Earlier today, well-known SoCal player and SSBM Samus main HugS announced that he has signed with Frequency Gaming. With this announcement coming just one week before EVO, the largest Melee tournament of the year, the spotlight is firmly on him as he hopes to compete and win at the highest level. HugS was kind enough to sit down with Smashboards editor The Derrit to talk about his new team, 20XX and EVO 2014.
The Derrit: First off, congratulations on your new sponsorship! How do you feel?
HugS: I feel great. From my talks with other sponsored players, team sponsorships motivate you to get to that next level. It becomes more vital to perform well when you have a team supporting you and counting on you.
The Derrit: As illustrated in 'The Smash Brothers' documentary, you have been a staple in the competitive SSBM community for over a decade. By accepting a sponsorship with Frequency Gaming, you're making a strong statement about your continued commitment to Smash. Where will this commitment be seen going forward?
HugS: You'll be seeing more of me at major grassroots events around the nation, whether you'd like to or not.
I'll also be at the big events, like Apex 2014, any future MLGs, and of course, EVO.
The Derrit: This is the first time many SSBM fans have heard of Frequency Gaming. How did this sponsorship come to be? Are there any other Frequency Gaming players within competitive gaming or the FGC that viewers may be familiar with?
HugS: I love this question, because it lets me spill the beans on why I think this is a great organization.
FRQGaming is a Socal based FGC team that is backed by LSTN, a great headphone company that helps those with hearing impairments for every pair of headphones sold.
I was approached by Ulises, the team captain of FRQgaming, at MLG. Throughout our conversations, he inadvertently checked off all the boxes for things that align with my thoughts on competitive Smash.
The team wants to support SoCal Smash and help us get our brand out there. Given the frustration I felt in seeing the lack of sponsored players on the West Coast, I thought this approach was long overdue. It was also relieving to know the kind of research that was put into knowing the scene and our players. He wasn't just basing his decisions on one tournament.
FRQ|HugS' new teammate, Filipinoman, pictured far right playing EG|PR Balrog as a crowd looks on.
I also read into an interview with SoCal's own SF4 Rose player, FRQ|Filipinoman, who had nothing but great things to say about the supportive nature of the group. Additionally, while I can't go into the details of my deal, I can say that I am very happy with the support I'll be receiving. With all that in mind, it was a pretty easy decision to make.
Aside from FRQ|Filipinoman, you may have also heard about FRQ|EMPR_Theo, who placed 1st in Injustice at MLG. I'll be getting to know the rest of the team in the coming weeks, so I'll be sure you all get to know them as well.
The Derrit: Within the SSBM community, you're well known for your Samus, a character that is widely regarded as A-tier. As a newly sponsored player, are you dedicated to being a Samus specialist, or have you considered using secondary characters to cover Samus' less favorable matchups?
HugS: I realize the importance of multi-maining in the current metagame. I've been playing Sheik for fun, but I'll be taking her a bit more seriously after EVO. I can see her covering a lot of problem matchups. And no, I won't be quitting Samus
FRQ|HugS is one of a handful of Samus mains in SSBM, and is considered by many to be a pioneer of the character.
The Derrit: 20XX is a term that gets thrown around a lot in high-level play. As a mid-tier specialist, do believe in the concept of an impending 20XX scenario, or is there still room for new characters and innovations to shake up the metagame?
HugS: I see Fox and I know that he is easily the best character in the game. However, because of the mixup potential in the game, I don't see him being as dominant as everyone predicts. I still witness tons of diversity at every single event.
The Derrit: What is your greatest strength as a player, and where do you think you can still improve?
HugS: I think my greatest strength as a player is my ability to assess the flow of my opponent's strategy throughout the match, where I can pull from my years of experience to have an appropriate answer.
My major areas of improvement include my technical execution, and my mental composure when things aren't going well. Both are areas that I'm already improving on.
FRQ|HugS was recently part of the Super Smash Bros. Invitational @ E3.
The Derrit: Have you looked over your EVO pools yet? Are there any matchups or players that have you worried?
HugS: I have. VGBC's Amsa has me worried. I'll be practicing the Yoshi matchup next week. I am confident that I can beat him if I prepare enough and am mentally focused that day.
*Editor's Note* HugS and Amsa are no longer in the same pool after the most recent pool draft.
The Derrit: Good luck! That said, how do you feel about this upcoming EVO overall? Have you set any goals for yourself?
HugS: I feel good. My goal is always first, but I hope to at least break into top 8. The pressure is high and the difficulty is through the roof, but I feel that I can do it if I play well.
FRQ|HugS will have a long, hard road ahead of him at this year's EVO.
The Derrit: Thank you so much for your time! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
HugS: No problem man. Check out @FRQGaming on Twitter, and check out @LSTN for their sweet headphone designs. Can't wait to play obscure music no one likes on them.
I'll also be giving away a set of their headphones to one of my stream monsters soon, so follow me on Twitch at twitch.tv/HugS86 to be there when it happens. Also, as always, follow me on Twitter at @HugS86. Thanks for the questions!
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Thank you to FRQ|HugS for taking the time to sit down for an interview. Good luck from the team at Smashboards! We look forward to watching you compete. What do you think of the latest SSBM sponsored player? Do you expect FRQ|HugS to do well at EVO? Make your voice heard in the comments below!
The Derrit thinks HugS is a super nice guy - and quick to respond to interviews, too! Find him on Twitter at @TheDerrit to talk Smash, VGM and just about everything else.
Image of Samus courtesy of Wikitroid user AmorphousBlob
The Derrit: First off, congratulations on your new sponsorship! How do you feel?
HugS: I feel great. From my talks with other sponsored players, team sponsorships motivate you to get to that next level. It becomes more vital to perform well when you have a team supporting you and counting on you.
The Derrit: As illustrated in 'The Smash Brothers' documentary, you have been a staple in the competitive SSBM community for over a decade. By accepting a sponsorship with Frequency Gaming, you're making a strong statement about your continued commitment to Smash. Where will this commitment be seen going forward?
HugS: You'll be seeing more of me at major grassroots events around the nation, whether you'd like to or not.
I'll also be at the big events, like Apex 2014, any future MLGs, and of course, EVO.The Derrit: This is the first time many SSBM fans have heard of Frequency Gaming. How did this sponsorship come to be? Are there any other Frequency Gaming players within competitive gaming or the FGC that viewers may be familiar with?
HugS: I love this question, because it lets me spill the beans on why I think this is a great organization.
FRQGaming is a Socal based FGC team that is backed by LSTN, a great headphone company that helps those with hearing impairments for every pair of headphones sold.
I was approached by Ulises, the team captain of FRQgaming, at MLG. Throughout our conversations, he inadvertently checked off all the boxes for things that align with my thoughts on competitive Smash.
The team wants to support SoCal Smash and help us get our brand out there. Given the frustration I felt in seeing the lack of sponsored players on the West Coast, I thought this approach was long overdue. It was also relieving to know the kind of research that was put into knowing the scene and our players. He wasn't just basing his decisions on one tournament.
FRQ|HugS' new teammate, Filipinoman, pictured far right playing EG|PR Balrog as a crowd looks on.
I also read into an interview with SoCal's own SF4 Rose player, FRQ|Filipinoman, who had nothing but great things to say about the supportive nature of the group. Additionally, while I can't go into the details of my deal, I can say that I am very happy with the support I'll be receiving. With all that in mind, it was a pretty easy decision to make.
Aside from FRQ|Filipinoman, you may have also heard about FRQ|EMPR_Theo, who placed 1st in Injustice at MLG. I'll be getting to know the rest of the team in the coming weeks, so I'll be sure you all get to know them as well.
The Derrit: Within the SSBM community, you're well known for your Samus, a character that is widely regarded as A-tier. As a newly sponsored player, are you dedicated to being a Samus specialist, or have you considered using secondary characters to cover Samus' less favorable matchups?
HugS: I realize the importance of multi-maining in the current metagame. I've been playing Sheik for fun, but I'll be taking her a bit more seriously after EVO. I can see her covering a lot of problem matchups. And no, I won't be quitting Samus
FRQ|HugS is one of a handful of Samus mains in SSBM, and is considered by many to be a pioneer of the character.
The Derrit: 20XX is a term that gets thrown around a lot in high-level play. As a mid-tier specialist, do believe in the concept of an impending 20XX scenario, or is there still room for new characters and innovations to shake up the metagame?
HugS: I see Fox and I know that he is easily the best character in the game. However, because of the mixup potential in the game, I don't see him being as dominant as everyone predicts. I still witness tons of diversity at every single event.
The Derrit: What is your greatest strength as a player, and where do you think you can still improve?
HugS: I think my greatest strength as a player is my ability to assess the flow of my opponent's strategy throughout the match, where I can pull from my years of experience to have an appropriate answer.
My major areas of improvement include my technical execution, and my mental composure when things aren't going well. Both are areas that I'm already improving on.
FRQ|HugS was recently part of the Super Smash Bros. Invitational @ E3.
The Derrit: Have you looked over your EVO pools yet? Are there any matchups or players that have you worried?
HugS: I have. VGBC's Amsa has me worried. I'll be practicing the Yoshi matchup next week. I am confident that I can beat him if I prepare enough and am mentally focused that day.
*Editor's Note* HugS and Amsa are no longer in the same pool after the most recent pool draft.
The Derrit: Good luck! That said, how do you feel about this upcoming EVO overall? Have you set any goals for yourself?
HugS: I feel good. My goal is always first, but I hope to at least break into top 8. The pressure is high and the difficulty is through the roof, but I feel that I can do it if I play well.
FRQ|HugS will have a long, hard road ahead of him at this year's EVO.
The Derrit: Thank you so much for your time! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
HugS: No problem man. Check out @FRQGaming on Twitter, and check out @LSTN for their sweet headphone designs. Can't wait to play obscure music no one likes on them.
I'll also be giving away a set of their headphones to one of my stream monsters soon, so follow me on Twitch at twitch.tv/HugS86 to be there when it happens. Also, as always, follow me on Twitter at @HugS86. Thanks for the questions!
---
Thank you to FRQ|HugS for taking the time to sit down for an interview. Good luck from the team at Smashboards! We look forward to watching you compete. What do you think of the latest SSBM sponsored player? Do you expect FRQ|HugS to do well at EVO? Make your voice heard in the comments below!
The Derrit thinks HugS is a super nice guy - and quick to respond to interviews, too! Find him on Twitter at @TheDerrit to talk Smash, VGM and just about everything else.
Image of Samus courtesy of Wikitroid user AmorphousBlob
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