The Swiss stage brought with it some exciting twists for the fans but how do the pros feel about it?
With the M6 Swiss Stage done and dusted, we asked Fnatic ONIC coach YnoT for his opinion on the new and somewhat controversial format. The Swiss format is designed to promote only the strongest teams in the tournament. It’s a very dynamic format but one that can be seen as volatile.
To explain briefly, all teams start in a single group and then randomly paired to play a single match. Afterwards, the teams are split into two groups based on their record and then paired up to play another match. This process repeats until the teams hit a threshold of wins and losses. Typically, it’s the teams who win three matches who move on while the teams who lose three matches are out.
The kicker is that everyone is facing a different team at every stage of the Swiss format. For that, coach Anthony “YnoT” Senedrin had only one word to describe the Swiss stage experience. “Brutal. Very brutal, actually.”
This may sound strange considering that Fnatic ONIC made it out of the Swiss stage 3-0. But then you have to consider that teams have a much harder time preparing for a format like this. In the traditional group format, you only have to worry about the teams in your group. In Swiss, you have the potential to face anyone in the tournament, even the teams you least expect.
“It came to a point where you start questioning how strong your team is,” continued Fnatic ONIC coach YnoT. “You’re trying to get a grasp of how good these teams are and then suddenly ‘that team lost?!’ It’s very surprising but I think next time we need to study it more, adapt to it more.”
Always On the Grind
Another problem with the Swiss format is the disproportionate break times it can give to teams. For Fnatic ONIC and RRQ Hoshi with 3-0 records, they’ve had an entire week of downtime before returning for playoffs. On the other hand, the 3-2 teams only had about a day to rest and prepare.
There was a worry that such a long break could negatively affect a team’s momentum but that’s not the case for Fnatic ONIC. “To be honest, hindi naman kami talaga nagpahinga,” said Fnatic ONIC coach YnoT. “Management and I had a talk where kahit isang araw we would go outside. I went to Malaysia before and masarap talaga yung pagkain nila so I wanted the players to experience that.”
“But even after that one day off, the team was like ‘balik trabaho na!’ We had a vacation, we got to relax but now it’s game time.” Coach YnoT couldn’t help but smile as he explained how the team was so focused despite the break. It’s a testament to the team’s work ethic and unity.
“Aral na ulit, let’s make sure ang ginagawa natin is productive. Alam nila yung reason why they’re here and they respect it.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.