Sebadam On How RLCS Has Changed, Motivation, And Staying At The Top

The RLCS X keeps surprising. One of the first surprises was The Last Resort making it to Stage 2 of the first EU regional event. Sebadam, rehzzy, and BoyScHool Q are all familiar names in the bubble scene. They have consistently been getting good results in weekly tournaments, and now they're bringing their talent to the big stage.

One of the players on The Last Resort has been here before, though. Longtime fans of Rocket League esports might recognise Sebadam as a veteran from Season 2 of the RLCS. It's been almost four years since Sebadam last competed in the RLCS. His team ended the season with only one win, but with a lot of experience under their belt. GGRecon caught up with Sebadam about his past career and his return to the RLCS.
 

In season 2, there was no Rival Series, so you made it straight into the RLCS. How was it to play at the highest level back then, four years ago?

Back then, it would feel the same for me as it feels right now in terms of gameplay since the general skill level and my skill level are rising at the same time.

I made RLCS in Season 2 with Jessie and Flarke with Yumi_Cheeseman as our coach. He prepared some notes against Mock-it as that was the team who we were predicted to play in the semi-finals of our bracket. But instead, we simply lost in Round 1 against Sector one 2-3, so we never ended up using that. However, it was actually beneficial for us to lose round 1 as opposed to round 2 because we ended up getting a much easier lower bracket run with the only truly worrying team being Cow Nose (Mognus, Nielskoek, and Zensuz).

So back then, I'd say it was probably slightly easier, even relatively, because you didn't need to be as fast and you didn't need to make the same decisions that you do nowadays. But my team, Summit, went 1-6 in league play and we got swept almost every game, so I wouldn't say I'm qualified to talk about it.

You've teamed up with many different players over the years: ViolentPanda, Scrub Killa, and Bluey, just to name a few. How do you manage to stay near the top with so many different rosters?

The main thing is being able to play with players who you believe have potential. That's essentially what I try to do. As long as I keep improving, I should be able to get opportunities with players who I enjoy playing with. And from there, it's all about grinding tournaments, scrims, replay analysis, et cetera.

What is your favourite roster that you've been a part of?

That would have to be when I was with Al Dente and Data. Their view of the game and their dedication was amazing to see. They were confident in how they believed the game should be played, yet they were always happy to adapt based on what the current meta was. In particular, I believe Data's views were exceptional. I learned a lot from him, and he allowed me to improve in and outside of the game. But both of them were great teammates, of course.

You've been winning smaller tournaments for a long time, like three Insomnia tournaments in a row, but in the RLRS, you didn't get the results you hoped for. How did you stay motivated to keep going?

My main motivation was that I knew that as long as I keep trying to improve, there is no doubt that I'd be able to reach a very high level. But of course, being able to win many smaller online and offline tournaments was a great way to keep my motivation up, especially as the level of play was still high.

Another factor for my motivation definitely is me looking up to other players who have made it to a high level, such as EyeIgnite. EyeIgnite essentially played more than ten hours a day and made it that way. So if he can do it, then I should be able to as well, as long as I'm disciplined enough to keep up those hours consistently.

And now you got into RLCS X, and you're currently in Stage 2 of the first EU regional event. How did that happen so suddenly?

I believe it's only sudden because of the new format that RLCS X is using. It's given so many bubble teams a chance to prove themselves at a high level, so it's inevitable that teams such as mine will be able to suddenly reach a high level and get more known. We are simply given a lot more chances than bubble teams had previously. But, as always, I try to play with players who I believe have a good amount of potential, so it's also just a matter of being ready to prove ourselves at these types of events.

How different is it to play in the RLCS now, compared to four years ago?

It's definitely very different, as you get many more chances to get into RLCS X now. Before, you would need to have one good day and get a lucky bracket to make it in. The level of play is a lot better nowadays. People are faster and mechanically stronger, so making a mistake can be a bit more harmful. But then again, recovery is generally better now, so people who make mistakes are able to recover faster as well. Most importantly, you need to play the game a lot more than you would have four years ago to keep up a high level. In 2016, you could probably just not play the game whatsoever and still win RLCS.

You're in the lowest seed coming into Stage 2, which means you're going to face fierce competition in the first rounds. What is your game plan?

Unfortunately, rehzzy is away on holiday during Stage 2, so we will be having to play with our substitute, "Slush!". This means that we aren't expecting to win or make it into the third stage, so we are just looking at this as experience playing against the top teams, and we're just trying to enjoy it.

You're back in the RLCS now. Are you here to stay?

I'd say so. As long as I keep up a high amount of playtime, I reckon you'll see me around a lot more consistently for the next RLCS X tournaments.
 

Image via Dreamhack