OG Esports are excited to return to the Copper Box

OG Esports has arrived in London for this weekend's RLCS London Major, the second and final one of the year. The team took the extra days to boot camp, make content, and acclimate to the city.

Their PR agency conducted a few media days at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London. During this period, we spoke to the entire team. They spoke about mentalities heading into the LAN, their experience with OG so far, and some fun personal anecdotes.

"How does it feel to qualify for both majors and worlds through such close scenarios, and with so many ups and downs for OG Esports?"

Comm: "I think we would've all preferred if we made it a little easier on ourselves, but at the same time, we made it here. That's really what matters at the end of the day. It doesn't matter how we did it."

noly: "Yeah, despite spots being cut and the competition only getting better within NA. The fact that we got here, you know, that's what we want. But now we just wanna go further."

"All four of you have already competed at the two venues you just qualified for. Notably, Comm, Torment, and noly placed Top 4 at the Copper Box during the Spring Major, and JKnaps came in second at the Dickies Arena during the World Championship. Does returning to these venues affect your mentalities at all?"

noly: "Personally, I've never played at a [venue] twice, so it's not even something I've considered. It wasn't a thought in my mind, so I don't think I'm bothered by it at all. It's gonna feel like a different venue since it's a new team and probably new layouts."

Comm: "I don't think it'll be much different actually competing, but it might be a little bit easier getting adjusted. I've been in this area before last time I was in London. It might feel a little bit more comfortable."

Torment: "Last time we were there [at the Copper Box], Comm especially, we got to experience a really hostile environment (team laughs). They were kind of playing into it, but we were getting heavily booed."

"But the thing about London is their chants are really fun and engaging with the players. I think that would be cool to experience again. Not many venues do it like them."

JKnaps: "For the two LANs they did choose to go back to the same venues, it was good they chose these ones. The Copper Box and the Fort Worth [Dickies Arena] in Texas are two of the best from previous events in the past.

"OG Esports' roster is one of the oldest, age-wise in RLCS. What are the benefits of being on an older roster? Are there any downsides?"

JKnaps: "It's more mature in general"

Comm: "I don't feel like there's any downsides to it. When I was 16, or when I first teamed with Gimmick and Torment, if I was told anything, I'd be nervous or intimidated. But I don't think we have any of that here. We're all open to hearing what everyone has to say and we're also not scared to speak our mind."

noly: "Yeah, we all have differences and see the game in different ways. That's because we've come so far in our careers and have our own experiences, but we're all bringing that together for one team. So I think that helps the most."

"With the RLCS age requirement recently dropping to 13, do you believe that young pros are going to take over? Or will the average age of Rocket League pros rise over time?"

noly: "I think both extremes will be pushed. Pros like JKnaps are still going at 24, and at the level he's at could keep going until 26, 27, 28 if he wants to. And you see younger players make regionals at 13 and 14, so that proves that case as well. I think people think too poorly about older players, but that just purely from ranked and young brainrot."

JKnaps: "The average age for this London Major is like 19.99. I feel like there's a group of 30 pros on top of the Rocket League scene who are all 18 to 21, and those guys still have three years."

Comm: I don't think age is really that big of a factor. It might take us a few extra days to learn some mechanics, but we're gonna learn them and we're gonna get just as good as everyone else. Decision-making is so much more important than mechanical skill and that's why we're here and the 14-year-olds aren't."

"OG Esports helps you guys set up boot camps, includes you in tons of content, and even hosted a watch party for your parents at the Copenhagen Major. What kind of support does the organization provide that fans may not be aware of?"

noly: "This team isn't really a team that needs so much. We mostly rely on each other for help. I think they [OG Esports] provide a different outlook from the general managers and our team manager who aren't really familiar with Rocket League, but have experience from other games where they've won."

Comm: "That's something they provide that other organizations don't. Talking with N0tail [OG's founder] after we lost in Copenhagen, or having Mike [OG's Head of Esports] who we talk to regularly, or Julien who's with us. The different experiences and outlooks they provide is unique to an org like OG Esports."

Torment: "I'm coming into a new role, so it's helping me a lot. Mike has been a coach before and Julien as well, so I talk to both of them about certain situations. Mike listens to all of our comms to help us and gives us feedback. When we were struggling at first, we had talks with him and I think those helped. It's been a big benefit for me."

"noly, you were the one initially reached out to by OG Esports to put this team together. How did you end up with the current squad you have around you?"

noly: "I definitely wanted mature players, people who I knew I could rely on. And I wanted winners, people who'd won LANs. Not just been at them, but actually won them. Those were my main two requirements."

"I couldn't care less about triple flip resets, but I wanted a team that knew how to win. And if we're not winning, we can figure each other out and find a playstyle that can help us get close to that goal."

"JKnaps, you were on G2 for over 6 and a half years and were half of not one, but two of the longest-standing duos Rocket League's ever seen. What was it like to change orgs after such a long time?"

JKnaps: "It definitely felt weird, but I knew it was gonna come at some point eventually. You can't stick to one team if you still want to compete at the top. Before we met the OG Esports guys it felt a little weird, but once we met everyone it felt pretty normal again. I was just back to work."

"Torment, being a former pro obviously helps as a coach, but there's a lot more to it. What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced transitioning into the role of OG Esports' coach?"

Torment: "The mental side, motivating the team and how to have these conversations to help run them is a big thing for me. It helps that I have three guys that will do that with me and I don't have anybody that I have to babysit."

"If I had gone to a team where you have a silent 15-year-old that only cares about himself, it would have been really hard for me. But since I don't have that, it made it very easy to transition."

"Comm, roughly three years ago you struggled to name a single European RLCS roster on the Salt Cast. Are you able to tell me what EU teams are going to London?"

Comm: "I think so, I think so. So we have Oxygen, which is Joyo, Oski, and archie. Next we have Vitality, that's Radosin, zen, and Alpha of course. Um, BDS, which is dralii, M0nkey M00n, and ExoTiiK. And then number four is (trails off into silence)"

Torment: "Number four is a pretty big one"

Comm: "I mean obviously I know the team but (trails off into silence again) oh yeah, Gentle Mates, okay okay. I was so confused for a second there. Uh, Gentle Mates which is itachi, Seikoo, and juicy."

"I'm surprised (laughs). I never thought that would come up again."

noly: (in disbelief) "You really couldn't name an EU team?"

Comm: "I did NOT watch EU."

"noly, you once stated you dreamed of owning a Mazda RX-7. Are you any closer to realizing that goal?"

noly: "Yeah. So many of my goals since was 13 or 14 have happened, so it's only a matter of time. I'm definitely in a position where I could get one, but I don't have my US license. I don't have any license, actually. Kind of bad from me. And also, those cars are kind of hard to get, so I'm waiting patiently for one."

"I know you're an anime fan. Was that goal inspired by Initial D at all?"

noly: "Nuh uh, no. It was inspired by Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift [Han's car]."

"JKnaps, you collect watches, right? What got you into watches and what was your collection worth at its peak?"

JKnaps: "Yeah, I lost a lot in my house fire, but I still have three or four. My dad definitely got me into watches, and I used to watch a bunch of YouTubers and videos from watch companies."

"I'd say at the height it was only worth around $7,000 CAD. I had one watch that was like $4,000 CAD and the rest were cheaper ones."

"Comm, I believe your parents operate a small restaurant in northern Florida. Are you into food and are you a good cook?"

Comm: "Close, I wouldn't say it's a small restaurant. It's a chain. My dad is a manager at this Mexican place called [REDACTED]."

"I wouldn't say I'm a good cook, but I'm not bad. The way [JKnaps] is into watch YouTube, I'm into food YouTube. Back on V1, they had me do the Cooking with Comm show. It wasn't exactly the most fun thing of all time to do, but yeah, I do definitely love cooking."

"Torment, you had very short hair for a majority of your career and then suddenly you had these luscious locks. What brought that on?"

Torment: "Honestly, I don't know. I think I was just tired of having the same haircut for twelve years, but I don't know what else to do, so I just grew it out. I don't know if I'm gonna keep it forever."

noly: "You ever think of putting it in a ponytail?"

Comm: "Put it in a man-bun."

Torment: "A ponytail? Man-bun? Maybe I should. Like Zlatan."

The last stop before the World Championship, the RLCS 2024 London Major, kicks off today, June 20. You can easily follow OG Esports' journey via the team's Twitter account, the event's Liquipedia page, or simply by watching the main broadcast on Rocket League's Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok!

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and Rocket League coverage.