First off, thank you Pure for sitting down with us and congratulations on winning ESEA Season 5 Finals. Please, tell us about how you got involved in playing TF2 competitively. What are some of the teams you have played for in the past?
I played Quake3 at a high level on and off for 5 years when I was younger. I Competed in Rocket Arena, CTF, TDM, and some casual dueling. A team I casually played with called Saget in Tights, moved over to TF2 when the game first came out and they asked me to tag along. The original team consisted of, ImageOmega, Exobist, Paladin, Phelon, Khoa, REM, Pure, and maybe 1 or 2 other guys. I played alongside Paladin and together we learned the game and while we never won a championship, we dealt a whole lot of damage in the Team Fortress 2 community. In the past, I have played for SIT, lolz- this is a team I taught to play TF2. Many of them now play for EG, Eximius, the “other” compLexity team and had a short stint on a team called Tool Academy Grads.
Your most recent accomplishment was winning ESEA Season 5. Tell us about that and how you felt picking up another win for yourself and compLexity. Was there a strategy in mind or did the team feel over-confident, considering how easy Online play has been?
The team is actually the brain child of Carnage. We played on Eximius together and almost won a championship, only to be narrowly defeated by Pandemic (reptile’s team). Carnage was lucky enough to pick up SolidSnake and Enigma from Xensity, and Jaeger from AI gaming. Those players were and still are the best at their class. So, essentially Dan was able to put together an All-Star lineup along with his real life friend, Relic, with the goal of winning it all.
Dan, like myself, has the mentality that the regular season does not matter. When playoffs come it’s time to lower the volume and turn up the intensity. I could go on for awhile about our mentality but I’ll just tell you that this team together has never lost a championship. We are mature, address the root of problems, and always love a little healthy “shit talk.”
You’ve been playing TF2 for a long time. What is keeping you motivated?
When I have a lot going on in my life the drive comes from my insatiable competitive hunger. When I have nothing going on, I basically play to kill time and have extraneous amounts of fun. As of now, I only play when it’s a good situation. i.e. I can practice healing with a top team, I can heal a top euro team, or a team asks me to ring as a different class and their medic is good enough to spread the heals correctly. Besides those situations I hate playing TF2 nowadays.
Which TF2 class do you hate/like and why?
I hate spy the most. I used to play the class a lot and started loving it. But, since I never play it anymore I just do atrocious when I try to. My timing is off and I miss stabs and it is very frustrating. On the other end of the spectrum, my main class is medic, so spies, next to snipers, are one of my arch enemies.
I like demoman the most. As a demoman you automatically do a lot of damage and then once you start becoming proficient at the class you have the ability to constantly kill everyone on the other team. No other class in the game can come close to the damage output that a demoman can.
Being part of the compLexity TF2 squad requires a lot of dedication, commitment and practice to become successful. On your free time (when you get the chance) – what games do you play besides TF2? Do you have any hobbies?
I play QuakeLive sparingly but I try to spend my free time running and relaxing with friends. I am not a big drinker, so I don’t do that much. I try to dedicate 2 hours every day/night to playing TF2. It is important to play a little bit to keep your hand used to a mouse and your eyes used to an LCD screen. Even though I look at an LCD a lot at work, I don’t see rockets, bullets, and other items flying at my face. At least I hope not…
The only update left in TF2 is the Engineer class. Some people say that you leave the best for last. What would you like to see on the Engi update? Is there a class you wish that could have had better weapons?
TF2 updates used to interest me, but I really do not care anymore. All the updates seem to be tailored to the pub player and not to the competitive scene. So, while I become mildly excited when I “craft” a hate, I couldn’t care at all. As far as I am concerned there is nothing sweeter then putting up a level one sentry and standing around it with your shotgun ready to do battle.
Are you currently in school? If so, what are you majoring in and what are your educational goals? What are your personal goals? Do you have a career in mind?
I am no longer in school. I flunked out because of gaming. I am kidding. Yes, I graduated college and am currently working in finance in New York City. I analyze data, work with clients, and support upper management. I plan to work for my family and eventually start many of my own companies, many of which with gamers I have met during my gaming career. It is actually interesting to note that I have met tons of interesting people on the internet. Of course, many, many losers and douchebags but I have met great people who I consider great connections and I am sure they feel the same way about me.
Cake or pie?
Pie. It is harder to find a well made cake. It is easier to find well made pie. I am kind of picky when it comes to food.
Any shoutouts?
Shoutout to the players who dodge lans, you stress me during the season and make things easier during the playoffs.
Shoutout to Morf for our Lan Frag Video
Shoutout to Paladin for being very very very incredibly awesomely good looking