Player Interviews: Chucho

First joining in Season 6, the first campaign of what is now known as the Expansion Era, Chucho has been an ever-present member of the Elite Tier ever since - reaching the final with TE in S6, and winning the title with WFBO in S9. I chatted to him about the highs and lows of his time in Sundays Esport competition.

How did you initially get into Rocket League?

When RL came out in July 2015, it was one of the free monthly games you get with PlayStation Plus, so I downloaded it with some friends and instantly got hooked. I always checked out the free PS Plus games but wouldn't bother playing them unless I was actually interested, but I love football and I like racing games so I knew I'd love Rocket League.

How'd you discover Rocket Sundays, before getting involved for the first time in Season 6?

I think Jez was the one that told me about Rocket Sundays. He mentioned the league and how he was a big fan of you guys and the work you do, so I got in touch with KursedWolf and decided to give it a shot.

Your first playoff final was in your debut season with Twin Esports, but you lost 4-2 to big underdogs Noot Noot. What was the final like, and do you feel it was a fair result?

We had done well in league play and I knew we could win it all, so I felt confident and excited for the final, however I think we got ahead of ourselves and started to relax way too much. It didn't help that KursedWolf and I were known for our flashy mechanics and trying to score nice goals. In the end they deserved the win, but I truly believe we were still the better team overall and we should've won. Looking back, I wish we had given 100% effort in the final. +rep to Noot Noot for winning as underdogs though.

Did you enjoy your first season with WFBO in S7, and was the idea to return in future with the same roster already planted?

Yes, I enjoyed playing RS Season 7. I always enjoy playing with Cas and from playing with him and coaching him, I could see he had the skills and motivation to make big improvements. Our S7 results were a mixed bag but managing to reach the playoff semifinals was pretty good for our first season together. I can't remember if we agreed at the time to return in the future but it always seemed likely because we played RL together a lot anyway. One thing I knew for sure was that if we did play another season together, it'd be a big success.

In Season 8 you signed up as The High Ground to form a memorable rivalry with Underestimated Power, but it was a major struggle in the standings as you missed the playoffs - how did this roster happen, and is it an experiment you'd replicate in future?

Ben/Benji is my best friend IRL and he was getting into RL at the time so we thought it could be good fun to sign up together - we wanted a Star Wars theme, because we were both really into the films and the prequel memes. Cheri and Underoos decided they were signing up together around the same time and we figured the teams were a similar level, so they became our rivals! In a way it was everybody that contributed, but me and Ben started the Star Wars path. Sadly I wouldn't replicate this again, I'm too competitive to be happy with just participating, I play to win. The memes were good though.

Season 9 delivered your Elite Tier title back with Cas on WFBO, as you defeated Pro AM All-Stars 4-2 in the playoff final. You must've felt some adversity once you went 2-1 down, having already lost to PROA in league play. How did you turn it around?

The most important part of making the comeback was believing and knowing that we could win. After we lost to them in league play we reviewed the replays and identified what we needed to work on, this definitely helped us pick up on the things that were going wrong mid-series. We mainly just decided to play more controlled and calm, relying on our mechanics in attack and rotation in defence to keep the game under control. I took confidence in the fact that the other team might've been more nervous than we were - it's their series to lose and they're trying to close it out, but we flipped the script.

Season 2 of Mount Sundays proved to be your final competition with Ascension Kyrios, and you managed a top 5 finish - but the ladder wasn’t without its challenges. What went wrong, and do you think you could’ve done anything differently?

I think our main issue is that we weren't playing the game enough. Midway through the season Cheri and Cas were quite busy with events happening IRL, and that's not really something the team can do anything about, so we just tried to focus on playing our way when the time came. We were still happy ending up in the top 5, but I know if availability had been kinder to us and we'd kept improving, we could've had a few more wins.

This RS season, you’re with new teammate Charm, under the promising roster Portuguese Connection. At the time of writing you’re 2nd in Elite Scarlet with a 3-1 record. How do you feel about your chances of a second Elite championship?

I always feel confident, but it's well placed confidence. I've won the Elite Tier before and I've improved as a player since then, so I know I have the potential to win it again. Charm is cracked, he's definitely one of the best players in Elite, if not the best player in Elite, so I know he has what it takes as well. I'd be disappointed if we didn't win.

Who would you consider to be the best opponents you’ve faced in a Sundays match during your playing career?

I think it's Pro AM All-Stars (HiLo Worthy and Giraffe) from Season 9, because we were so evenly matched. When they beat us in League Play we felt they thoroughly deserved that win, it motivated us to improve and then the playoff final was very close again. Definitely the best team I've faced in the Elite Tier so far.

If you could choose any teammate to compete in a Rocket Sundays season with, who would it be?

Has to be my guy Cheri. The only reason I haven't teamed with him yet is because I use RS as a chance to team with people that I don't normally get to team with. Perhaps the stars will align one day and we will destroy everyone.

To finish off - what makes Sundays special to you, and is there anything you’d like to see change about the organization in future?

The best aspect of Sundays is that they have the perfect mix of professionalism and a community feel, I like how the league is run and I respect the admins and competition, but I also have a lot of fun and it can be very laid back as well. The only thing they should change is that they should just let me into the Master Tier already (jk... unless?)

Sure thing, Chucho! All you have to do is finish 1st in your Master Qualifiers group next season - how hard can it be?

Ah.

I'd like to thank Chucho for taking the time to be interviewed, kickstarting what we hope will be a new series here on the SE Website - if you've played multiple RS seasons and believe we'd have plenty to talk about in an interview, feel free to get in touch with staff, and you could be next!