SC2SEA.com - Starcraft 2 SEA eSports Community Site

The State of Fray`
 

Hi Friends,

I'm just writing this short blog to give everyone some info on what has happened with fray. So there isn't all this Skype he-said-this chit chat going on.

TLDR, fray has had some serious issues with sponsorship, lack of management (I'm still in the process of having internet connected at my new house) and mis-understandings between members. I really need to get to Skype and sort this out, but my phone is barely able to load the program, I live in such a poor area for reception and have no internet (I'm writing this from work while neglecting my other duties).

At this stage, I'm not sure where fray sits, I'm hoping I can fix everything up and redevelop fray in the coming months. However, losing two of our primary players to ROOT and increasing lack of motivation by some other members of the team have brought the SC2 squad to stand-still. I still hope to work with the Academy team and develop the talent there (Academy guys, don't panic - I'm still here for you and will work with you soon to achieve the out-come you deserve - Note to teams, the Academy players are no under any contract nor do I have expectations on them, I'm hoping to develop their skill and promote their play so that they can find a team that suits them in the future, or bring them in to be part of the new fray roster in the coming months).

Fenner msg'd me earlier stating that he'd like to explore his options and move on in his own terms - something he's wanted to explore for some time (life as a one man operation) and I'm happy that he is ready to move forward in his eSports career and I wish him all the best. I'm sure he will write something or Vlog something soon outlining his plans and thoughts behind this decision, but I can assure you it was an amicable departure from fray.

There have been a few people discussing another project and even projects to do with fray, I hope they can hold on a bit longer while I sort out my internet and I am really excited to move on in the future. I'm not sure if that will be as a driving member of fray or if I step down some-what. I'd like to be involved in eSports and will take my time to work out exactly what I can and want to do in the coming months. Members of the fray team will tell you I've considered quitting for awhile, the stresses of dealing with LoL and other teams in fray along with a majority of its management has taken a lot of my time and energy, I work a full time job, have a 5 year old Daughter and many other commitments. So I am living quite time-poor. But gaming and eSports are what I enjoy and I will always have some involvement in the scene.

I very proud of the team we developed together over the last year and believe that I have made some very close connections to the members of the team. Much love to the guys, from all the way back to the Carnage eSports days through the good times in fray and now to the tough times. I'll do my best to sort out fray in the coming months and to-some-what relaunch a new team soon.

I wrote this pretty quickly, I'm sure I've missed heaps and there are probably a bunch of errors but whatever...

Any questions feel free to ask or PM me if they are private in nature.

Thanks dudes.
#OneLove

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Esports is tough, I think you should consider a merger or look to acquire another team/org, might solve a lot of the retention & management/sponsorship issues.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Certainly is, I would definitely consider an offer from the right group.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

nic , pm when you have time mate

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Hope your net issues sort itself out.

it's sad to see the best team in aus dwindle so quickly and so much in just a few months. Will look forward to seeing you guys rebuild again

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Its a tough position for us, however fray couldn't stand against ROOT and I wouldn't want to, iaguz and Pet have been given a great opportunity to make a name for themselves in the international scene and I'm excited to see what they can achieve. I was proud and excited when they told me they were making the move to the US and I eagerly await their results and international tournaments soon.

fray will get through this, but basically we need to refresh and reboot the team. I look forward to helping more players reach their potential in the future ^_^

Re: The State of Fray`
 

i believe
one love

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Personally I back the idea of a single, world-beating SEA team and let the rest of the SEA chips fall where they may. A single team with WCS/IEM. etc level players is really the best way of securing continuing sponsorship. Problem there is, of course, how to get those people together? Pig, KK, Iaguz and Petreus are currently the only players I would consider to be at or approaching that level (no offence to others, there are others around who could hit that level in the next 6 months), and they are all (presumably) contracted. Any team consisting of players of a lower level than that is going to struggle for continuing sponsorship. I seem to hear a good amount of complaining from teams in the past that were part of multi-gaming teams (LoL, CoD, etc) about the level of support that the sc2 division gets.

Just my 2c, but I think the SEA killers is really something that should have happened a while ago - and the longer it doesn't happen, the greater the chance of more mass retirements from the scene like the cull we have witnessed over the last 12 months. I'm not saying the server is dieing - we've got some great talent around the place in Rev, Fenner, Probe doing some good work recently, Demilove has popped up from time to time, as also Lobo, etc etc - but I don't see any of these on a sea killer A team yet (yet people, give em a chance, they have it in em).

I'm with Azz. Let's look at some merger with the most dedicated and talented of sea and go kill some international noobs.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Juggernaut teams don't work. You need to spread the talent around to encourage competition and keep the bar raising.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Inb4 ex-snx players and fray players merge to become one team :>

Re: The State of Fray`
 

juggernaut teams may not/don't work for within SEA competition. The argument comes down to which is better for growing SEA, having talent spread around SEA, with its small viewer base, or having a reasonable number of players making it onto the world stage where everyone can see them. We tried the first way, and it got us sweet **** all.

Let's face it, we don't actually have any top level teams atm anyway. Of those 4 I mentioned, KK and pig are on teams by themselves (as in no one of their own level in the team - yes I knows Revs is a major player - but hasn't proven it yet.), and iaguz and pet went overseas because nothing is available for them here. So spreading out these players may be beneficial for our B siders, but completely useless for launching the best of the best into consistent international success.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Why does it matter? This isn't a team game. As long as the best individuals are supported by someone, SEA is being represented appropriately. How would it be any different if PiG and KK were on the same team? It's hardly anything more than a different coloured shirt. They're both being given opportunities and that's what matters.

You put all your eggs in one basket, and suddenly you can't afford all your eggs.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

ultimately sc2 is a 1v1 sport and having a powerhouse team doesn't really benefit players that much I feel. Sure you can argue if all good players are on 1 team they can practice together, but since our region is pretty light on competitions with decent prize pool the top players all know they are going to have to beat each other to win and hence don't really practice with one another anyway. Going overseas where there is a much bigger pool of players to practice with and against and at the same time having more tournaments viable to play in as well as better practice conditions is what makes the move overseas so much more favorable for people. You'll nearly always be a big fish in a little pond in SEA, even if you are in the same team with the other big fish.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

This. Even if a SEA team did okay in a team league somewhere, it's still beyond unlikely to boost their sponsorship revenue by so much that they suddenly can afford to be flown out to every NA/EU open bracket.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

I'll come back and maybe say some more when I get some time, but thoughts like this are completely demoralising to me. I find it patently wrong. To the point where I can't actually articulate any other thoughts because this one comment has completely thrown me into a loop.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Sad to hear this, hopefully the academy players can step up to fill the void. As a team owner I can understand where you are coming from, keep up the good fight!

Have to agree with Dox as well in regards to super teams. Diversification drives the scene and makes people strive to become better.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

There needs to be competition between teams for the sponsors to have more value in sponsoring them. If one team wins everything and stifles growth in the region and takes all the sponsorship then they have no one to vs, and shit gets boring really quickly. And Sponsorship is all about directing marketing budget to gather exposure, fray isn't having these issues because Pet and iaguz left. That is a small piece to it all, but its not the reason.

anyway, please don't turn my blog into a debate on juggernaut teams in SEA. They won't work, move on. Any questions, please post.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

What dox said is spot on. Why get the top 4 players in the country and pay them to go internationally when you could have SC2, LoL, CoD and probably even DOTA2 divisions for the same money. Sponsors want exposure, if you have ticked the "top 3 SC2 player" box there is really no need to get more top 3 players.

Either way sorry to hear about your problems chad, I can definitely empathise with your situation.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

So we're not allowed to continue the discussion here?

Re: The State of Fray`
 

You can do what ever you want mate, but I'm just saying - Discussion is moot. Move on, stick to the topic at hand. Make a new thread if you want?

Re: The State of Fray`
 

It's great that you go around to sharing the situation with fray, I'm sure many of us have been wondering. It's hard for a team to accept the loss of two vital players on the squad... However SEA has always had this trend. It's really the inevitable. Once players get that good, it is very hard for any organization to offer them what they need to further their development.

Hope everything turns out okay for fray and for you Chadman!

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Was the academy made aware of these issues when they applied?

At the time you announced applications you featured Ninja, Petraeus and Iaguz in the picture saying they would be coaching when all 3 had left the team at this point, this seems to be misleading for those who joined with this promise.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

#OffTopic - Dox is spot on. We've both made mistakes with Nv, Gamecom and Archaic / the concept of a super team. I decided to drop all Archaic teams and focus on helping events/grass roots for the games I love. In retrospect - it was "selfish" to hoard funding from my sponsors and only give it to the players that I liked/recruited. If I had it all over again, I would have spent at least $40k of it in much, much different ways.

#OnTopic - It was always going to be a bit of an uphill battle with Fray; I know the difficulties of (be diplomatic, be diplomatic) management above you giving spasmodic instructions and support at that organisation. Hope things get better in your personal life. Life before eSports. If you have to chose, make the right decisions mate.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

u guys lookijn at a dota team?

hlelo

Re: The State of Fray`
 

1) I didnt make the picture. It was just a picture
2) it was about finding the next talent in Sea to rise to the ranks of some of the others in the fray main team.
3) it wasnt final at the time I decided to make the fray academy that guz and pet were leaving.
The academy areny locked into the team they are free to come and go as they please. I dont think any of them feel con'd into joining the team, if they do they are free.yo explore other options.

Re: The State of Fray`
 

Thanks mate. Much respect to everything you have achieved and are going to achieve. You are a driven and smart guy with a good focus on esports. Also, riddick has been taking a back seat in managing fray for abot a year. He is too busy. So it has nothing to do with him. He's been great.