In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, Crazy Thieves player Phony talked about team synergy, his experience at the ALGS 2026 Championship, and what’s next for him in Apex Legends esports.
Earlier this year, esports organizations 100 Thieves and Crazy Raccoon teamed up to form Crazy Thieves, which competed in the Apex Legends Global Series 2026 Championship (ALGS 2026 Championship). Josue "Phony" Daniel Ruiz, Noyan "Genburten" Ozkose, and Evan "Verhulst" Verhulst finished in a respectable sixth place together, earning $100,000. After the event, esports.gg caught up with Phony about his experience at the ALGS Year 5 Championship and his time in Japan. Phony also shared what he's most excited for next!
"This has honestly been, at least speaking for myself, the best org that I've been a part of, and it's been the best collab that I've seen, especially in Apex."
Crazy Thieves Phony on Apex Legends in Japan
In his interview with esports.gg, Phony revealed that his favorite moment during the ALGS Year 5 Championship was when Crazy Thieves won two games back to back. The team's excitement and chemistry clicked in that very moment, and they were locked in for the rest of the LAN.
"And honestly, when Noyan picked me up, I thought it was a good moment just to show how much our team actually respects each other," he added, referring to Genburten.
Seeing and knowing that fans traveled all the way to Japan just to watch the esports action also meant a lot to him. He recalled how the crowd was so supportive and energetic. They cheered for every big play and even made the team feel like one of the home teams.
"Watching all the fans cheer for us in Japan was sick, and it's only gonna get better as we start back up the season in 2026," Phony said. "The Japanese fans are so supportive, and they just cheer for every big play. But it gets especially rowdy when a Japanese team is battling and we really felt like one of the home teams this year. It’s just really cool to have fans in a crowd, and hearing people travel from all over the world just to support us is actually crazy to see."
This support extended to Crazy Thieves' Tokyo pop-up shop event, which took place after the ALGS Year 5 Championship.
"My teammates and I are definitely enjoying all of Japan and the pop-up shop so far. This has honestly been, at least speaking for myself, the best org that I've been a part of, and it's been the best collab that I've seen, especially in Apex," Phony told esports.gg. "So I honestly think it's just been a success so far. And as for the reception for Crazy Thieves, I think the fans have been so good. The staff as well. They've been so supportive of us and have been helping to accommodate us for anything that we need."
Interview with Phony: Crazy Thieves and ALGS Year 6
As noted, Crazy Thieves players won $100,000 at the ALGS Year 5 Championship. According to Phony, the biggest lesson he took from the LAN was to not be so hard on himself. He learned to show more respect to his teammates in ways that benefit not only the team, but also the coaching staff and manager as well. Conversations with team manager Marti reinforced the importance of that mindset, and that level of respect will help the team heading into Year 6.
When we asked about what the practice leading up to the event was like, Phony talked about Crazy Thieves' team chemistry. He also shared each player's greatest strengths.
"The team chemistry building was actually really, really nice with Evan and Gen," he said. "We had an addition after Balv, including Nihil, to not only help performance coach us, but also help Balvarine as well on the coaching side of things so there would be less stress come LAN. And I think it honestly did help tremendously. I feel like it opened our eyes to performing in a way and switching our roles in a way that best benefits the team and only helps excel our team chemistry. So I think all these practice sessions that we have done prepared us enough for LAN, but I think we ultimately got it fully refined at LAN with the addition of Nihil."
Phony continued, "I think Evan's biggest strength is how stoic he is. I think he doesn't really show much emotion, and he just stays true to himself, no matter what. Like, you can always rely on what Evan's gonna do because that's just how he is. He doesn't try to switch it up. And he always performs his best at LAN. So I love that about him.
"And I think, as for Noyan, I think his greatest strength is just how strong he is in the game mechanically. And sometimes he's hard-headed. He understands the game so well, but his hard-headedness just helps him be that confident fragger and allows him to just chow anything that he needs to do and be fully confident in every swing that he does."
What's next for Phony in Apex Legends esports?
In terms of what's next for Phony, he revealed that he's excited for Year 6 and envisions his team lifting up that trophy. Building a fan base for Crazy Thieves will make that trophy lift all the more memorable, too. He then told esports.gg how much playing alongside Genburten and Verhulst means to him.
"The only [other] thing I would like to share is that, honestly, if the team does stick together, which I genuinely hope it does, because these boys actually feel like family," Phony said. "It's hard to find teammates that actually feel like family instead of just coworkers. So I feel like once we refine the little things, literally the little things, you guys are gonna have a blast just watching us."
That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Apex Legends interviews, news, and updates!
