris. So I think the peak level is slightly lower, but there are more consistent teams that can compete at this level—even if R8 lost all their matches. In any case, MENA is improving; it’s getting better and better.

M0nkey M00n: For me it was perfect, because as I said, they were on my side—they supported me because I’m French. On top of that, we were playing against an American team, so they didn’t really have a reason to support the other side. It’s not the same for my teammates though. Nwpo wasn’t really supported, but he’s used to it now.

I was really happy. It means a lot to have a crowd behind me because it’s very rare. Especially since it’s only the second LAN in France. So I’m super happy, and I hope they keep doing that.

M0nkey M00n: Tomorrow should be fine. But if we face Gentle Mates or KC later on, then it won’t be easy. Still, I’ve always played with the crowd against me, so I’m used to it.

M0nkey M00n: Honestly, it doesn’t change much for me. Whether it’s in Paris or Riyadh, it doesn’t really matter. I prefer it in Paris anyway. I don’t know if I’ll be cheered for or not since it’s a Saudi organization running it, but for me it really doesn’t change much.

M0nkey M00n: You save it, you try to invest as much as possible, and then life goes on.

M0nkey M00n: I have my house. I’m currently building a garage.

M0nkey M00n: I’m extremely happy and glad. I’m really happy. They were really good this season.”