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Community Competitor Spotlight: LunaRay

LunaRay has been the top competitor in the Creature of Aether scene for quite some time, collecting wins at five of seven monthlies in 2021. On top of their competitive accolades, LunaRay has collected data on every deck used by top competitors and by those that volunteer their information since their first event during the Creatures Beta League. LunaRay’s incredible CoA Cards and Tournament Decks sheets display information from raw deck data to community terminology, individual card data, and everything in between – serving as a perfect medium for players to get into the game on a more in-depth level. We recently reached out to LunaRay to learn more about them and their history in Creatures of Aether.

How did you first hear about Creatures and get into the scene as a competitor?

I’m actually a big fan of Dan’s works; I first stumbled upon a YouTube video way back in 2015 and fell in love with RoA’s art style. I’m not really someone who pays for games so I looked around and spent a long time playing the free versions of Elementimals and Super Smash Land on Dan’s old website. When Creatures was first advertised, I jumped on to sign up as a closed beta tester but unfortunately did not make the cut.

I only started playing Creatures some time in August 2020 as an open beta player; and as soon as I got comfortable with deck building, I started joining tournaments even without unlocking all the cards at that time. I do play around with new and trending decks but my all-time favorite deck styles would definitely be Mono Sylvanos, followed by Avatar Clairen and Avatar Etalus decks.

How long have you been competing in events and what about them appeals to you beyond just laddering?

My very first event was on the 3rd of September 2020, the Creatures Beta League Week 8 Tournament , where I placed 21st amongst 47 participants. I’ve been participating in most weekly and monthly events all the way till today so that’s about 10 months of playing competitively. Back when I was a relatively new player, I aimed for the free orbs and coin raffles and the Tournament-exclusive Champion skins as a participation prize. Right now, I still do aim for those, but with an added motivation to aim for the top placings for orbs and coins.

How often do you play the game outside of tournaments? How often do you theory-craft and practice new decks?

Outside of tournaments, I play for about an hour a day just to clear off the daily tasks. Creatures is partly theory-crafting and partly playing against the opponent. I tried to first find a deck that I was comfortable playing with. I used to theory-craft a lot back when there were a variety of decks that were not optimised; but when Sylvanos was released and I crafted my favorite Mono Sylvanos deck, I slowed down on theory-crafting to work on improving my game sense. I normally try out new decks when there are discussions about them in discord, just to get to know the ins and outs of how the deck works.

You won the 4 of the monthlies so far in 2021, and have cemented yourself as the undisputed best Creatures player right now. How do you achieve such consistency in a card game format?

I would say that this is mostly due to my experience of how cards work in Creatures. Of course, playing this game for a relatively long time helps when playing an opponent, but I also tend to think of different mechanics that may happen such as Clairen’s Field interactions, Forburn’s smoke interactions, and many other abilities against other cards’ abilities. Knowing what would happen and optimizing your next move, would aid in solidifying your victory.

What has been your proudest moment throughout your career?

Handling the CoA Tournament Top Decks Sheet, players would send me their decks used and I would log them onto the sheet as an archive. I believe my sheet is a great resource for new players to refer to, to read up on strategies, terms and cards that they have not seen before, on top of the weekly and monthly top tournament decks.

Do you play Rivals at all? If so, who do you use, and when did you get into the game?

I ended up buying Rivals after playing around with Elementimals and Super Smash Land, but soon realized that I was horrible at games like Rivals and only played the campaign mode exclusively. I do enjoy playing Zetterburn as his kit is relatively simpler.

Before Rivals and Creatures, I played a lot of Hearthstone since its release and even joined a few tournaments. I guess the games I enjoy are turn-based and have an aspect of pixel-art 🙂

What’s the thing you’re looking forward to most this Summer?

I’m really looking forward to when Creatures ports over to Steam and is available on PC. That way, the game would be more accessible for players on PC instead of just mobile, increasing its player base and accessibility. As mentioned, I enjoy turn-based games with pixel-art so I really can’t wait for Dungeons of Aether as it perfectly fits what I enjoy!

Do you have any personal goals or interests outside of Creatures that you’re aiming your sights on?

For now, it would be to hop right onto Dungeons of Aether as soon as it comes out and keep my eye on the expanding Aether Universe 🙂

Is there anything you would like to say to the Aether community reading this feature?

Hey there! I’m LunaRay, I handle the CoA Cards and Tournament Decks Sheet and you can find me on discord at LunaRay#3147 🙂
I’m so honored to be a part of this community! Thank you all and see you around!~

Community Commentator Spotlight: Wisely

This week’s community spotlight features a multi-faceted commentator whose work is well known in Rivals and across several Platform Fighter communities. Wisely has been a staple in the Rivals community for years, bringing professionalism in commentary style and presentation while building his portfolio as a versatile content creator. We recently reached out to Wisely to learn more about him his history in Esports.

How did you first hear about Rivals and get into the scene as a competitor?

Wisely: I learned about Rivals after the early beta announcement; I remember hearing about it through Smash Reddit and talking about it with my friends. I tried out a bunch of characters, but because I play duo and puppet characters I LOVED the broken Forsburn where you could control the clone the entire time. I never got to entering tournaments or anything at that point though.

A few years later I lived in Philly for a bit and couldn’t enter local Smash events for a while. I started playing Rivals a lot more again and saw there was a big online event getting some notice so I signed up. I ended up beating SFAT and PewPewU back-to-back, and that kinda kicked the entire thing off for me. Without the super OP clone Forsburn I was playing Zetter at this point, and picked up Ori as a co-main down the line.

How long have you been doing commentary? How did you get started and what eventually attracted you to hone your craft for Rivals?

Wisely: I got into Melee and PM through the original Smash Documentary and was immediately drawn to the storytelling and humanity of it all. I heard Prog on the mic and I wanted to tell those stories too. Before esports, I’d already done a lot of public speaking through debate and forensics in high school, so I felt really comfortable with that aspect of it, and jumped in headfirst at my locals for those games.

When I started diving into Rivals, it felt really natural to start doing commentary there too. I love being able to show people why it’s such an exciting game, whether that’s in the gameplay, the storylines, or the people involved. Rivals really deserves that kind of spotlight and I want to help out however I can.

What has been your favorite event to commentate and why?

Wisely: Commentating Genesis 7 was an experience I’ll never forget. Not only was it the RCS Finals, but Genesis is an event I’d been watching for years. G3 was the first national I ever traveled for. Being a part of it in that way really felt like I had made it for commentary.

I have a soft spot in my heart for SnS (and now Riptide) too! The atmosphere of that event is incredible, and I’m so excited that Riptide is the first in-person event coming back. I’ll see you all there!

What players do you enjoy commentating the most? What about their gameplay makes them stand out to you?

Wisely: I’m biased here, but I love watching people do things with my main Ori that I’ve never even thought of. Kusi, Jesier, and while I’ve never been able to commentate a set of hers I’ll still go back and watch Sister Eden’s combo videos all the time. Any time I see something totally new, that’s Rivals at it’s most exciting for me.

Beyond that, there’s nothing quite like commentating a tense back and forth set between some of the best players in the world. Sit me in front of a top 8 with crazy adaptations, new strategies, and incredible movement and I’ll be happy.

What were some of the biggest challenges as a commentator when transitioning to an entirely online world for more than a year?

Wisely: Online commentary gave me some opportunities I never would’ve had otherwise, but it’s just not the same as in-person casting. Hearing the crowd yelling and playing off the venue energy can’t be replicated online. Ironically online lag hits the commentators too, it’s definitely harder to not talk over each other a bit while doing discord casting.

How much time do you spend researching recent results and player stats before big events?

Wisely: I usually spend a couple of hours before RCS events looking through previous results and looking at big upsets. If it’s an in-person event that locks earlier, I really like being able to look through predicted bracket runs, seeing where potential upsets might happen, and even talking with players about what they’ve been focusing on lately in their gameplay. Being able to talk about smaller gameplay changes (matchup strategies, new tech, practice partners, etc) they’re trying to implement helps tell the stories just as much as large bracket trends.

Wisely and Brosa at CEO Dreamland

You work in several different Esports scenes while creating content beyond your commentary. What about the world of Esports motivates you to be active on such a grand scale?

Wisely: Like I said earlier, I love being able to help showcase and promote communities, especially ones that might not get that kind of support otherwise. If I enjoy a game and I’m active in its esports scene, there’s a good chance I’ll make content for it. “Here’s why I think this thing is so cool” is really at the heart of a lot of what I do.

Beyond commentary, I stream on Twitch and make videos for YouTube, typically focused on my experience in different esports scenes or showcasing the personalities in those games. I’ve been super busy starting a new job this month, but those should both be coming back in the next week or two now that I’m settling in!

As a multi-platform creator, what sort of content do you enjoy doing the most? Why?

Wisely: I really enjoy taking a fun idea and running with it for a YouTube video. Usually, those are created from my streams, but the entire point from the beginning is to get my thoughts onto YouTube. I tend to view the stream as part of the creative process, and the uploaded video as the final creation.

I’ve been planning a bunch of challenges and alternate game mode videos to hit the ground running once I’m back again. I’m hoping to be able to introduce our personality and flair to a new audience!

What are your interests outside of the Rivals/Platform Fighter community?

Wisely: Outside of esports and gaming, my hobbies are music and rock climbing! I play a handful of instruments, and I’m planning to get right back to going to concerts once it’s safe again. I hadn’t been able to climb at my gym for most of the pandemic, so I’m getting back into that too and having a great time.

Is there anything you would like to say to the Rivals community reading this feature?

Wisely: Shameless plug, but I just started a new job as the Gaming and Livestream Specialist for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. I’ll be working with influencers, players, industry folks, events, etc to raise money for charity. While most of that is outside of our platform fighter community, I’m always down to connect and I’d love to partner with Rivals streamers and events in the future!

Rivals Championship Series Season 6

Get ready for RCS Season 6!

Following the record-shattering attendance of Riptide and the recent announcement of Genesis 8, we are ecstatic to announce the newest Rivals Championship Series installment! Season 6 of the RCS will bring back monthly Online Majors, but will also mark the return of live events with our first hybrid season. Join us as we celebrate Rivals in even more regions on our biggest stages yet!

We’re going workshop steam punk for Season 6!

Format and Schedule

Despite the tough year last season was a fantastic success thanks to our community, breaking attendance records on multiple occasions during an exclusively online season set on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving into Season 6, we have seen local events slowly emerge with the increasing accessibility of vaccines. Keeping this in mind, we are bringing the North American RCS back to in-person majors on three separate occasions in conjunction with four unique online majors.

With a live finals event planned this year, we are also bringing back flight vouchers for the Top 4 North American league point holders at the conclusion of our December online event. North American players who top the leader board during the regular season will be given a complimentary flight to our Finals at Genesis 8. For our friends in Europe and Australia, the top point holder from each region will be awarded 500 USD for their accomplishments.

Here is our official schedule:

Event Date Region
Riptide (Registration Cap Reached) September 10-12,2021 Sandusky, OH (NA)
Hot Springs Major September 18, 2021 Online (NA)
Hot Springs Major (EU/OCE) September 2021 Online (EU/AU)
Melody Major (NA/EU/OCE) October 2021 Online (NA/EU/AU)
Heat Wave 4 (Registration OPEN) November 13-14 2021 Phoenix, AZ (NA)
Fireworks Major (NA/EU/OCE) November 2021 Online (NA/EU/AU)
Crystal Major (Registration TBA) December 2021 Online (NA/EU/AU)
EU/AU Regional Finals (Registration TBA) January 2022 Online (EU/AU)
RCS Finals at Genesis 8 (Registration OPEN) January 28-30, 2022 San Jose, CA (NA)

More information regarding events in Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia can be found below.

Regional Finals and Opt-In Events

We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing battle, with some areas struggling to return to a sense of normalcy more than others. In order to accommodate regions affected by event uncertainty and travel restrictions, we are introducing regional online finals for Europe and Australia. Each finals event will feature uncapped shop goals to allow players to fund their own scenes directly. In addition to our new finals events, we have a brand new Opt-In system for local events in Europe and Australia, and online events for the emerging regions of South America and Asia.

For Europe and Australia:

  • As local events return in a safe and functional manner, tournament organizers will be able to apply for RCS prize support for their events.
  • Events added through our Opt-In system will receive prize support but will not give players league points in order to prevent unfair advantages on the leader boards.

For South America and Asia:

  • South America and Asia will both have opportunities to receive DLC support on par with the other regions.
  • Tournament organizers from each region will be allowed to apply for one event every month, starting in September, to receive new and older RCS exclusive skin rewards.
  • Sub-regions that are unable to compete in certain events, such as Brazil, can contact SBS or Etalus to ensure that they can have their own tournaments included.

Monthly Themes

Elemental themed months are returning from Season 5 with a fun twist! Starting in September, each month leading up to our January finals will have a special theme based on characters from the upcoming Workshop Character Pack that will affect how the community interacts with the series including special bundles from our upcoming shop, a chance to acquire brand new and previously retired RCS DLC skins, and even unique prize opportunities for competitors participating in each major.

When each month’s major event comes around, we highly encourage players to record every character used on their tournament runs. The highest placing competitor to exclusively use rivals matching the month’s elemental theme will receive an item from the Season 6 RCS shop. If a player happens to WIN the monthly major using only Rivals matching the month’s elemental theme, they will be awarded a voucher from us for a custom controller by our friends at Controller Chaos.

Season 6 Reward Structure

As mentioned above, there will be special rewards for the highest placing player(s) using only rivals matching each month’s elemental theme, but that’s not all. Each month’s online event will have a dedicated prize pool and each finals event will have an uncapped prize pool, all funded by our shop. On the DLC front, we are happy to introduce brand new skins (TBA) for participants of each online major. Offline events will also feature pot bonus compendium goals and new themed skins!

 

Season 6 Rankings

For those curious about how our yearly rankings will be weighed, players looking to qualify for the Season 6 Top 50 will need to enter a minimum of 3 RCS events. We understand that there may be some hesitancy for players to mix online and offline events together, so players will only be ranked according to their placements at their best three events of Season 6 (player matchups may still be considered for all events).

Links!

This post has a lot of information to digest, so please refer to all relevant links for event pages! Stay tuned in the weeks to come for more RCS news as we lead up to the start of the season this September!

Registration is now OPEN for our November online event, Heat Wave, and for Genesis 8!

Community Tournament Organizer Spotlight: Junior

This week’s community spotlight features one of the most prominent, yet under-the-radar Tournament Organizers (TO) in the Aether universe. Junior has been the head TO for Creatures of Aether since Open Beta began in August 2020 and one of the main TOs for official Rivals of Aether events since RCS Season 5 in September 2020. We recently reached out to Junior to learn more about him and his ability to balance responsibilities for several different communities both online and offline.

How did you first hear about the Aether universe and get into the scene as a competitor?

Junior: I found Rivals of Aether from YouTube content, the furthest back I can remember was when Absa and Etalus were just revealed. I purchased the game for myself around when Clairen and Ranno had been revealed. I remember seeing the Ranno Reveal live at Smash Con 2017; I was there for a vacation rather than for competing, it was my first tournament experience ever. I went on to play the game casually with friends for a few weeks then moving on to other games.

In August of 2020, SBS reached out to me about running events for the new mobile game Creatures of Aether. I was a part of the closed beta and played in a few events by that point, but I wasn’t too competitive with it. I enjoy running brackets and my local had been shut down due to COVID, so I accepted the offer!

I started to put time into Rivals around the same time. I was invited into AZCord for something relating to Creatures TO work and ended up just playing Rivals with Plastic Dinos and SBS instead. I loved getting my [butt] kicked, and I wanted to learn how to do the stupid stuff they did to me. So I guess I really wanted to get good at Rivals because the people around me were already amazing and I wanted to share in that interest. Fast forward to today and now I run Rivals at my own local.

How long have you been running events? How did you get started and what motivated you to get active in the community?

Junior: I was a part of a small Smash 4 community in Early 2018, I kept asking how I could help, and eventually I became their head TO. We transitioned to Ultimate when it was released in November and still run it now. I joined mainly due to a lack of friends at the time, I kinda was lost and just wanted regular human interaction every week. Now that I’m a community leader the dynamic is a bit different, but I’m really glad to have met some really cool people in my time with Smash.

I started to run events in both Rivals of Aether and Creatures during quarantine, I enjoyed running events and kept asking if there was anything else I could do to help. All of a sudden I’m running a Creatures event every week and helping with RCS and official offseason events every month.

What are some of the major differences between running a card game like Creatures and a platform fighter like Rivals?

Junior: Swiss. Card games run Swiss format primarily due to how long rounds are, in the case of Creatures I expect a best of three to last between twenty-five and thirty minutes. In a double-elimination style event with thirty-two players, there are only five rounds on the winners side, but the losers side has eight. It leads to long periods of waiting for both the player in Grand Finals and occasionally in Losers Semis if one vein is slower than the other. Swiss allows all players to play in uniform rounds to minimize wait times and gives players way more matches overall, assuming there are an “infinite” amount of setups so everyone plays at the same time. There’s a place for both formats but I prefer to play as much of the game as possible when I compete, so it’s always a treat to play in extended formats like Swiss and Round Robin.

As a primarily local TO before 2020, what was it like making the shift to online brackets? On a larger scale, what were the biggest differences between helping with online majors and local RCS events?

Junior: I surprisingly enjoyed some aspects of Online bracket management more than local play. I treat brackets like an RTS [Real Time Strategy]; I need to manage players and setups, record scores, and accept payments for main event signups at the same time. It gets a bit hectic at times but I really enjoy it. Online does all of that for me, so my focus is more on ping checks and player mistakes, like missing check-ins or changing scores on smash.gg. The one thing I missed the most was the face-to-face interactions. During Elemental Monthlies I would just be sitting at home listening to music and just wait for someone to ask for help. Now that local play is back I get to yell at people to stop playing friendlies on the tournament setups, so that’s pretty cool.

Photo by ESA | Alma.

With local tournaments slowly coming back in some capacity, have you had an opportunity to return LAN events to your region? What advice would you give to organizers looking to start something in a safe and organized manner?

Junior: My locals have returned! I tend to be more strict with my guidelines to make sure everyone is safe. We enforce proof of vaccination and require all participants to wear a mask for the duration of the event. I message every player directly for their vax info if I don’t already have it. It adds a ton of extra work before any event, but it’s very necessary to make sure everyone is safe. For organizers planning on starting LAN events, I would recommend having the same precautions. It really comes down to you to enforce your own rules, so stay diligent and be prepared to correct improper behavior.

You’ve been a major part of the Creatures community over its lifetime as a TO, Discord Moderator, Beta Tester, and even as a guest with Dan to show off upcoming content.  What advice would you give to community members that want to get more involved with their passions?

Junior: Just keep asking to help! I originally was only asked to be a bracket runner, but I kept asking what else I could do to help and my role expanded from there. Now I’m in charge of advertisement, prize distribution, and league point management for the tournaments. My role there led me to become a Tester for the game, and I even had the privilege of showcasing Ranno and Elliana on my personal Twitch channel. If you are looking to be more involved in any aspect of your community, just ask to help and keep asking.

What are your interests outside of the Aether community?

Junior: I’m pretty big on Windjammers, a 1994 Arcade game for NeoGeo. I’ve played at a competitive level for a few years, I met SBS through the game and placed well in a few events including winning the side event at Heat Wave 3. I’m just waiting for the sequel to release so I can play it nonstop. I also stream occasionally on Twitch, you can find me HERE.

What’s the thing you’re looking forward to most this Summer?

Junior: I can’t wait for Riptide! I’m super looking forward to meeting the many people I’ve interacted with online as well as helping run the main event as a pool captain. I also am looking forward to Hodan’s inclusion in Rivals, I really like the monkey. 🙂

Is there anything you would like to say to the Rivals or Creatures community reading this feature?

Junior: Support your locals! Even if it’s once a month, try to make it out consistently. It goes a long way for event growth and shows the Organizers that you care about Rivals at their event. Also, please give Creatures a shot when it releases on Steam on August 2nd!

Community Competitor Spotlight: Penguin

Penguin is without a doubt one of the best players in Rivals of Aether history. He’s been ranked on every Top 50 to date, has been a Top 10 player since Season 2, and Top 3 since Season 3. Penguin’s rise to the spotlight brought him to the Grand Finals of RCS Finals three years in a row, where he finally captured first place to cap off Season 5. We recently reached out to Penguin to learn more about him and his history in Rivals.

Penguin with his first place ring at Frostbite 2020.

How did you first hear about Rivals and get into the scene as a competitor?

Penguin: I don’t remember how I first found rivals, but remember being attracted to it as “oh, it’s like Melee… but I can play it online (this long predates Slippi and before i knew about netplay).” At this point I had gone to my melee weekly for about a month and a half, but had no one to play it with outside of those weeklies.

I then, like any good Rivals player, stopped playing the game after about 2 weeks. A few weeks after I stopped playing Rivals happened to be Smash Con 2016, which I was attending in order to play Melee. I saw the Rivals booth and thought to myself, “Oh, I know that game! That Zetterburn’s fireball is kinda like Falco laser.” …I then went on to play the game for 4 days straight, DQ out of Melee, and come back the following SSC as a Top 10 player.

 

How long have you been competing in events? How long did you play online before entering brackets, and then how long did it take to enter your first local tournament?

Penguin: I’ve been competing in Rivals events since August of 2016, at Smash Con ‘16. I’m weird in that I found it offline first and did play in that bracket, getting 33rd. After that I played in strictly online tourneys for a year grinding my [butt] off, and then came back the next year to play in SSC ‘17, Shine ‘17, and finish the season with Genesis 5.

To answer how long I played before entering brackets, after that SSC ‘16 bracket on August 13th of that year, the next tournament I played in was NAS #20 on November 17th. In that 3 month gap I entirely played ranked/exhibition since I didn’t know where to find tourneys. I then found one of the old Rivals steam groups (which was already dead when I found it) and posted in there asking to play. Someone in there was kind enough to point me to the main rivals discord where I then also found the NCS discord and played in NAS immediately – where I won the tourney :).

 

How often do you practice the game and how has that changed over the years?

Penguin: My first year of playing the game I was a small child with lots of free time, meaning I was able to play Rivals for a minimum of 4 hours every day without fail… while also playing CS:GO competitively at the same time. At one point I played 5 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 8 months. It would not be an exaggeration to say I played on average, 4 hours of Rivals and 5 hours of CS:GO every day without fail.

Since then I’ve stopped playing CS:GO competitively, and any other game I play semi-competitively, takes much more of a backseat than CS:GO ever did. I simply don’t have the time to grind as hard as I once did.

For RCS Seasons 2-4 I played an absolute minimum of 2 hours every single day. I remember doing the math on my steam hours and calculating how many hours on average I played since the day I bought it, which at the time was 3.5 hours over 3 years. I typically ramp up the week before any major, and I pretty religiously don’t play the game for at least 4 days whenever I get back from a major. Gives me a nice cooldown from nonstop Rivals action.
During COVID my grind definitely slowed down, playing right now on average an hour every day.

 

You have been a Top 2 player for the last 3 years, while never dropping in rank since your first Top 50 appearance in Season 1. How have you kept such a high level of consistency throughout the majority of the game’s lifespan?

Penguin: I think there are 2 major factors that result in my consistency:
1. I put a lot of effort into my composure early on in my career. I remember very vividly playing against Kaos at Genesis 5 and being so nervous my hands were shaking and I swapped off of Absa simply because I couldn’t do any technical inputs. Since then I’ve taken steps to keeping cool while playing, on top of being an already pretty stoic person. Including breathing exercises, taking advantage of all time granted to me in a set, and yes… the mints.

2. My game-plan when it comes to a set is very flow chart-y and can apply to anyone I play against. I have a hierarchy of goals at every point of a game, and have a clear idea in my head of how to best set myself up to achieve the highest one. This is best exemplified in my edgeguards, where I do everything I can to slowly strip my opponent of their resources and cut-off as many options as I can, until eventually their only option is death.

What has been your proudest moment throughout your career?

Penguin: I can’t pick between two, winning SnS5 or winning RCS Season 5 Finals. SnS5 was my 2nd big major win, but more importantly grands was a loooong set against Cake where I maintained myself and clutched it out in the end even after he got a bracket reset on me. Whether I was correct or not, at the time GTX felt like a fluke to me, so SnS5 was my first “real” major win. And then obviously winning an RCS Season is a crowning achievement for any Rivals player, but I’d be lying if I said an online tournament felt the same as the theater at Genesis.

 

After finally winning an RCS Finals event in Season 5, what are your goals in Season 6?

Penguin: One thing, and one thing alone, get ranked #1.

 

What’s the thing you’re looking forward to most this Summer (Rivals or otherwise)?

Penguin: Obviously I’m looking forward to Riptide a ton, and there’s a million reasons to be looking forward to Riptide. However, outside of that I’m not sure if there’s much more I’m looking forward to outside of a general return to normalcy (whatever that’ll look like) with vaccines and everything rolling out.

 

Do you have any personal goals or interests outside of Rivals that you’re aiming to focus on?

Penguin: In-terms of games I play both Rocket League and Valorant next to Rivals, where I’m ranked Champion 3 and Diamond 3 respectively for those curious.

Academically/career-wise I’m currently majoring in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning.