Team Talk: WereRabbits - Warlord League champions

Consisting of three stages, the inaugural Warlord League took place last month over three intensely-competitive weeks. Forty NA and EU teams took part in the initial knockout battles, from which eight teams progressed to the group stage - joining eight qualifying RU teams along the way. When we were left with just four teams, it was already clear who the favourites would be - WereRabbits, the only team in the competition with a 100% win record when the final day of the competition dawned.

The winning streak couldn’t last and during the semi-final and final, WereRabbits faced obstinate opposition. But, even against the best teams in Conqueror’s Blade, the group only dropped two games on their way to lifting the title. Now, after reflecting on its victory, we thought we’d bring the team back together to recall how it was achieved.

What were your expectations in terms of how far the team would go in the tournament?

We expected to go quite far but was not sure how far, we thought we may have trouble with Chaos.

Did you have an overall strategy before the tournament? How well did that strategy hold up and how much did you have to adapt it as the tournament progressed?

We tested units and realised nothing beat the Firelance 1v1 since nothing had veterancy points, so realised they were meta. We had general plans for each starting side but adapted as needed. If a team was streamed we would watch it to see if we thought our tactic would be viable for the first game.

You seemed well-drilled during much of the tournament. Did you impose a lot of practise sessions prior to each stage of the competition?

We have played a lot together prior to the tournament - the team consisted of a core group of players who have been in the house since it started. In our house, we have a strong emphasis on team play and coordination, this allowed us to not have to practice specifically for the tournament. However, we watched games that were streamed and tested all units thoroughly before the first match in the tournament.

Which were your most difficult opponents and why?

There were a few opponents that were tough. Exiles, ENDGEGNER and Chaos were all good. We also fought SUNTZU (through miscommunication) which was also tough.

Are there any teams you wished you’d been lined up against? How would you have fared against them?

We would have liked to of fought our second house group and agreed to use different units for a bit more fun, but unfortunately, they had a DC and got knocked down to the loser bracket.

If you had to pick a star player from among your team, who would it be and why?

We could not pick a star player as everyone had an important role if one person does not fulfil their role, it means another one also fails. All of the team did very well and each person had fights where they shined.

The semi-final and final were perhaps closer than the final scoreline suggests? Were there moments where you felt you could lose the game - how did you pull yourselves back from the brink?

After something was not working so well we would change up our tactics, we had multiple tactics for each side ready and had the freedom to change some of our units up also to counter the enemy units. We had to try and keep calm and think about what was needed.

Had you been in charge of Chaos during the final, what would you have done differently?

Chaos is a very good team and we thought they would be the biggest challenge before the tournament due to fighting them in the last. Last time their dual blades destroyed teams, so I would have liked to see them.

How did you celebrate your final victory?

We celebrated our victory by farming some siege to try and catch up on our Nobility rank!

Assuming you’ll be defending your title should there be another tournament, what advice have you got for any teams that might take part?

Be patient with your team and with the tournament. If something does not go right try not to get tilted and think about what you can improve on for the next match. Doing your research always pays