INTERVIEW | ZA Fortnite player Neymar

Adam ‘Neymer’ Bhamjee from Bravado Gaming is regarded by many in the community as the best Fortnite player in South Africa. We’re lucky enough to get to chat with him after he and his teammate, Travis from Goliath Gaming, claimed an emphatic victory in the Elite Pro Series Chaotic December PC Finals.

Here’s what Neymar had to say about his recent victory, the changes in the new season and about his future in competitive gaming.

KC :You and your teammate Travis have just come off the back of winning the EPS Chaotic December PC finals. You guys had very consistent placements in the five games of the finals, as well as having the highest scored individual game. What differentiated yourself and Travis from the rest of the field in this event?

Neymar: We didn't do too much differently from what the top teams usually do except for the fact that we landed at a shambles drop instead of a POI . We kept ourselves calm and always hyped each other up throughout the game, which in my opinion, made us play better.

2021 and Trios

KC: Epic Games have made the decision to have trios as the standard game mode for this season of competitive Fortnite. What are your thoughts on trios being the primary game mode for the competitive season, and how do you, Travis, and Zozu work together to play your roles in the team?

Neymar: I am quite happy that Epic chose trios for the whole of next year. It gives us a lot of time to fix our mistakes and overall improve our chemistry. We don't have any set roles other than Travis being the IGL . So we instead just play off and trust one another if we make a certain play or decision.

KC: Imaad ‘Woke Lorgat made a tweet suggesting that he believes lowground is the meta. What do you think about his statement, and what do you think are the key factors to focus on for success in this current meta?

Neymar: I disagree. There is no better layer to be on than height. If you have the resources to hold it. If not, second best is to always keep switching layers going up or down when your layer is getting contested, so that you can get to a free layer to ensure that you don't put yourself into a position where you will get suffocated by teams around you, and get forced into a fight where you end up dying.

It's fun and games... until someone gets hurt

KC: The topic of “griefing” seems to always be in the conversation in Fortnite South Africa. Do you believe there are ways to counteract griefing and if so please elaborate?

Neymar: In my opinion, if a team who is not doing well lands on any of the top three teams in that tournament, or purposely zone fights them with the intention of killing them, so they end up not placing or getting zero points that game, it should be considered as griefing and should be banned for the next tournament hosted by the TO .

Although, if any of the top three teams had to switch drops in the last game, and land on another top three team for the sole purpose of killing them to ensure that they can overtake them or win the tournament from it, then it is understandable as it is a strategy used by many pros overseas, including "Mongraal" who has done it on numerous occasions.

KC: Who do you rate as the top five or six players in South African Fortnite outside of yourself and your teammates?

Neymar: Not in order. I still can't decide because there's so many good players…

• Kareem
• Woke
• Reject
• Trogonz
• Chimp
• Scara

I don't know, there's so many.

Looking forward

KC: Being one of the more experienced and accomplished players in the Fortnite South Africa scene, what advice would you give young players who want to get to a level where they are able to compete in local tournaments?

Neymar: One of the most important tips that I'd give would be to practice and grind the game. Everyone knows the saying "practice makes perfect" and it does. Of course it won't happen overnight, but over time you would improve. Another tip would be to always learn from your mistakes, be teachable, try out different things and see what you like and don't like. And my last one would be to always have confidence in yourself. Have a goal in mind and believe that you can achieve that goal.

KC: You’ve got a number of titles under your belt, as well as a successful YouTube channel sitting at 11k subscribers. You’re certainly doing a lot of things right from an outsider perspective. My question is how far can we expect you to go? What are your plans and ambitions in the gaming and esports world?

Neymar: Thank you so much. At the moment, I don't really have any plans except to go overseas next year to play on better ping, with the intention of placing in the major tournaments that Fortnite hosts. And overall I'd like to be in the position that Clix, Bugha, Mongraal etc are all in. And that would be living comfortably as a Professional Fortnite Player and using my skill to make an income through YouTube, Twitch, tournaments, and sponsorships.

KC: This is an oddball question but I think it's one that your fans are dying to know the answer to. Why don't you stream more? The few times you have streamed you had huge viewer counts. What are the obstacles holding you back from streaming more consistently?

Neymar: At the moment, there isn't anything holding me back except me not having the confidence to stream. I also care too much what other people think because when I stream I don't play nearly as close to my best.

In closing

KC: As this interview comes to a close, is there anything last thing you want to put out into the world or shout out?

Neymar: Shout out to everyone who has supported me on my journey. I really appreciate it and I'm so grateful that you guys do. <3

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview Neymar. I suggest everyone reading this gives Neymar a follow on his Twitter and YouTube channel.

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