skrapz on the London Crowd: “They Make All of This Worth It”
Week Two of the CDL season saw the London Royal Ravens return home. They hosted the first tournament of the CDL. The London crowd was electric as they saw their home team go 2-0 on Saturday, including a reverse sweep of the New York Subliners. Despite a phenomenal start, the Royal Ravens tournament run ended on Day Two in the Semifinals vs. the Dallas Empire. GGRecon sat down with star, skrapz, and Strategic Coach, Shane, to discuss the details of their homestand.
The London Royal Ravens kicked off their CDL homestand with a 3-1 victory over the struggling Toronto Ultra. The Royal Ravens team was out-slayed by a margin of over 25 kills. Despite this, they still managed to win close maps. The twin brothers, skrapz and wuskinz, took over and led their team to the promised land. The closing match of Day One saw the London team face off against the New York Subliners. The Subliners team looked hot after struggling on Launch Weekend. New York took an early 2-0 map lead, striking fear into the home crowd. The Royal Ravens, however, were never fazed. The home team marched back, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the semifinal round.
We spoke with skrapz after the Subliners match. When asked about the reverse sweep, skrapz replied “It’s a good feeling. I think we should have won the first S&D.” skrapz acknowledged that he made a “stupid play” during the second map of S&D while the score was tied 5-5. He said that “it happens” but overall, he was happy they managed to reverse sweep New York.
London prodigy, Dylan had a tremendous series. He dropped over 110 kills and finished with a 1.37 aKD. When asked what it’s like teaming with such a young talent, skrapz responded, “When I watch him I’m like ‘this guy doesn’t stop.’” skrapz went on, “He is very impactful and an unbelievable player. It is a pleasure teaming with him.”
We asked skrapz how his team managed to come back from the 0-2 deficit. skrapz told us, “we just say one map at a time, one round at a time.” skrapz continued, “we stay composed, if we lose we lose, we stay focused.”
skrapz expressed his love for the home crowd. “It’s amazing… you just get shivers, it’s tingling, it’s a really good feeling.” skrapz said that the crowd “make all of this worth it” and that “it's all about the fans.”
skrapz ended the interview by expressing his desire to face off against the Chicago Huntsmen in the Grand Finals. He said that “the crowd would love that” and it “would be a really good series.”
Click to enlargeShane: “I Feel so Sorry for My Guys … We Wanted to Bring Something Home to London”
Unfortunately for the London Royal Ravens, that dream finals match-up would not come into fruition. In the semifinal round vs. the Dallas Empire, the Royal Ravens took an impressive 2-0 lead. After two maps, it looked like the London crowd would have the pleasure of witnessing their home team in the finals vs. the fan-favorite Huntsmen. However, Dallas played the villain role and came back to give London a taste of their own medicine. Just like the Royal Ravens had done the day before vs. the Subliners, the Empire won three straight rounds for the reverse sweep.
We spoke with Royal Ravens coach, Shane, after the heartbreaking loss. Shane said that they were happy with the fan turnout and that they have “the best fans in the world,” but “losing never gets any easier.” Shane went on to say “I feel so sorry for my guys … they are really hurt about it … we wanted to bring something home to London.”
When asked about the fan support, Shane replied, “It’s just a British culture thing. Anything sort of sporting … they are absolute maniacs.” Shane playfully continued, “give them a few pints as well, they are even crazier.” Shane said that they are so thankful for the crowd turnout and support. Shane claims that it makes the team play better and he hopes the fans continue to come out and show love.
When questioned on what makes the London coaching staff stand out, Shane told us that they just “mesh really well.” He said that they are all good friends, the staff and the players. He went on to praise the players and say that they are the “best five guys to work with.”
Shane left us with words of admiration for the young London star, Dylan, in particular. “He is so good, he has created his own playstyle.” The London coach’s compliments continued, “[Dylan] is a dream teammate and a dream person to work with.” Shane ended by proclaiming, “he is the guy everyone needs to watch out for … the kid is only going to get better.”
Shane, skrapz, and the rest of the London Royal Ravens will compete again this coming weekend in Atlanta. The London team will have their hands full against some of the toughest competition the league has to offer. The Atlanta FaZe, Chicago Huntsmen, Paris Legion and other top-ranked teams will all be in attendance. We will see if the London team can take what they learned at home and use it in Week Three for a shot at redemption.
For more exclusive interviews and content from the CDL London Royal Ravens Home Series, stay tuned here at GGRecon.
