Shock voted against the 2-2-2 role lock, but Architect's confident
San Francisco Shock may have dominated with GOATS mega in the Overwtach League’s Stage 3, but DPS main Minho “Architect” Park is confident his team will be just as good, and maybe even better, in Stage 4.
After beating Seoul Dynasty in their first 2-2-2 role lock match, Architect sat down with WIN.gg to tell us why, despite voting against the lock, his team will still come out on top in Stage 4.
How did you feel today about your win against Seoul Dynasty?
Architect: It the the first time in a while for me to play. I wasn’t nervous coming into today’s game, and we were actually able to have a lot of fun with each other. It was a really meaningful game for us.
Why were you having so much fun in the match today?
We all believe that if we’re tied up and feel the pressure too much, we can’t play our game. If we are instead relaxed and trying to be in a positive mood, we feel we can control the pace of the game.
What does it mean to you to be up on stage?
First and foremost, I get to represent the city of San Francisco and be a player on the Shock. That is very meaningful for me. I think that the next big thing is to showcase myself to the fans all over the world.
Your team was very dominant over the past stages. Why do you think your team was so good at GOATS?
In my personal opinion, all of our players play well. But us having Sinatraa on Zarya and Super on Reinhardt, I truly believe they’re the best on those heroes in that comp in the entire league. That’s one of the biggest reasons for our success.
You’re one of the few remaining mixed rosters. GOATS took a lot of communication and teamwork. How were you guys able to maintain that high level of communication with the language barrier?
I think the biggest reason is that the Shock organization provides English lessons for Korean players. I think that was a very big help for the players that couldn’t speak English.
How do you feel about the 2-2-2 lock? Was the Shock in favor of this change?
I think we weren’t afraid of the change because we have such depth on our bench. Even during GOATS meta, myself and Striker were practicing continuously for a possible change the entire time. Striker is a very good player, a very decorated player. And I was working really hard for any changes that were to come. More than anything, since we have such a large bench and such good DPS, we weren’t worried at all.
Chris Chung, San Francisco Shock general manager: For the record, among the top six, we were the only team that wanted to stay in 3-3. The other teams wanted to switch to 2-2-2.
Why didn’t you want to switch to the role lock?
Mainly because we didn’t want to fix what was not broken, since we were a top team. Most sports organizations don’t change a fundamental rule of the season in the middle of the season. But like Architect said, we weren’t worried.
Do you think SF Shock will be as strong in Stage 4?
Architect: I think we will continue to get stronger. All the players work tirelessly and extremely hard. The staff as well, and the coaching staff. They care a lot and put in a lot of work. I truly believe we will still be strong.
What compositions do you think we’ll see a lot of in Stage 4?
Because Orisa is widely used right now, we’ll probably see a lot of comps with Mei or double sniper.
You started out on Junkrat. You may have been one of the first people to pull him out this weekend. What was the strategy behind playing Junkrat in that game?
Junkrat is extremely good on defense. He’s also a hero that can counter a lot of other heroes that go on attack often.
A lot of people say that Junkrat doesn’t require skill because you don’t have to have pinpoint accuracy. What are some things that people may not know about mastering Junkrat?
I think that when I was personally practicing Junkrat, since he’s a projectile hero, it’s pretty difficult in terms of how to utilize him effectively. It’s definitely not easy, especially since it’s a team game. You have to know where to position yourself.
Who are some other heroes you’re hoping to play in Stage 4?
I think that Tracer is the one hero that I haven’t truly mastered yet. But any DPS hero that my team needs me to play, I’m very comfortable playing.
Are there any teams you’re most looking forward to facing?
I think Shanghai Dragons is a team we want to play again.
Why is that?
I think in Stage 3 I couldn’t show too much of myself. Now i’m confident enough to show another strong side of our team. So I definitely want a rematch against them.
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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