An interview with Setty and Nebs at Red Bull Contested
WIN.gg sat down with professional Fortnite players Iwo “Setty” Zając from Tundra Esports and free agent Reuben “Nebs” Belisle, before they competed in the Red Bull Contested LAN, the UK’s first-ever major Fortnite LAN.
WIN.gg had the chance to speak with two top-level Fortnite competitors, Setty and Nebs, before they joined the Red Bull Contested LAN at the University of Edinburgh. Setty ended up finishing in 9th, referencing issues with the tournament’s servers. Before both took to the island to battle for dominance, they took the time to chat with WIN about the current state of the game, their thoughts on the changes from throughout the season, and the tournament ahead of them.
WIN.GG: This year has brought a lot of changes to Fortnite, how do you feel about the Augment system, especially as it relates to professional play?
Setty: I think it brings more strategies especially, because you have to know which Augments are the best for which play, for your playstyle. You can choose the Augments that adapt to your playstyle. So, if you’re defensive, you can choose the defensive Augments. If you’re aggressive, you can choose aggressive Augments. I think [that] going forwards, it has a couple really nice ideas that [Epic Games] can improve upon.
Nebs: The Augments changed the game quite a lot for the better, I feel like. But some of the Augments, I feel like the benefit is like, too broken, to say the least. I think it’s a good addition to the game.
This season has also seen a steady rate of mobility items being released and rotated through the game. What are your feelings on mobility creep?
Setty: “Here’s what I think about mobility. In the two previous seasons, this last one and the one before it, there have been Hammer, Katana, and ODMs. I think the mobility items are better for newer players because you can rely on still making some mistakes and getting out of those tricky situations. I think at tier two or three, you can use that to your advantage and you can level up.
Nebs: “I don’t really like it as much because I feel like it’s kind of drop spot-based. Like with the Shockwave Hammers and the Katanas, they definitely give you a big advantage if you’re guaranteed them every game. If you didn’t have them, you couldn’t do much. I definitely prefer just launch pads and ordinary mobility, I feel that’s best.”
What are your goals for the tournament?
Setty: “My goal for the tournament is to definitely win, but also to do as well as I can.”
Nebs: “A win would be nice, of course, but I’ll be happy with a top five.”
How are you enjoying your time in the UK?
Setty: “I’ve been to the UK before, to Shoreditch and London. We’ve been boot camping at the Red Bull facilities a couple of times with my organization. Last time we were preparing for an invitational that we won with Kami, so that was really, really nice. This is my first time in Scotland though, it’s pretty exciting! It looks very, very nice, the people are nice, everything is nice.”
Nebs: “I live in the UK, not far from here. It’s definitely nicer here than in London. I like the countryside.”
Who’s your biggest competition at this invitational?
Setty: “I think definitely [Michal “Kami” Kaminski], [Thomas “Th0masHD” Høxbro Davidsen], and [Harry “Veno” Pearson.] There are a lot of good names out there, but I’m definitely not that far apart from them.”
Nebs: “I would probably say Th0masHD, because of his sniper rifle.”
What about Fortnite keeps you playing after multiple years? What brings you back to the game?
Setty: “I think what brings me back to the game is just the competition, the feeling of winning, just the feeling of the journey. Competing with others, failing, winning, everything.”
Nebs: “I mean, I just enjoy playing it really. I started because my friends [played], just been playing since the start. I just still find it fun, I like the tournaments, and I get money from it, which is nice.”
What are your favorite and least favorite additions to the game this season?
Setty: “My favorite addition is the ODM gear, which is once again, a mobility item. You can really elevate your gameplay, try different strategies. For least favorite, I don’t think that they added anything bad.”
Nebs: “Don’t really know what my favorite is, to be honest. My least favorite is the Katanas and the mobility, but other than that, to be honest, it’s not bad. I like the shotguns, they’re nice.”
Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.
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