Coach's Corner #8
COACHS CORNER INTERVIEW #8: SPU
Spu: hi, i'm pajaro, more commonly known as spu. i've been playing highlander since ugc season 13, and i'm mostly known for playing spy in platinum/invite maining in ugc s20, 21, 22, 23, 25 and rgl s2 and 3. more recently i've been mostly subbing the last few seasons, and this season i'm playing sniper for the current 1st seed team in advanced, the dojo.
C: How are you doing today sir?
S: pretty good. i got sum mac donald with me rn
C: Damn. What'd you get from McDonalds?
S: burger n fries
C: Okay.. But what burger? You get a drink? What about me? Why didn't you get me anything? You knew I was gonna interview you tonight.
S: i got a double quarter pounder with cheese and bacon and i got a root beer to drink. i didnt get u anything bc i figured u can pay for ur own food from how much money ur getting paid for ur coaching expertise. or that u would have ur personal chef make u somethin special
C: Hmmm.. You make a good point. The Brampton Warriors brand indeed makes alot of money from it's numerous sponsorships, marketing deals & player appearances. However all mans know that the Coach enjoys a good junior chicken. Moving on, how long have you been playing TF2 for?
S: i've been playing tf2 since 2012, and i started playing competitively in 2014. kinda weird to me that that is tf2 boomer tier nowadays
C: Yeah, it's not that strange. We started TF2 and competitive around the same time more or less. The game is free so it attracts teenagers plus it plays really well- in that there's alot of depth to the mechanics in the game that other games lack or can't fill. It's why I always keep running it, cuz every other game doesn't hold up.
S: facts
C: So you been playing spy and sniper currently. Which class do you prefer?
S: i prefer sniper. spy relies on a lot of luck to do well. sniper feels like if ur doing terribly, it's either ur fault for missing or ur team is not playing correctly
C: Would you say that you also have to rely on your teammates alot more on Spy compared to other classes in HL? And if your team isn't that good (not throwing shade at your previous teams) your performance is going to suffer as a result?
S: yeah, i guess i'd agree. when i played on knd in s22 it was much easier to do well because my team was better than the other teams except for dk. if the other team has more free time to spycheck, the game gets very hard.
C: Big facts. It's one thing to not play the game but it's another thing if the other team is not playing the game to go out of their way to ruin your fun. But then again.. Them chasing you means you're winning usually.
S: idk man that rain character is currently 1st in invite!
C: Are you playing in Invite?
S: Nope
C: Exactly
S: Damn... that's deep
pictured: when u shoot ur shot with rain C: I think if you were to enter Invite, things would be much different. Many in invite give their blessings so they don't have to face the Wrath of Spu again.
S: they should enjoy it while it lasts... i will return...
C: Damn... A Coach's Corner Exclusive here folks. Moving on, why'd you make the switch from Spy to Sniper?
S: sniper is more fun and i am good at it. i also wasn't enjoying spy that much anymore. highlander meta has moved in a direction that basically calls for the entire team to chimp for the spy if neither team is pushing instead of trying to take map control or dry fight. its very frustrating to play against, so i'd rather play sniper.
C: Yeah, I think devolved is the better term for it. What classes do you like playing other than the assassin classes?
S: demo and heavy are pretty fun. i dont really enjoy the other 5 classes.
C: Facts. Heavy is the best class. If you don't like it it's definitely cuz you aren't good at it. So what's a pet peeve of yours regarding snipers/spies that you think they should be doing but that they just don't do?
S: i feel like every bad sniper i play against ends up getting like no kills bc they sweat really hard to take as many svs duels as they can. taking svs is good when ur team needs a sniper pick to push, but the primary objective of playing sniper is kill as many players and do as much damage as u can. it really bugs me when snipers risk taking svs against me when their team is holding the point when they dont have to. my pet peeve for spies uhhh i guess that none of the spies below invite can aim
C: Hasn't it been like that since forever though? You rarely see good gun spies except at the top level and even then some of them are way too overhyped.
S: not necessarily, in ugc gold and silver there were always a few spies that could aim pretty well. they usually ended up getting into plat/invite a few seasons later. off the top of my head when i was playing in silver, Zero comes to mind. but ever since rgl became a thing, the vast majority of spies in advanced cannot aim. the only exceptions i can think of moved up to invite and did really well; agb, vizard, zero
C: Yeah eh. Zero plays a mean Lobby pyro.
S: i wouldn't know lol, i am permabanned from lobbies
pictured: Vipa entertaining the Coach: the rightful King of LobbiesC: Yeah, as King of Lobbies: you aren't missing out on much.
I have another question for you: There seems to be many Spies: the Happy Spy, the Theoretical Spy, the Ghost Spy, the Evil Spy & even a Spy that crosses the dimensional plane. How do you: the Spy with a U differentiate yourself from the crowd? What makes you different from the rest?
S: im hung
C: Is that the only difference maker between you and other Spies ?
S: i am much better than 3/5 of those spies
C: It's not just those Spies that I named. There are alot of Spies with different traits
S: This is true.
C: Damn. Okay okay. So how do you practice? What's your routine?
S: I don't play that much tf2 during the weekdays. usually before scrims and matches i play pubs for 30-60 minutes prior
C: Okay okay. So I'm reading that you play for a team currently. Tell me about it.
S: I'm playing on The Dojo in advanced, and we are currently undefeated going into playoffs with only 1 koth round dropped keeping us from a perfect regular season. Our roster is Cutimus / Rairai / Dowd / Townze / Willy / Austin / Lay / Myself / Theoretical Spy
C: Rai rai Bv?
S: yes
C: Damn. I only know that player cuz of paul lmao
C: Wait hold up. Hold up hold up... Theoretical Spy?
S: Indeed indeed.
C: No way... And you're undefeated? It all makes sense.
S: And why is that?
C: Listen.. What if I told you shotaway wasn't my first choice on the Brampton Warriors.
S: Oh? Who could you have wanted to start over Capt. Jack?
C: Actually you know what. Never mind, this is gonna stay in the locker room. Moving on,
C: ... So like... you winning the division or what?
S: That's the hope
C: Not a fact?
S: Not yet
C: Cautiously confident. I like it. What are the strong points of your team?
S: Well, the dojo has put in a pretty huge amount of work over the season to beat every team. More work than any other team I've played on has put in. We have a solid maincaller - which is something every good team needs, our flank works very well together, our combo is always on the same page, and nobody acts like a "diva" in the sense that everyone listens to criticism from each other. Some members of the team do demo reviews of not only our own scrims, but also other teams, to make sure we are prepared come match day. It's a good team environment and I don't think there is any one or two players specifically that can be credited with carrying us. We are a group of 9 players that play well together.
C: Not bad. That's the type of gameplay I like. Striving to be the best player you can be is the best way to improve. Some people want to get better and do everything except grind. What are the weak points of your team?
S: When we do rarely start losing a half, it can sometimes take a round or two for us to figure out how to adapt. Those issues always get fixed before the next scrim though
C: Is that really a weak point though? You lose but get a read on your opponent
S: That is true. I guess another weak point is sometimes too many people are talking at once. Every team needs to have a few players that just shut up during intense games so that we can understand what the main call is.
pictured: a typical conversation with biffelC: Yeah. From what you're telling me, it's clear that your team is very passionate about winning. That's good. ..So like, are you the best sniper in your division?
S: I think that title can go to a few different snipers depending on who's feeling hot that day
C: Damn. Humble coming from you Spu. How do you feel going into playoffs?
S: Pretty confident that we'll come out on top. Hoping that we will get to have some competitive games, although I wouldn't mind rolling like we have been all season. I feel good about how I've been performing on an individual level throughout the season and I would be satisfied with keeping my own level up to finish out the season.
C: Damn okay okay. You going to turn up your practice routine?
S: Next week I will yeah. We have a bye week this week since advanced playoffs are top 6 and seeds 1 and 2 get a bye week the first round. It's a good coincidence since I have to finish up most of my classwork between now and next weekend.
C: Okay okay, who are the fearsome players you've faced off against so far this season?
S: Cloudshade, bffl, RPC_33, legit, ebsikl, and daffodil. pretty much only snipers and flank players
C: bffl...? the baby brother...? Not a good look if he's catching this L from Spu. Anyone who you feel is mediocre or overrated for the team they're playing for?
S: i think that the knd players that associate with nursey are not as important as they think they are. shouldn't be immune from being looked down on for referring to a pedophile as their friend.
S: i think the impostors shouldnt act like they r above us and won't scrim us bc i talked a lil smack. spanish inquisition if ur reading this u a pussy for denying ur team good practice in favor of getting rolled by teams much better than u
also shoutout to arzt hispanian for claiming he wants advanced to be better under him being admin but letting a team with 2 bye weeks and 2 wins over 1-5 teams get into playoffs over a team with the same win loss record but beat the 4th and 5th seed
S: Any Questions?
C: Yeah, I was over at eerie person's house when spanish inquisition tried to slime him over video game scrims. It wasn't a good look. When I saw the Dmz it made me quite angry as well. But from your situation, I just have this to say: if you think you're better than someone then don't lose to them. Easy as that.
As the coach for Fred V: The Brampton Warriors let me ask you the reader this: If you constantly lose to someone, doesn't that make you worse than them? It doesn't make sense, some people really go through the mental gymnastics of convincing themselves they're better than someone who rolls them every single time. Worst type of players.
S: fax
C: But anyway, what are the win conditions for your division?
S: I guess just don't slack off and be ready for other teams to step it up. I think my team is better than every other team by a pretty wide margin at this point, as long as we play how we have been the last few months we will be fine
C: I hope to see it. So.. when are grand finals?
S: November 30
C: Okay okay, I'll mark that on my calendar. I'm excited, so what class am I ringing?
S: The Coach. You can be our Miss Pauling :)
C: 0_0
S: x3
C: Moving on, what do you think about the current state of HL?
S: Well, invite is always going to keep hemorrhaging in skill just due to how little interest there is in becoming the best team when The Sympathizers are always around. Advanced is very healthy right now though. Seeds 2-9 for playoffs weren't decided until this past week due to how close everyone below us was in the standings. And it's not that every team is bad either, it's that every team is actually really good in my opinion.
C: Damn okay okay. So what are the origins to the name "Spu" ?
S: Uhhhh I was like 12 or 13 and I liked the spy class so i switched the y with a u and the name just kinda stuck bc people thought it was funny
C: I can't hate on that. I don't know how I came up with Vryktion.
S: i haven't aliased as that name since ugc season 24 or 25, yet players that only started hl with rgl know me as spu and not pajaro
C: so when you started going hard at the top level, many teams began playing around your playstyle to counter you, checking every corner before a push to see if you were there. tell me: why do you stand in corners and wait?
S: LMAO well before teams starting hard clearing corners when they left spawn it was very free to get kills at spawn. something easy to do during down time when your team can't pressure enough for you to go in. being able to sap teleporter afterwards is an added bonus. i didn't really start playing like that until i went over some demos with feint. he told me that there is value in getting easy kills at spawn instead of feeding during downtime
C: Yeah but you would also stand in a corner when you know they would push from that area as well I'd see people clear angles as if they're pushing a site in Csgo
S: teams don't turn around during transitions as much as they do when holding. usually most of the players are more concerned about watching for the sniper or avoiding spam also being able to decloak before a player walks in front of you shortens how long it takes to kill them and get away
C: Damn. You really changed how teams pushed with just doing the least: standing in a corner. You seem to have many rivals and haters throughout the years: from Ronnie J to randy dubs, who was your most powerful enemy in TF2 Spu?
S: Hmmmm... How do you measure power? My answer to this question depends on the metric
C: I guess when you felt most threatened TF2wise
S: fucking barycenter, guy pulled so many rabbits out of his hat for his team
C: Yeah he was definitely a clutchmeister. So what's your rank in Overwatch and Csgo? And how come you don't display it on your steam profile description anymore?
S: I sold my Overwatch account to Coach Poop a few years ago and I am currently a Legendary Eagle in CSGO I do not display it on my steam profile description anymore because it doesn't matter
C: Fuck Coach Poop. That guy is shit. He's gonna lose along with his team: memento mori.
FUCK COACH POOP!!!
S: FUCK COACH POOP!!!
C: So I'm looking to propose an idea to the RGL admins: TF2 Weight Classes. What are your thoughts?
S: Would u be measuring how much each player weighs
C: Of course.
S: Hmmmm I think you would upset some people with that
C: Yes but think about it like this. You enter a game and you're beaten, cool. But the other person has someone with very high/low weight. I've done a study and it shown that people who are astounding in video games tend to either be very underweight or very very very overweight.
Therefore with TF2 Weight classes you're matched up against people in your weight division. Much like how it works in combat sports. You wouldn't see Mike Tyson fight against someone like Gervonta Davis. It wouldn't happen, they are completely different weight classes.
S: You know, you might be on to something! My team had a similar thinking. We have a team height/weight/BMI spreadsheet
C: Damn. That's good. Making sure your health is good is impactful to the performance of your team.
S: Astoundingly, we don't have any super fat fucks or twigs on our team
C: Okay I didn't say all that. But eating good foods, exercise, it does wonder for your mental and physical health. It really goes a long way
S: U right u right
C: I've heard from a credible source that you... "get no bitches" Are these claims true?
S: I am in a stable monogamous relationship with a woman, so I do not believe those claims are true.
C: Damn... I don't know what to believe no more. So Spu.. Why do you eat worms man?
S: I do not
C: You sure? I've heard about your worm eating habits from a credible source.
S: Im sure mate
C: Okay okay. So many wonder, who is the man behind "Spu" ? What do you do outside of TF2? Any hobbies? Interests?
S: I like hiking and running in my free time. I'm majoring in neuroscience, so I guess you say that and medicine are my interests.
C: Damn. I like Science. When the science teacher rolled in the old ass TV I knew it was Bill Nye time.
S: facts
C: All right, so I got some pictures I wanna show you and I wanna know your thoughts
S: ok
S: scum team that denied a pause during playoffs when our med crashed with full uber
C: Can you elaborate?
S: i think ugc s25 plat playoffs we played against fast forward and it was the last map of the series, cp_steel, our medic crashed the previous round and we used our pause for that. the next round, our medic crashed pretty much as soon as the gates opened and we asked for a courtesy pause since technically we could only force 1 pause per half (or map, can't remember which) and they said no which lead to us obviously not having a good time on our offense and we lost because of it, ending our season. left a really bitter taste in my mouth and i despise almost everyone that was on that iteration of fast forward
C: Damn. That's crazy.
S: Chubbz
C: A rapper, I been following him for a year and a half I think. I'm not too crazy a fan though.
S: why he so worried about what people think of his walk
C: Because they're gay.
S: i see
C: He experienced being catcalled and was very uncomfortable with it.
[raccoon picture]
S: Mate why did u send this
C: Fuzion sends his regards.
S: FUck u Jake
C: Lets move onto our reader submitted questions. From frost: What led you to changing your name to "pajaro" ? What does it even mean?
S: I changed my name to pajaro because my father was a cuban immigrant, so I wanted to change my alias to a spanish word. I chose pajaro because it sounds audibly appealing when pronounced properly. It means bird.
C: Interesting. From rai rai bv: is spy or sniper more fun in your opinion?
S: Sniper for sure
C: would you return to spy another season? would you return to sniper?
S: I would go back to spy if a good enough team formed with friends that I'd want to play with. I'm probably staying on sniper for next season, as it's likely the dojo is moving up to invite together
C: would you play any other classes?
S: Next season? Or just any time in the future?
C: dunno lol
S: I'd be willing to play anythign that isn't pyro soldier or medic in the future
C: Okay. I have a series of questions from Townze: Opinions on how your seasons going?
S: well im undefeated so....
C: What games do you play besides tf2 are you competitive anywhere else besides tf2?
S: i play counterstrike and its fun but i am not playing it competitively. just matchmaking with friends
C: What are your plans after the season do you plan to stay with the dojo or make your own team?
S: planning on sticking with the dojo
C: What do you like about your team? Do any players stand out to you?
S: i like that they care a lot about winning and don't expect to just roll everyone. everyone on the team is dedicated to getting better and improving the team.
C: Can I play garrys mod with you all
S: No
C: A word of encouragement from Ryuk: Keep that head up king. Im proud of you
S: Thank you
C: from american: i have seen strange comments from you on one person’s profile over the past few months. they have deeply disturbed me. is your obsession with perenne just a joke or is there something deeper there
S: it is a joke
C: a few questions from wall: what is your favorite gun/item to kill perenne with in TTT?
S: I like killing perenne with the sniper rifle. the knife is funny too though
C: Why not a Minigun?
S: there is no minigun in ttt
C: Wow.. Okay. Do you feel like you’ve learned anything important having grown up with tf2?
S: Yes. I learned that I should not have started playing TF2
C: Last question - can I buy a roster slot?
S: Next season sure bro
C: Okay, and are there anything you'd like to say before we conclude this interview?
S: shoutout to the TTT gaming bunker friends
Thank you very much to Spu for the interview, and as always thank you to my interns for helping me out. Thank you to carcin & wall for helping as well, and thank you to the reader for reading. I'm gonna see if I want to do something special for the 10th Interview, so maybe keep an eye out! As always, discuss, critique, suggestions & hate all go on the thread. Thanks!
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