WUMBO: "OCEAN DM'd me one day and it changed me"

Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore had the opportunity with Marsborne newcomer Chance "WUMBO" Boyer after his side qualified to Stage 2 at FRAG 20.

WUMBO commented on his rise through the NA CS ranks, his playstyle, and the new Marsborne team's goals.

Find the video interview below, with a full transcription underneath. All questions and answers have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

Congratulations on advancing to Stage 2. Obviously, it wasn't the hardest day, playing against some smaller teams. How do you feel you did on day one?

For the first day, first official matches we played, I thought we did pretty good. The match against Fisher, it showed a lot of our flaws. We always start well and the scrims have been good. We're very good at fixing what's wrong.

This is the latest thing for you in what's been a busy month. You went from playing in ESEA Advanced with OCEAN and SKDC, to being picked up to BOSS with ben1337, and now you've been picked up again to go to Marsborne.

All this has happened in a couple months. How do you feel having risen through the ranks in such a short amount of time?

I'm feeling great. People that know me, I started off with like TTT and Jailbreak servers, like troll servers. I just happened to be good at the game. OCEAN DM'ed me one day and it changed me. I started to get into the competitive scene and I think it's amazing because I got scouted. People see that I have great potential but there's always things to work on. I'm ready for the ride.

People have noticed and picked up on our potential. There's been a lot of positive conversation online about you. You've been noted as an HLTV prospect, coming at No. 50 and replacing Peeping on the list. What's that been like, to receive so much recognition in such a short time?

It's been a lot. I didn't really think that I could do this because I go to school. Seeing all of this and all the support, it motivates me. I really want to continue now. People tell me about my potential, and I know I can do it. I always believe in myself. All the support is amazing.

Tell us more about yourself in terms of your playstyle. What is your preferred playstyle? What do you try to bring to the server?

My main role is the space taker. I call what I want to do in the beginning along with freshie. We play around and like mid-round calls. My playstyle is more agressive. I like taking duels. If I have a good fight, I always take it.

You previously mentioned that you were recruited by OCEAN to play on SKDC. Was that an important formitive experience for you, playing with some of the more experienced guys?

I'd say, even though we were only playing Advanced and Main, OCEAN taught me all of the basics. People even say that OCEAN has made many stars. People believe it could be me next. I know I learned a lot. I thought the whole game was aim and set strats. There's a lot to defaulting.

OCEAN and desi helped me a lot with that. SKDC really shaped me into what roles I want to play in my career. I love playing this position, it's amazing.

Then you moved to BOSS, where you linked up with ben1337, who was the interim IGL at the time. You went to FRAG York and did well at your first LAN, how was that experience with the guys on BOSS?

With the guys, it was amazing. In the team sense, it was amazing, too. I went in there with high expectations. With ben1337 coming in, it taught me a lot. This was my first actual team where we did a lot practice. The LAN went well and I thought it showed a lot about who I am as a player.

With that result at FRAG York, you went on to join Marsborne shortly after. In taking that next step in your career, was it important to have former teammates in ben1337 and marekiew or were you looking for it to be a more radical departure from what you've done in the past?

I think it helps, it makes me more comfortable in the team. When you're joining a team, the first day could be awkward, but I think as a person I connect with anybody. I think it's amazing, I love marekiew as a teammate. Same with ben1337, he was an amazing coach and then having him step in for stanislaw was amazing. He was always such a good IGL. I love him as an assistant coach. He helps me with micro stuff.

Tomorrow you're going to be heading into Stage 2 at FRAG 20. That's a higher level of play as you have the potential to face teams like Passion UA, M80, Wildcard, these top NA teams. How are you feeling heading into that?

I don't really feel the nerves at LAN, I'm just happy to be here. Obviously, those teams are really good. Half of them are qualified for the Major. We scrimmed most of them. Obviously, scrims are very different from the game, but I think we have a lot to show. As a player, it's going to be very important for me to step up in those games.

The goal is to gain a bunch of VRS points and cement your status in the NA scene as you head into the second half of the year. What's the overall expectation for what you're aiming to do tomorrow? Is your expectation to make playoffs, get good practice in? What are we looking at as you head to Stage 2?

Definitely to make playoffs. Even now, with very little practice, we expect to make playoffs. I think, as a team, we can definitely do it. Our expectations for after this tournament are to keep going, attend LANs and get as many VRS points as we can; maybe even make the next Major.