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Interview with the captain of the Rainbow Six Siege squad

R6 / News / 15 June 2019 — 11:04

Kendrew — on the invitation to NAVI.GG.BET, rivals in Pro League and in-game communications

We interviewed the captain of the updated gb NAVI.GG.BET line—up of Rainbow Six Siege gb Luke “Kendrew” Kendrew. gb Kendrew shared his impressions of the invitation to ua Natus Vincere, appreciated the level of the Challenger League, and also highlighted the most dangerous opponents in the 10th season of Pro League.

— How unexpected was the invitation from ua Natus Vincere? Did you need to think long about it?

— I knew with our recent success, we could maybe reach out to some tier one organizations, but I wasn’t expecting a team as established as ua Natus Vincere to approach us so quickly. It was a nice surprise to see the interest the moment we got into the Pro League.

gb MnM Gaming was considered an underdog team that reached the top. How did you guys manage to do that?

— With alot of practice. We knew we had a disadvantage going into Challenger League playoffs with less than two weeks practice, so we just worked hard, had multiple scrims a day, worked in and outside the game to make sure we were the best we could be, and the hard work paid off.

— You guys became the winners of the Challenger League by beating fr Team Vitality 2:1 in the playoffs final. Can you evaluate the level of the League itself after all of the matches?

— The European Challenger league was scary this season, alot of teams capable of causing upsets and changing the standings, everyone could beat anyone, its just about who showed up on the day and who put the most effort into making their game the best it could possibly be.

— Next season you will play in the Pro League. Which team that you have to play against looks the strongest in your opinion?

— I think the most obvious is eu G2. They’re world champions for a reason, one season below their standards doesn't make them any less of a threat, with the addition of fi UUNO this season they’re out to redeem their season.

— How do you prepare for matches? Do you study each opponent individually or do you focus more on your own game?

— A little bit of both. Mainly I like to work on our game. We make sure we’re up to standard then we watch vods, see if we can counter a specific strategy, that's what we did vs fr Vitality in the playoffs and it worked perfectly.

ru Team Empire and eu G2 esports will be present in the 10th season. These are the finalists of the last world championship. How do you prepare against such advisories?

— For teams such as eu G2 and ru Empire, I feel like you just need to be on top of your game and hitting your shots. Both teams have incredible fraggers that change the pace of the game, it is how you deal with that in game.

— If we talk about your own qualities as the team, what strengths and weaknesses can you identify?

— I feel like our fragging ability is our main strength we have 5 players who at any point can step up if someone is slacking. A weakness? I’d say we get under the skin of our team mates abit too much.

— Your first tournament under the gb Natus Vincere tag will be the group stage of ESL Premiership Summer 2019. Assess your chances to reach the final part of the championship.

— There is no doubt in my mind we qualify for the LAN finals. We already have a 4: 0 score, we’re looking to qualify as 1st seed going into LAN.

— As a captain of the team, how do the draft and in-game communication go? Is all of the responsibility solely relies on you or do you do it together?

— Everyone does it all together. I’ll try and move people around in game if I see an opportunity but i'm pretty lucky I have a team of people who help with calling.

— Your composition is very young. Are there such moments that during the game you don’t have enough experience at certain moments? Are you the one that stops the teammates from making hasty decisions?

— I don't think so, I think all of us are experienced enough to know what we’re doing in those moments, I’d like to think that at least.

— Can you talk a little about your teammates? Describe each of them in a few words

HR Nelo is one of the most consistent support players I’ve played with. gb Doki is the most vocal on the team, he’s always looking for opportunities to help us win the round. gb CTZN is probably the most mechanically skilled player I’ve ever played with And pl Saves plays whatever you want him to. He is a good flex for us.

— What do you think about the latest news related to changes in prize pools of the tournaments? Do you think that their increase will lead to an increased interest in the discipline?

— I feel like with the increased prize pool, a lot more players realise there is a lot more on the line, which is only a good thing for the scene, more on the line = better competition in my opinion. I’d like to hope this can grow the game as well. I want more people to give the game a go in a competitive environment because thats where the fun really is.

— What can you tell us about the recently announced operatives? Do you like them?

— I think that Nøkk will be fun in ranked, but I can’t see her being used in competitive play. Warden is really interesting, with how many operators such as Ying, Glaz, effect the way you approach a round, Warden can shake up the meta a little which I am excited for.

— Are you planning to start streaming?

— Yes, I recently bought a new PC which allows me to stream, I already have been streaming a lot.

— Tell us something about yourself. What are your hobbies besides esports?

— Spending far to much time watching youtube videos about cooking. Gordon Ramsay videos to be exact. 

— Have you thought about trying out different disciplines? Maybe you follow other disciplines?

— I follow most games that have a big scene. I watch the LCS, I tried to play League, but I dont understand whats going on. I watch FPS’s, like Call of Duty, and CS:GO, I used to play Call of Duty on the Xbox 360 and played Game Battles, thats where my love for competitive gaming started. 

— A few words to the fans?

— Thanks for all of the support during our Challenger seasons, and now being picked up by ua NaVi, I’m so excited to play under these colours on June 17th, we’re working hard to make sure we won't dissapoint.

Blitz questions

— The best player in the Rainbow Six at the moment?

— Best fragger currently? fi Kantoraketti from eu G2, Best support? I’d say ru ShepparD from ru Empire.  

— Who is your favorite operative?

— Buck.

— Favorite map?

Club House

— Favorite dish?

— Taco’s for sure.

— Would you rather read a book or go to the movie theater?

— Movie, preferably a Marvel or Star Wars movie.

— Favorite piece of artwork(book, series or a movie)?

— The recently released TV series "Chernobyl" amazed me.

— Are you satisfied with the GoT ending?

No. Start from Season 6 again, please.