KWS - Our commentators' predictions and interview Event - 2018-05-18 18:00

 
Oplee won the end-of-season tournament in April, but we've had the chance to interview him many times before, so we've decided to ask our commentators a few questions about the final tournament!
 

Ankama: To get to know them better, they'll introduce themselves in a few words!

Ellie: Hello! My name's Ellie. I've been playing Krosmaga since the closed beta came out, and I've been a streamer since December 19, 2016, so almost a year and a half. I've had the opportunity to participate in many Krosmaga projects, like One Shot with the amateur tournament webcast, or GOKM TV (RIP), which was active for about 6 months. In addition, I've webcast all the official events from the Frozen Arena to the KWS E-Sport experience, while also participating in developing the game, as I've been selected for several play tests.  So it's been quite a journey! On the leaderboard, except for last February, I've achieved veteran ranking every season, once in the top 10, very often in the top 50, occasionally a little further back.

Midl: Hi, I'm Midl! I was a GOKM TV streamer, I'm a former One Shot co-admin and have been a co-creator and administrator for the Krosmaga section. Currently, I'm an Ankama Games commentator for Dofus and Krosmaga. I'm a simple man. I've been playing Krosmaga since the closed beta. I have numerous top 100 finishes to my name, mostly due to a lack of time to try finishing higher.

Crystauw: Hello, I'm Crystauw, formerly Ecureil-Qui-Rit! I began playing the beta version just after Christmas 2016! Since Trikros, which I organized with Shei, Cali and Kohai, I've been doing commentary for Krosmaga on the KOT, the KET and the KWS since November. I've also been a veteran player since season 6, with some notable tournament performances such as 4th at the FKT #1 and FDJ finalist in April 2018.

Ankama: Which is your favorite god right now and why?

Ellie: My favorite god right now is Enutrof. The mill deck I'm fond of is particularly useless, but I love the tools he offers that others don't. Rascal and Swindler are cards with designs I appreciate. In mill, it's always really funny to combine a rascal with a black widow to make your opponent discard a lot cards from their pile and to put the threat in your opponent's hand.

Midl: Hmm… My heart is caught between two... But I think I'll always be loyal to Sacrier. For me, this goddess combines many advanced game skills: tempo, value and, especially, information gathering. And, plus, she's my Waifu.

Crystauw: Currently, Enutrof has won me over. She's the one no one likes because they think she's too weak. I really think she's strong, and no one really wants to think hard about a competitive Enutrof deck, but in any case, it's worked pretty well for me so far! It's very good against Iop and Sacri decks, as well as Xelor TP, the 3 gods you come across very often.

Ankama: Which player is the most impressive to comment on?

Ellie: In my opinion, Oplee is the most impressive player to comment on. He always manages to surprise us even though it's our job to evaluate all the possibilities, the good as well as the not so good. He knows how to get the best out of each card and gives the impression that he never loses focus, even after mistakes.

Midl: Most certainly Flaxeau. Seeing a person make no mistakes with good decision making, such as Oplee or Octuple, is nice but not as impressive as a person as random and clever as Flaxeau.

Crystauw: BraveOdin for sure! He's known for playing very slowly, but there's a reason to it. He thinks carefully about each turn, and he makes very few mistakes. He hasn't been losing, and I can assure you he's one of the best Krosmaga players there is!

Ankama: What match-ups do you prefer to comment on? What's the most exciting?

Ellie: I like commenting on aggro deck match-ups. After the initial turns, the decisions to be made on what to defend, what to let by, gathering information – all these factors make the games very interesting; often the fatal blow is only played during one or two turns for each player. The speed of the games makes that exciting. You feel on the edge of a cliff, and the match could end any second. On the other hand, playing primarily with a mill deck, I don't like facing aggro decks at all, make no mistake about it... Heh heh.

Midl: Without a doubt Sram mid-control vs Eniripsa mid-control.

The two archetypes are quite technical and their output can be very explosive. Some might say Sram is more technical that Eniripsa, to which I respond that in this precise match-up, each of Eniripsa's decisions over several turns can defeat him. So, Eniripsa needs to know Sram's abilities and each decision needs to bear it all in mind every turn.  Same for Sram. So, what you really see here is a true decision-making match-up. Which is truly impressive.

Crystauw: The Feca/Sram match-up is the most impressive to comment on, and I'm not saying this just because these 2 gods are among my favorites! Both of them have weapons that can be game changers at any moment. Feca has to play outnumbered to avoid being annihilated by the Bled Dry/Spectral Duelist combo, which would mean starting over at square one! That gives you a card combo that counters Feca, in addition to the Golden Young Wild Boar and the Phaeris 2* potential. As for Sram, after a certain number of cards are in the discard pile, you can do anything, really anything! Way too many combos are possible with this god. It's great. I invite you to look at the 1st game in the final between Oplee and Vredemption to get an idea of the match-up. I think both players played very well in this first match.

Ankama: Which god do you think is the most spectacular? Why?

Ellie: The most spectacular, whether aggro or not, will always be Ecaflip. The RNG inherent to her cards can change the course of game with a roll of the dice, or with the theft of a key card with Arty...  That can demolish an entire strategy, all the game plans one might have up to a certain point.

Midl: Sram. He's the most technical of all the Krosmaga gods for many reasons, but one in particular makes all the difference: his main shortcoming is in the value of his actions; often, Srams have to use many cards to generate just one. Which is an huge disadvantage in a game like Krosmaga, where the value and the tempo are very important mechanisms for advancing in games. Sram has to advance slowly, regardless of his archetype, survive and do what he can to find his comfort zone.

Once you get in the comfort zone, the magnificence of this god can be expressed, and you can control the game from end to end, with possibilities as infinite as his skill cap.

Crystauw: Sram by far! As I was saying before, way too many combos are possible with this god, which makes him the hardest god to master, but also the most formidable! Very few players are capable of playing this god at the top level, and that's why you see him so seldom, but we've already had some finalists like Octuple and Oplee who have won the KWS with him!

Ankama: All right, time to place your bets: who do see finishing on the winner's podium for the final tournament?

Ellie: For the final tournament, I totally see Oplee on the podium. Since the ESWC in Bordeaux, he's been omnipresent on the leaderboard. I'd like to see Mihomme-Michel and PEGI-18 challenge for the other places on the podium. I think they have the skills and the right luck to reach this level at the final tournament. We'll have to see what Ecaflip has in store for them and whether they decide to bring her into their line-ups!

Midl: If I had to pick a top 3 in no particular order, I'd say: Oplee, Flaxeau and Clincho... Wait a minute, actually Pepe Senjutsu aka Pegi18.

Crystauw: I would say Oplee, PEGI-18 and Flaxeau (if he decides to give the matches a proper go)! These three players have always impressed me with their ability to build decks but also with their game-time decisions. However, a lot of players are capable of knocking them out of the tournament!