Ships fly and ships die in EVE, and that’s exactly what happened this weekend during The Imperium Tournament. In our very first installment, Asher Elias and his Reavers took home top honors as they cracked the tough armored nut of Space Violence’s team composition in the final match:
I was able to get an interview with both of the team captains who had some interesting insights into their team’s performance. These interviews were done in voice comms and are paraphrased:
Ezrstiam Anneto, Space Violence, Runner-Up
Pox: What was your biggest challenge during the weekend?
Erz: The main organizers of the team went AFK and did not return. The team had only around one hour to come up with comps. Six man teams seemed to be the meta, and it was stressful to organize everyone around this type of fleet style. ECM was also a focus of the team. It was most important for people to fly what they were comfortable with in terms of roles and fleet style to simplify things.
Pox: What was the most unexpected thing that happened during the tournament?
Erz: We tried to counter a kiting setup in the first match, which failed miserably.
Pox: How did you pick your teammates?
Erz: Space Violence is a squad in The Imperium, so only squad members were able to get onto the team.
Pox: Is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight that may have resulted in your victory?
Erz: I committed the fatal error of underestimating the number of cap boosters I would need to last through the whole fight. My Harbinger Navy Issue ran out of cap to shoot and I couldn’t fend off the Reavers towards the end of the fight.
Ezrstiam also wanted to give a big shoutout to the team captain Zazad. Without him the Space Violence team wouldn’t have been possible.
Asher Elias, Reavers, Winners
Pox: What was your biggest challenge during the weekend?
Asher: Anticipation of the possible metas of the other teams. There were many comps that were strong and possible, and keeping ahead of them was a real challenge.
Pox: What was the most unexpected thing that happened during the tournament?
Asher: Dabigredboat did better than many of the other teams expected. It was great to see his team do well.
Pox: How did you pick your teammates?
Asher: The team consisted of Reavers Squad members. The team was made up of 25 teammates during practice and prep. Fifteen out of the seventeen team members that showed were able to participate in the tournament. A player’s chance to participate was increased by how many practices the player had shown up for. From there they did a random draw for who would get a spot in each round.
Pox: What was your key to victory?
Asher: Preparation was the key. Multiple comps were available, practiced, and ready to deploy. As a direct quote from Asher “I don’t view Try-Harding as an insult.” If you’re going to try, go as hard as you can.
I’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone involved in producing The Imperium Tournament, and to congratulate all of the participating teams for their hard fought battles. Learn from your mistakes, revel in your triumphs, and bring a sharp mind and a fighting spirit to the next Imperium Tournament!
