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Rainbow Six Siege has grown a lot over the five years since its release. While there exist many esports shooter titles such as CS: GO and Valorant, the competitive nature of Rainbow Six Siege remains unparalleled even today.
The Rainbow Six Siege APAC Closed Qualifiers, the biggest competition for Siege players hailing from the Asian region, is set to kick off today. Several teams from different countries in South Asia will compete against each other in order to earn a place in the upcoming Mexico Major of Rainbow Six Siege.
MercenarieZ, one of Bangladesh’s top teams, will be competing in the qualifiers as well. After winning three nationals in their respective region, the team is looking to earn a name on a global scale.
Shawon Joy from MercenarieZ talks about the APAC Closed Qualifiers and their preparations for it
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Esports’ Amlan “M4DM4N” Roy, Shawon “SnoowW” Joy, MercinarieZ’s entry fragger discussed at length his team and their preparations of the upcoming APAC Closed Qualifiers.
Here is an excerpt of the interview.
Q. How about telling our readers a bit about yourself. How did you start your journey in Rainbow Six esports? Tell us how you became a part of MercenarieZ, which is one of the biggest teams in Bangladesh.
Shawon: Hello readers, I’m Shawon Joy, also known as SnoowW. If we want to talk about myself, I love playing video games, and my hobbies include watching anime in my free time.
Apart from these passions, I’m a huge foodie and love eating. In early 2021, I became a part of MercenarieZ. Currently, I play my role as a fragger in the team.
Q. Rainbow Six Siege has grown significantly over the last five years to become one of the top FPS esports games in the world. When was your first introduction to the world of Rainbow Six Siege? Can you share some experiences from the early days?
Shawon: I started playing Rainbow Six Siege when it came out back in 2015. I initially played on my PS4, but later on, I made the switch to PC. What I always loved about the game was the one-shot headshot shooting mechanic, which was a new experience for me as a gamer.
At that moment, I realized that this is the game for me, and at that point in time, I first met the guys in CSBD. Throughout the year, I spent a lot of time playing Siege with my friends, and that’s how I grew as a professional player.
Q. There is no doubt that you love this game and have invested enough time to be on a professional level. Why exactly do you like playing Rainbow Six Siege? And what makes you think this game is the one for you?
Shawon: I always loved the way the Rainbow Six Siege felt to me. I kept playing on and on and lost track of time, investing thousands of hours in the game.
For me, being at the very top was the goal when playing Siege. To reach this goal of being the best, I have never compromised my efforts and dedication towards the game.
The shooting mechanics of the game and how you can play differently with every operator have kept me going. These are the very reasons why I still love this game so much.
Q. Rainbows Six Siege has a lot of operators to choose from both on Attack and Defence. Among all of them, who is your favorite operator from each section?
Shawon: Rainbow Six Siege has a lot of characters to choose from, for sure. For me, my favorite operator on the attacking side would be Twitch, and when on defense, it would be Lesion.
Q. It is a typical phase players have faced when starting off with Rainbow Six Siege. A time when every player fails and gives up on the game. Can you give these players some tips to improve at the game?
Shawon: Failing is very important when you’re trying to be successful. So, if anyone wants to be at the top, quitting and getting demotivated is definitely not the way to go.
Try to learn from your mistakes, analyze and improve on them. When you do that, you can strike back at your opponents harder next time you face them.
My pro tip for players who are looking to go professional would be to learn their own play style and work on it. There is no need to focus on others, and they need to try and enjoy the game. Confidence is the key to success, so they must be confident.
Also, don’t try rushing things and take it slow because good things take time.
Q. There are various maps to play on Rainbow Six Siege, and every map is very different from the other. For you, which map is the most advantageous for the team, and why?
Shawon: As we are professional players, it is mandatory for us to be decent at every map the game provides. Depending on our play style, as a team, we feel very confident while playing maps like Clubhouse, Coastline, and Consulate.
All these arenas allow us to play flexibly and have a great win rate on each of the mentioned maps. We at MercenarieZ play as a team, so coordination between each other is the way to get through everything.
Q. In Rainbow Six Siege, you can play a variety of roles such as roaming, anchoring, entry fragger, and so on. Among the roles that can be taken in the game, what is the most favourable role for you? Also, why do you feel that way about that role?
Shawon: Ever since I started playing Rainbow Six Siege, I’ve always loved the fragging role in the game. Getting early kills pushes the opponents back and keeps them at bay. With these early eliminations, I can help my team gain a substantial early advantage.
Even though Siege is a tactical game, fragging enemies plays an essential role in helping the entire team. Handing opponents a disadvantage builds up team morale, allowing us to approach the map with more room.
Q. There are many Rainbow Six content creators with the same dedication and love for the game. Who is your favorite Rainbow Six Siege content creator, and why do you like them?
Shawon: Among so many content creators Rainbow Six Siege has, I’d say Macie Jay is my favorite. Personally, I find him very amusing to watch. There is always something new whenever I watch his videos.
He is pretty well known to the community because of his helpful tips to newcomers in Siege. Furthermore, he is also a player with a positive attitude, which I always look up to.
Q. NA and EU are big-name holders, while APAC doesn’t have much of a name around the world. Do you think South Asian teams are ready to face the titans of NA and EU?
Shawon: Even until a year ago, South Asian teams were nowhere near playing on an international level. The considerable amount of dedication and practice players are investing into the game is huge, and they are ready to take on the world.
So, in conclusion, yes, I think the South Asian professionals are ready to make their debut on the international stage. Also, bringing down the titans of the EU and NA regions at that stage to show South Asian players are no more minor is part of the motivation to do well.
Q. There are many professional players in Rainbow Six Siege. Is there anyone you look up to, as in someone who has inspired you?
Shawon: Honestly speaking, the Rainbow Six pro scene has a lot of players, and choosing one gamer among all of them is very hard. But there is undoubtedly one professional player who has stood out, and I really look up to him.
The player is Niclas “Pengu” Mouritzen, a former professional player from G2. Pengu is, in my opinion, one of the best Rainbow Six Siege players the world has ever seen.
Q. Among all teams who advanced to the Rainbow Six Siege APAC Closed Qualifiers, which team are you looking forward to playing against?
Shawon: This tournament has a lot of worthy teams in the Closed Qualifier bracket. Among them all, we are most excited to face off against Ex-Ug, the Sri Lankan colossus extraordinaire.
Q. As Rainbow Six Siege APAC Closed Qualifiers, which are scheduled for July 16th, is closing in, how do you feel about the upcoming test that your team is about to give?
Shawon: We have done all of our homework. We have done all the practice we could possibly do. So, with all of the time we’ve spent practicing, I’d rather say we’re feeling very confident and intend to win this, as we always have.
