Fonkers during the 2019 Six Major Raleigh when competing with Team Secret (image credit: Ubisoft)
Esports News UK had the opportunity to get in touch with Finnish player Aku ‘Fonkers’ Seppä, one of the five members of MNM Gaming’s UK Rainbow Six Siege team.
Craig Robinson asks Fonkers about the first season of the UK Ireland Nationals (UKIN), finals expectations, how to get back to pro and more.
This is the first season of UKIN. How have you found it?
Great! I think the season has been really good and surprisingly competitive.
The oOnly thing I would change is the format, from bo1 to bo3.
The season has had quite a few twists and turns. Are there any teams or moments you can think of that have shocked you or the expectations of the scene?
I was quite surprised that the number one spot did not go to NaVi, but to Cowana.
Throughout the regular season, you have had great results, but your opening game against Cowana Gaming left the scene stunned. What did you learn from that very first match?
I would say that the first match result was because it was our first official match as a team.
We were playing a bit different to how we play in scrims, which resulted in us losing. We had a discussion about nerves after the match and, well, you can see the results of said conversation.
Now the regular season is over, you finished in second place. Where did you see yourself initially finishing, and what are your expectations for the finals?
Before the season started I definitely expected us to be at that number one spot because our team chemistry was exceptional ever since I joined the roster. I except nothing less than a first-place finish at the finals this weekend.
Given that you are in the finals, which team do you think you’ll play from the playoffs and why? Also, is there a team you’d rather face off against in your finals match?
I believe our first match will be against the winner of Fierce/Demise and that match can go either way to be honest.
I want to face Cowana in the finals because I think it would be a great match to watch for the viewers.
The UKIN has quite a few strong teams, how do you reckon this tournament fairs against other national leagues?
I think from a T3 (tier 3) standpoint, we are the most competitive national league out there. Of course, you could make a case about RML and GSA since there are multiple T1 teams in said leagues.
Both you and the majority of MNM players have Challenger League experience. What aspects did you realise you all need to work on to have a better shot if you make it?
For me personally, I would be more confident in scrims than official matches, which I have improved on drastically in the past few months. I can’t really say about the others though.
On your UKIN profile, you mention trying to make it like a pro again. What do you think happened in the past that made you fall off?
In Team Secret we were way too inconsistent to stay in T1, which made us fall off.
I already talked about my confidence in official matches which also impacted my personal performance in the past.
You are a player that has spent quite a lot of time with the UK scene. What is it that’s keeping you involved in the UK scene?
The personalities, definitely. I love the banter and I’ve made a huge amount of friends in the UK scene in the past 2 years as well.
This current MNM roster is definitely my favourite team in my whole career, the sense of humor that people have in this team is unmatched.
The UKIN league has Na’Vi, yourself and Secretly who have or are competing at the top. What can national leagues learn from players and teams in this position?
Hard to say really. I think when talking about players/teams that are or have been at the top, the biggest thing is having experience working with nerves and different personalities during their time, which can help newer teams a lot.
Regarding the game itself, how do you feel about the changes coming to the new Siege season?
I feel great about them, I think Ace will give a nice boost to attack since in my opinion defence is a bit on top in the current meta.
MNM play in the grand final at 3pm BST today. You can follow MNM and Fonkers on Twitter here.
