Oxygen Esports Apex Legends team photo of Vein, Reedz, Aidan; Esports News UK’s August coverage is powered by Predator Gaming – get more Apex Legends esports news here
EA’s upcoming ALGS Championship in Birmingham is already shaping up to be dominated by the story two powerful rivals: TSM and DarkZero. The battle between these titans for the Championship title is expected by many to be the event’s highlight. However, Oxygen Esports are confident that it is their time to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
Led by Manager ‘Thordan Smash’, Coach ‘Psykho’, and Analyst ‘SomeoneWhoLeaks’ (SWL), the North American team seem set to impress. Psykho, Thordan, and players Nicholas ‘Vein’ Hobbs, Stephen ‘Reedz’ Bailey and Aidan ‘aidanthedestroye’ Macmillan sit down with Hannah Marie for Esports News UK in an exclusive interview, where they express their confidence in their abilities, discuss the elements that led them to such success at the Split 2 Playoffs, and break down how their team dynamic helps drive their success.
What to know about Oxygen before Champs Birmingham
Despite a strong performance in the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs at the Copper Box arena in London, Oxygen seem to have received minimal attention from pundits looking to predict the Championship winners. The team came third overall, behind TSM and DarkZero, with arguably the same consistency in results throughout the tournament as their rivals.
In particular, the team strongly emphasises ‘macro’ – wider strategic decisions regarding team dynamics, movement across the map, POIs, team roles, zone pulls, and informed decision-making. Although ‘micro’ – individual actions, decisions, and movements often relating to more isolated fights – are often a focus in LAN coverage, Oxygen have a clear focus on never missing the forest for the trees.
Hannah Marie: Thank you, Oxygen Esports, for joining me for this interview! First of all, take me through your experience during the Split 2 LAN, starting from the initial Group Stage and how you prepared.
Vein: I think Groups was the biggest wildcard factor. In Groups, you can have a lot of random things happen because it’s so mixed, and you’re playing against different teams every time you play.
The only things we really did for Groups was make sure we weren’t getting contested by other teams – which ended up happening, randomly – and just making sure we are not doing anything crazy. We stuck to our normal game plans and tried to make it to the Winners Bracket.
Aidan (aidanthedestroye): Basically, we treated it like it was scrims – that’s what it was, basically.
Psykho: To piggyback off that, we were coming into LAN doing a bootcamp at our facility, and we were doing international scrims at that point, seeing what was working and what was not for us. We understood that international scrims are not as realistic as things could be, so the Group Stages was something we all understood to be as scrims, but better.
What we would do is talk about who was in the particular groups we were facing: was the lobby a majority of zone teams, was it a majority edge lobby, or was it hybrid? We were thinking about the contesting issue, whether we would have problems there and how to prepare for it, and we really used a lot of our macro, understanding how to go about the games.
At the same time, this team is extremely adaptable in terms of being able to play either zone or edge. They have learned how to stay in a spot when it’s necessary or close and how to get to it very quickly. Other times they know they will have to craft, play against the zone, play edge, look for ideal fights, and scan or survey to understand where other teams are going to be or whether fights will be isolated or not.
It’s sort of a warm-up, seeing how the teams are going to act. Obviously, on paper, we can guess one thing, and relay that information to each other, but at the same time, things can change on the fly. Being ready for anything was the case scenario, and Groups allowed us to see what we could and could not do.
So, for the players, were there any particular moments during Groups that you felt were the most demanding and required the most change?
Reedz: I remember we had one Harvester zone, and in scrims we would usually get a really good spot in Harvester. However, in Groups, we realised that the way teams rotate meant that we didn’t get a really good spot. So, it played out differently from scrims.
But, our fundamentals alone were enough to carry us through the Group Stage, and we adapted quite well to the lobby.
“On the DarkZero and TSM narrative, at the end of the day, the reason why these two teams are so good is because they have the analytics and the consistency. We have that too. All we need to do is find the right balance between letting Vein take the reins and allowing Reedz and Aidan to explore and try new things.”
Psykho, Oxygen Esports Coach
Following Groups is the Bracket Stage – the most stressful for many teams. What were your expectations moving out of Groups into the Bracket Stage?
Psykho: The Bracket Stage, as you said, is always a harder mix. We did a similar strategy in terms of figuring out what the majority of the lobby might play like theoretically, while obviously being ready to adapt. We got all the information on the teams around us and what could potentially happen – getting that idea and talking about it.
The biggest thing I would see with Brackets, which was kind of different, was the teams in our Bracket were obviously Winner’s Bracket teams. Obviously, their mechanics are extremely good.
All it takes is for you to be mispositioned for there to be an issue.
Our team is fundamentally consistent and is one of the best teams mechanically. But, one thing I noticed was that one of the members of our team would get picked off, and trade out taking down a member of the other team.
What I said to them getting out of that round is that we needed to play like a sponge – how we fundamentally know how to in these fights – and do our best to not get one of us knocked. It’s better to all be low [on health], get a knock for free, reset, and go for it, than one of us getting knocked and then having to deal with a 3rd party on top of it.
We don’t want it to be a situation where it’s constantly ‘res, res, res, res’. It’s not worth it. So that is something we talked about. The biggest thing about a lobby like that is everyone knows how to shoot. It just takes you understanding where you are positioning yourself in the grand scheme of things.
The more you have to fight, the more danger you put yourself in. The less you fight, the less opportunity you have to get to Match Point [in the finals]. So, you have to get an understanding of how to place yourself for those two reasons.
So, what is it like for the players to actually implement this?
Vein: I’d say as far as Winner’s Bracket goes, especially in early and mid-game, we want to be either very fast on our rotate if the zone is close by, and we want to avoid hard edge – we don’t necessarily want to be taking 3v3s with Alliance or 100 Thieves.
We are down to do that, but we particularly want to avoid Alliance because their team comp is very annoying to try and fight – Caustic and Horizon is just a bad fight. I don’t like to take that.
Aidan: Black hole, Caustic gas…
Vein: You just kind of get combo’d. Just going for good spots when we have the opportunity, and still looking for good spots but not forcing it when we have bad loot. We would craft one ring, hit recon, and find a good spot to fight from with loot rather than staying on hard edge.
Some players talk about the Bracket Stage being essentially higher pressure than the finals in many ways. Would any of you agree with that?
Vein: No.
Reedz: No.
Vein: Definitely not.
Aidan: You don’t think so?
Reedz: I think the Brackets are just like an extension of Group Stages. They take it to an extra level, but Finals are like a different game. The way teams play, the way they’re peeking, rotating… just the way they stay alive and the amount of map presence you are able to have… Finals are just the real deal.
Psykho: If anything, some players might say that the finals are actually slightly easier than Winner’s Bracket…
Reedz: True, Winner’s Bracket is actually quite similar.
“Finals are like a different game. The way teams play, the way they’re peeking, rotating… just the way they stay alive and the amount of map presence you are able to have… Finals are just the real deal.”
Reedz, Player for Oxygen Esports
Psykho: Yeah, I would say that with finals teams, you can predict their actions a little more, whereas Winner’s Bracket is more unpredictable still. Some players and their IGLs might play better in smarter lobbies – that’s something that is quite good about our boys is they’re very adaptable. We’ve worked more on strategy and background.
Sitting there in Winner’s and in Finals – they had the same attitude. They were there to get things done. There was no flinching, no scaredness; they were there for business and ready to perform and adapt as they needed to. I was very proud to see that.
Vein: I would also say that performing to get to LAN is harder than performing at LAN. Just because of how competitive it is, really.
Psykho: Once you make LAN, people might relax. When you’re trying to qualify for LAN, there are things like ALGS rostermania going on – there is so much more to worry about. Once you get to LAN, it’s more calm.
But, we recognise that we want to do well.
Vein: And, in the Pro League, you have only six days, and you need to be in the top five pretty much every day.
So, finishing the run-through of Split 2 Playoffs, in the Finals, Oxygen came through with an incredible performance. Can you provide more insight into what your process was going into the Final, particularly from an analytics perspective?
Psykho: So, there are two separate pieces to that. I work with SWL (Someone Who Leaks, Oxygen Analyst) very closely. Strategically, what we are thinking about is how good our POIs are, how quickly or slowly we need to get from point A to point B, and obviously, we are also thinking about how good our loot is going to be.
We are also thinking about the characters. Characters are a big thing, where everybody has to be fulfilling their dynamic role, like IGL, co-IGL, and flex, the character must support what each person is good at.
Reedz, for example, is really good at playing Seer because he is the aggressor. He is the double-edged sword that needs to clear out teams when we need it the most.
Vein sometimes has to entry frag to get a position, so things like smokes are really useful for him, but he also has to be able to stay in a spot. He can throw a smoke down, Bang ult, and give everybody space to recalibrate and reset.
Another important part of strategy is knowing how good the console or surveys might be at our POI.
Coaching is very different. What I’m looking for when coaching the team is I am conveying the important details from the analytics, but I’m also thinking about people’s consistent habits. For example, are we being prepared to contest? Making sure that in general, we have the right attitudes and we are ready to play.
Everybody needs to do what they need to do, or it will all fall apart. It’s better to do a dumb play all together and be on the same page than someone split off, and we could never have known what was possible.
Obviously, the only two teams above Oxygen in the Split 2 Playoffs Final were TSM and DarkZero (who won the Split 2 Playoffs). Coming into Champs, a lot of people are already pushing a TSM v DarkZero Titans narrative. What is your response to this?
Vein: THOSE DAYS ARE OVER! Those days are behind us.
The main thing for us going into Champs is getting the most potential out of Reedz and Aidan. Me letting them do more, playing less safe and taking more risks. Take more fights.
Psykho: I look at it like this – The DarkZero and TSM narrative – at the end of the day, the reason why these two teams are so good is because they have the analytics and the consistency. We have that too. All we need to do is find the right balance between letting Vein take the reins and allowing Reedz and Aidan to explore and try new things.
As for the narrative, I have sat with Raven (TSM’s coach), and I understand some of his mindset – it’s funny, people say, “Oh, he’s wearing a suit too, he wants to be like Raven”.
However, I’m the sort of person who is not looking for bragging rights. I’m not over-confident or under-optimistic. I like to just put my head down, work, and win.
If that means that we have to topple a few dynasties, then so be it.
Vein: It’s about time! The same old guys keep winning these tournaments, come on.
“I’m the sort of person who is not looking for bragging rights. I’m not over-confident or under-optimistic. I like to just put my head down, work, and win. If that means that we have to topple a few dynasties, then so be it.”
Psykho, Oxygen Esports Coach
You guys spoke about qualifying for LANs and how stressful that process can be. Recently, we saw the climatic ending to LCQs. One of the things we have seen is The Dojo and DNO being at Champs. They put on a great LCQ performance, but they will likely be seen as the underdogs in the competition. Oxygen was definitely underestimated during Split 2, so what would you say to the people possibly underestimating another team that’s coming to LAN?
Vein: I’d say the biggest things you should look for in teams is how good their team fights are and what team fights they are taking. Also, how consistent they are in getting points when the zones are not pulling in their favour. These are the things that make or break teams.
I think The Dojo, and especially DNO, had some really tough zones in LCQs, but they were still winning fights and getting points.
In the final NA LCQ game, the casters noted that both The Dojo and DNO had really tough zone pulls working against them, but they ended up being the final two teams in that end zone. That certainly backs up what you are saying.
Reedz: I think it comes down to macro. If they are able to make good macro, by the time Champs come around, they will be able to do good. They’re going to have some trouble from contests, but if they can get a good POI and have good macro, they have a chance.
However, I do think that DNO has a better chance than The Dojo.
Psykho: I would also say, comparing leadership on both those teams, leadership on DNO is much stronger than that of Dojo. The Dojo may be a better team-fighting team, but when it comes to pure macro and really doing well against really good teams, I think DNO will succeed more.
Pulling away slightly from tactics, micro, and macro – after the Playoffs, we have seen several teams make significant changes. This includes some players dropping out of the competitive scene due to the impact of the pressure and stress on their mental health. For example, we have seen Prycyy on Moist leave due to mental health and wellbeing concerns. How do you guys help manage these challenges?
Vein: I’ve personally struggled with my mental health for pretty much my entire life. It is still an ongoing battle. I think that for teams, the biggest battle in managing the ongoing pressure is being able to have people that support you, whether that is your teammates, staff, or family.
As long as you have people on the same side as you that take some of the edge off – play some crab champions with you (we sometimes play crab champions together) – it will be ok.
This game is insanely stressful, and if you suffer from mental health issues on top of that, it is quite the challenge.
Psykho: I’ve seen pretty much every member of Oxygen come up against some kind of challenge mentally, and everyone is a different type of personality that requires a specific type of attention.
Every time we come up against these challenges, we make sure to talk it out. I always look to see where players can receive the best support in the moment – is it from the organisation, is it internally from Thordan, can I provide it, can Muffins do something about it?
We are always looking out for everyone, even in regard to more generalised care. Aidan got really sick in London, and we brought him medicine, and I literally gave him the coat off my back because he didn’t have a jacket with him.
Good support staff can make the biggest difference in teams. Thordan and I picked these guys out knowing their potential but also understanding the complexities of what each personality has to bring. We continue to adapt and learn about each other – this is a family just as much as it is a team, and everyone is always welcome to share their feelings and thoughts.
“This game is insanely stressful, and if you suffer from mental health issues on top of that, it is quite the challenge. I think that for teams, the biggest battle in managing the ongoing pressure is being able to have people that support you, whether that is your teammates, staff, or family.”
Vein, Oxygen Esports Player
How do all these different elements guide you towards the end goal of Oxygen winning the Championship?
Thordan: There are almost an infinite amount of moving pieces in organising what everyone has to get done. One thing that is important to me is where we bootcamp – we will be doing that at Helix in Boston.
I noticed that a lot of players were getting sick before LAN, like Monsoon, who was also unwell. When you have all those players congested in one spot bootcamping, you are more likely to run into health issues. So that is something we always take into consideration for our players.
Having our own backdoor where we can do things by ourselves was pretty useful, at least for the last Playoffs (although Aidan still got sick, which was unfortunate)!
A lot of it is going back and forth with Oxygen Esports. My job is to make sure we are the highest priority going into these events and talking to Oxygen leadership every day to make sure players have everything that they need.
We have been waiting on information about where the players are going to be staying, and we need that to sort out where the staff are staying as well. For ALGS, I do think that EA needs to be better at communicating this faster. I have to book a hotel for my coach, my sub, myself, and my analyst, and I don’t even know where to get it yet.
Psykho: If I may chime in as well on the second part of the question, I think Thordan gave a good perspective on the logistics. When it comes to the wider preparation, Thordan and SWL have a good amount of information beforehand about what the games might look like at Champs and what the meta might shift to.
The boys are extremely adaptable and know the fundamentals of the game, so all we are adjusting is characters and a little bit of the macro. We have scrims, then the Group Stage, which as we said, is like the actual scrims, and we know we are very capable.
Thank you, Oxygen Esports, for this exclusive interview with the team.
Oxygen will be looking to once again prove themselves in the competitive Apex scene at Birmingham’s ALGS Championship. Learn more about getting ALGS Birmingham tickets here.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for companies such as Lionscreed Esports, Esports Insider, and SideQuest Hub she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
