Interview with Sanya

We chatted with NAVIApex Legends player Oleksander"Sanya" Bokuchava during a visit to the Happy Paw shelter for homeless animals. Sanya talked about his journey to NAVI, his first teams, and more. You can learn more about the interview in the video below.

Sanya also shared his opinion about the Apex Legends Global Series: 2022 Championship, which was held at Maincast Studio, commented on the current meta and told about the team's preparation for the next season.

— First things first, I'd like to ask a very general question - how are you doing?

I'm doing great. Well, as great as it can be during a war.

— You've been casting the Apex Legends Global Series: 2022 Championship for a few days now. What did you think of the championship itself?

I really enjoyed the championship gameplay-wise. But the fact that there were no anti-covid measures taken and there were no areas for players who got sick, I really, really didn't like that.

— Which of the teams surprised you positively and negatively?

On the positive side, the Asian teams, who were in the duo fought very well. It was obvious that if there was a third, the fights would have been in their favor. If you consider the fact that they played worse than I expected as a negative, then it's Alliance. They played very uncoordinated.

— I want to ask about FURIA Esports. How do you feel about this style of play, where most of the game is decided by aim?

It's really fun to watch. And that already makes it awesome, but also, if it goes well, you have the most resources in the lobby and red armor.

— Is that the best option, or is there something worth changing by adding a point limit? Because the winner was a team with 70 points, when they are outscored by 4 teams.

The match point is great for spectators, and the teams that are behind have no reason to give up since two consecutive wins in a row can win the tournament. But obviously, it's worse in a competitive way, as the team with the most points (showing the best performance) doesn't necessarily win.

— Several teams competed in duo lineups at the tournament. Do you think it's fair that a third player on a team couldn't play from a hotel room, for example?

As I said before, I think the organization was very awful, considering how many anti-covid measures were taken (there were 0).

— The most popular legend of this past tournament was Valkyrie. Is she now facing a nerf? What do you think the developers will do?

She's been the most popular for a long time, and the developers aren't interested in the professional scene for that matter. If it had that kind of pick rate in pubs, then maybe they'd do something.

— And if you were an Apex Legends developer yourself, which of the characters would you buff and nerf?

Nerfs to Valkyrie, Gibraltar. Buffs to Wraith, Pathfinder, Octane, Revenant, Lifeline. And it would be a good idea to revamp Mirage as a playable legend.

— The most recently added legend is Newcastle. Has this character proven himself worthy of a professional stage in the hands of 100 Thieves? Or is he in need of some changes?

I think it's a little early to talk about his changes, since it's only one team who was able to implement the character into the lineup.

— Some teams only played with specific legends (Horizon, Newcastle). Didn't this make them somewhat vulnerable, because the opponent knew what to expect from these teams?

To expect something and to counter it are absolutely different things. Everything comes down to execution.

— Some teams changed legends depending on the map. Can you name the top 3 legends for each map?

Seer andValkyrie for both maps — 100%. And fillers would be Wattson, Gibraltar, Caustic, Horizon. Whatever suits the team's playstyle.

— What do the developers need to do with characters like Mirage and Lifeline to bring them back to the meta?

I don't think it's conceptually possible to buff Mirage to make it playable unless you completely revamp him. Lifeline, on the other hand, if you bring back the wall when reviving an ally, as well as speed up the revival itself. And make it so the Q can hook up to the players.

— Judging by the leaks, the next legend of the game will be Vantage - a character inclined to snipe. What do you expect from this character?

From what I've seen, she'll be fun, because her "Q" is movement ability, and movement is always fun. And the Mark to Kill (Ultimate), which has one shot but increases the damage on whoever it hits, makes Legend also very strong for ranked.

— A few words about the state of weapons at the moment. What needs to be buffed or nerfed?

Weapons I think are in a great place. I would only remove the "second-class guns" (P2020, Mozambique, etc.), if you can call them that. You usually throw them out when you find any other decent weapon.

— You, as a professional player, were affected by this problem to a lesser extent, but still: how do you assess the current matchmaking in Apex Legends? Is there anything that needs to be changed in the game?

The first split of season 13 was overly complicated. It's easier now, and it seems like there's no room for balance anymore. The peak of the ranked system for Battle Royale.

— Let's say you can change anything you want in the game right now. What would it be?

I'd remove Kraber.

— Have you tried playing Apex Legends mobile? What do you think of the fact that the game is evolving in a different way?

I tried playing it, we even made a video! If the developers will take what works there and add it to regular Apex Legends, it would be great. If they don't, then it doesn't matter, since the PC Apex Legends won't be affected by it.

— Share some of the details of the team's internal chemistry. How are the training sessions going right now? Are there any secret stuffthat you don't show on the streams, for example?

The only practices we have are weekly tournaments at the moment, because all of the teams don`t scrim anymore. And the secret preps stay secret ;)

— A few words to your fans?

Thank you for your support, even after we played poorly in Pro League and LCQ. We''ll try harder now in a more stable situation to justify your faith <3