The Florida Mayhem have a new goal, a new mindset, and new jerseys

Olivia Richman Published 08/06/2019

The Florida Mayhem may have fallen to the Seoul Dynasy 0-4 last night, but the Overwatch League team still has a goal of making it to the Stage 3 playoffs.

It’s been a rough journey for the Florida Mayhem. They ended the inaugural season with a disappointing 1-9 record, due in part to their lack of stable management, infamously including the lack of a bus driver. Season 2 wasn’t looking much better when the team finished Stage 1 at 1-6.

That’s when they decided to make a major change.

In Season 2, the Florida Mayhem introduced an all-Korean roster, letting go of some of their most well known players. Despite the entirely new roster, they finished Stage 2 with a 0-7 record. In fact, maybe it’s because they were so new. Going into Stage 3, Florida Mayhem’s new Korean squad is hoping to bounce back and show the world what it’s made of.

And it’s not Big Mac’s.

We spoke with Florida’s flex tank Koo “XepheR” Jae-mo about the Florida Mayhem’s strengths, their goals, and their favorite food to eat in Los Angeles. And those flashy new jerseys.

How were you feeling coming into Stage 3?

With new players coming in, everyone was focused a little more on practice. We were getting as much as we could into practice and limiting our down time.

In what ways did you prepare over the break?

Apart from our usual daily scrim routine, we had an hour or two of feedback time on top of it.

How did you feel playing against your former team, Seoul Dynasty?

It’s definitely weird going against a team you played with for a year. Other than that, there was no increased amount of pressure. I undersand how they play as a unit. But I played against them like I would play against any other team.

Do you feel playing with them in Season 1 may have been an advantage?

It helped to an extent. But with the 3-3 meta, Seoul changed a lot of things. How they play. Different players.

What are Florida Mayhem’s strengths?

When there’s a set amount of plays or time, everyone is able to work within that to make the right decision as quickly as possible. What’s getting better over time is our teamwork. It’s much better now.

You’re an all-Korean roster. Why is communication so important in the Overwatch League right now?

With the DPS meta there was a lot more situations where DPS players could make flashy plays. They could make a difference in a couple of seconds. As opposed to the more tank-centric meta, where using abilities and utlimates together is more important. DPS have fallen off. So with what little damage you have, you need to work with teammates to be as efficient as possible, focusing damage on the same target. If you don’t melt them before you need to, they can flip the switch on you.

Despite GOATS being so prevelent right now, you’ve played Pharah on Paris. Why was that?

As far as playing Pharah, I’m the one who has the most experience. So they defer to me when we use Pharah compositions. The three-DPS comp is capable of beating the Reinhardt GOATS comp. So the idea was, assuming they were using that, we would use three DPS to push them as quickly as possible.

On your team’s strongest map, Havana, you switched to Mei.

The Mei inspiration came from our coach’s insight. Instead of fully holding them in Point 1, I’d use Mei’s abilities – including the Ice Wall and Cryo-Freeze – to burn off as many minutes as possible. That way, even if they go through Point 1, we’d use the small amount of time in their time bank to hold them off in Point 2.

There were other times your teammates switched to Wrecking Ball, Widowmaker, and other non-GOATS heroes. How does your team feel about GOATS?

I personally think GOATS is fine. But I understand that it’s hard to follow for the average viewer. Things happen very quickly. A lot of things happen in a short period of time. It’s hard – if not impossible – to catch the mind games between both tanks. The stand-off, which makes up the bulk of 3-3 meta. But I can see why it wouldn’t be the most entertaining.

That’s a fair assessment.

Just to be clear, i don’t want GOATS to be the meta permanently. I want a meta, like everyone else, where you can play GOATS or DPS.

That makes a lot of sense. More variety. If you weren’t focused on GOATS, who would usually be your main?

It’s hard to say until GOATS actually goes away. If I had to guess, probably D.Va.

What is Florida Mayhem’s goal for Stage 3?

Our small goal is to win half or more games for this stage. Long-term, we want to make it to the playoffs.

What are you hoping to improve on to reach that goal?

Since we have new players, the most important thing is that we want to get everyone’s teamwork up to par. We want to make sure our on-stage performances match our scrim performances.

Everyone’s been talking about Mayhem’s new jersey. How do you like it?

It’s a lot better than ones we had.

Why’s that?

When you have yellow and red, you think of the Golden Arches before anything else.

I’m assuming McDonald’s is not what you guys have been eating either. What food have you been enjoying in LA?

I love the food here. But what surprised me was Fuddruckers and T-bone steak.

How do you like your steak cooked?

Medium rare!

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

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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