Going for the three-peat and the sweep with Imfiredup | Weekly No Leaver Ep5 transcript

Hello and welcome to episode five of Radar.io's weekly no levers. I'm your host Sean and today I'm here with I'm fired up. Thanks for being here. >> Hello. Thanks for thanks for inviting me. >> How uh how busy on a scale of like one to I can't believe I'm doing a podcast. How busy are you on the night before the patch? >> Um it's not too bad. But I I got most of the the prep I needed to get done uh yesterday and the day before.

It's kind of just few meetings today and overall just chilling out. >> Okay. Okay. What does that Can you I don't want to obviously we're not going to ask for any secret details. We're not going to ask for the inside tech. Um but I'm just wondering how does that prep look? Like what does that what does when does it start and how does it look? >> Um when does it start? Um well, it's kind of a process throughout um the PTR cycle when it comes up.

For me specifically, I'm mainly just focused on myself, like mage stuff and strategy stuff is mainly for the analysts. So, I'm just focused on figuring out what's good for mages. and mainly starts near the end of the PTR cycle for me since how frequently everything changes week to week with balance changes. Unless you're a demon hunter, then you don't get any changes and it's all the same. >> Yeah, no changes are good changes, right? >> Uh if you could ask them though.

I don't know if they'd say that. >> Let's uh let's get the uh the demon hunter uh the demon hunter out of the way early. Are we getting a new spec? Is that uh is that why there's no changes, you think? Um, I think that would be pretty cool, but I have I have no idea. I've seen some some leaks I which I'm sure some other people might have, too. Who knows if they're real or not, though. >> Yeah. Do you want Do you think the Demon Hunters deserve a new spec?

I guess we should ask. >> Do they deserve a new spec? >> Yeah. Have they earned it? I don't I don't know if they've earned it, but I think it might get them to to stop complaining for a little bit. >> Maybe, maybe. >> Maybe. >> I like that. Uh, so you said your focus is mostly on uh mage prep. Do how does the uh strategy process look from I I don't I guess specifically from like looks to see the only as far as I know the only world first race team you've been on.

Um like is that like a team effort? Is it one or two people who are sitting down and like dialing with the strats or is it sort of like an everybody feeding into that pot? >> Um, it's I' I'd say it's more of a collaborative thing between all the analysts and officers. There's like a little bit that I do here and there. I just uh try to only show up for for progression just cuz I I have a hard time like visualizing things in advance.

It's a lot easier for me to >> see it in the moment. >> Okay. Okay. What uh you I mean anybody who's watching knows, but you are the the point of view of preference for Max 21st Manning. Has that like changed how you play the game at all? Do you give any consideration to that or is it just sort of like he's just there? >> It's probably It probably changes some things like subconsciously while I'm playing. I've always said it.

I don't think I really play any different, but uh who knows? There's probably some things I do like, oh, got to make sure I'm being ethical here. Can't have the red leader yell yell at me. Do you Are there times when you're like, I could probably sneak out just one more pyro blast here. >> Oh, yeah. All All the time. Max does. >> I love it. I love it. Is there so when you set that up is there like just you just give him a corner of space on your UI and say this belongs to you just let me know what you need here or [Music] no I'm I'm not that nice usually I I kind of just set up everything how I like and then if he wants anything extra then usually that means one of our analysts is going to make a weak for him and then I just enable it and it'll be like in a >> in a big clump but I I do kind of like have a corner off to the side of my screen where it's like the no man's land that I don't look at just for him. >> Right. >> This is this is your space. >> Yeah. >> Okay.

Um, so what So you're you're like you're the mage guy. When people say mage in Warcraft, you're the name that that comes to mind. Uh, and rightfully so. What why mage? Like what made you take mage and and dominate completely with it in all aspects? >> Um, I'm not sure. I it just felt good at the time. I think I I I must have just liked it and then stuck with it. >> Okay. Is there any world where m you wouldn't play mage? >> Not with raid bust being a thing.

Probably my first uh tier in this guild I actually played shatter priest. >> Oh, really? >> Mhm. Uh and that was I forget the name. It was the one with una boss raid. We weren't going for world first during that raid because I think there was some MDI complications but >> right >> um yeah I was playing playing shadow priest. We had like 10 of them in the comp for the first boss. So >> that's crazy. That would have been Is that Crucible of Storms?

Is that the two boss? >> Yeah, that's that. >> Nice. >> So there there is a world I I was I am not the mage guy. >> Ah that's the the pre pre- mage era fired up. That's where the lore is the deepest. >> Mhm. >> I love it. Would you ever go back to shadow priest, you think? Or >> is the psychic link buff train not uh not yours? >> It's probably my favorite alt to play, but I think I'm just trapped in mage. >> Yeah. Yeah, I dig it.

It makes sense. You are you're you're quite good. You're you're very skilled on the class, so I know a lot of people will be sad to see you swap off, I think. >> Um yeah, a lot of clutch plays. A lot of clutch fired up plays. So, we don't want to lose those. Have you That's actually something I I wanted to ask is so you when people watch you play, you you're one of the most clutch players in the game, but who has been the most clutch that you've played with?

Like, who's that player? Who's the I'm fired up for I'm fired up? >> I'm not about to boost anyone's ego in my guild. That's I'm not answering that question. >> You can pick a different guild, I guess. >> No, that's not that's not going to answer. I'm definitely not boosting the ego in our competition either. >> Oh, that's fair. That's fair. You could uh I mean you could pick yourself. I guess you could just double down. >> Uh nope.

Not doing that either. I I'm abstaining from answering. >> All right. You're like, "Sir, this is a trap." You said there would be no trap questions. >> Yep. >> I love it. Okay. Well, let's uh let's talk a little bit about the upcoming race. Um are you excited for Manifford Omega? Uh not the most excited I've ever been to be honest, but I I'm always like I'll get there like in in about a week. Uh we'll see. We'll see. >> I think there will be a few really cool bosses. >> Nice. which uh I've been asking a lot of the guests and uh I'm gonna ask you uh you may obviously not not giving any internal information, but is there a boss that you think you know this one could potentially be the first mid mid raid wall or do you think there is one at all? >> Uh probably.

Yeah, they it seems like they've been trying to do make earlier bosses harder. >> Mhm. If I were to guess, it would probably be a Raz is the first uh hard boss. Like the fourth boss, I think. >> Mhm. >> Yeah, probably probably that one would be my guess. >> Is uh is that the coolest like enrage mechanic that you've seen? The the black hole sucking you to the end. >> Um it's it's really sick, especially considering my class is really good at it.

Just a thousand blinks, I can actually hit the boss. >> Nice. But if you ask the a warlock, I'm sure they would say something different, but it is really cool. Yeah. >> Yeah, it's uh we won't ask any warlocks. We don't uh we had warlocks for last week on the show. We're not going to >> we can't do that again. Uh we had Calamazio on >> Yeah, it was a it was a good time. It was good. Kamazi is great great guest. Um, he did slander mages though, which seems to be Is that like a thing?

Like, is it written somewhere in the the the social contract that mages must hate warlocks and warlocks must hate mages? >> It's from my perspective, it just sounds like everyone hates mages, >> right? >> I mean, they are referred to as the main character of WoW. >> Yeah, to be fair, you probably deserve it a little bit. I've seen some uh some crazy mages. >> Yeah. Yeah, there are some of them that are that are quite good.

Um yeah. Okay, so we are we're uh we're about to hit the uh the portion of the show that I am most excited for, which is the the dog talk. Um >> well-known fact, fired up. Big fan of of dogs. And I understand you have a couple. >> I do. I have uh a little Lucy. She's a a little border collie mix. And then I have a a regular border collie named Spook. He's a new addition. >> What uh do you bring them with you to the race? >> I do not, unfortunately. >> What What's the setup?

How do you like Do you take them to a border? Do you have somebody at home who can watch them? >> Uh I I live with my parents, so they just uh fully take over while I'm gone. >> Nice. That's good. That's good. It's good. It's nice when when you know that they're with somebody who's, you know, they're familiar with them. You don't have to stress. >> We uh we have a nice uh there's a border that we take I have an Australian cattle dog.

We take her to a border whenever we're we're traveling and it's it's it's like an actual farm, but anytime we're going somewhere, people are like, "Oh, we're you know, we show up and they're shatter." Like, "Oh, she went to the farm." And they're like, "What? It's the real farm. actual farm for dogs. >> I've never even heard of that. That's really cool. >> Yeah. Yeah. We uh I like to It's good that they can get out and run and stuff like that.

What uh why border collies? Cuz they're they're they're like a high demand dog. >> Um I don't think there was any reason specifically. My the smaller dog, she is definitely not a high demand dog. She's uh she's a lot more of the the mix part than the the border color part. She's a she's a lazy girl, but >> Okay. >> The the new one is uh definitely high demand as you said. >> Yeah. >> Uh take him on a walk every now and then and he's still still ready to go. >> Nice.

Are they When you So when you go to the race first, obviously you're you're gone for a while. It's high stress environment. uh it hopefully ends uh in in good vibes when uh when you come home. Like is it is your number one way of decompressing just spending time with them or do you have other things you like to do? >> Uh yeah, that that's definitely up there with uh my my tradition every time I come home from a race is I enter in a is what I call the eternal slumber.

I just fall asleep for like a a solid day and then do that like for the whole week. Just keep on sleeping. Like get 12 hours of sleep plus per day and catch up there. But yeah, I'm always missing the dogs after I've uh been away for so long. >> I love that. Do you get like uh FaceTime calls from the from the folks with the dogs like mid race? a little >> uh No, they they usually just uh let me focus, but I'm sure if I if I asked they they'd be more than happy.

But >> yeah, >> I I have pictures to to check during the breaks and stuff. And uh there were I don't think there will be next time, but there's dogs at the liquid facility from the chef there. Not sure if you knew about that. >> Ah. Oh, yes, that's right. You'll have a new chef this uh this race. >> Yes. Uh get to see or meet them. >> What uh what is can you talk us through like what is the what does the dayto-day look like for for a raider at the facility during the race? >> Sure.

Um so a wake up our hotel is like uh 10 10 minute walk away from the facility. So, get to get some nice sun in us before we are fully not getting any more sun for the rest of the day. And then, >> right, >> we have breakfast and then usually there's like a guild meeting sort of thing every day talking about what the plan is, seeing what other guilds are doing, and then we just sort of game. >> Nice. Nice. What uh how I've always been curious.

So obviously you guys go to the PTR, you do all the raid testing, strategies are developed, you know, on the PTR from that testing. How close to your pre-pull strats do the bosses look? And how often do you have to like completely throw out the window the the plan that you had, if ever? >> Oh, that's a good question. Um, it depends. A lot of the time it's actually completely different, I feel, cuz you're only able to come up with so much.

A good example from last year is probably Sprocket Monger. >> Mhm. >> We had like probably four different ideas of like a proper strategy for that boss. And then when we get there, it's just completely different in practice. Like we we're starting out a picture and then you actually get in there, it's like the room's a different size than we thought. It's all feels a little bit different than how it looks when you draw on a picture, you know? >> Yeah. >> So, usually it's quite different. >> When that happens, does that like are you would you rather the the strats have to be like redeveloped on the scene or do you prefer like we've already figured it out, we're going to go in and just execute?

Um, I always like uh figuring stuff out fresh. I think it's more fun if uh it's like a more involved process of actual decisions to be made that haven't already been figured out for me. >> I always feel like that's that's more fun. >> I like it. I dig it. >> What uh what's the wildest strat that you've ever seen that worked that you were like you guys were cooking it up and in the process you were like there is no shot.

This is going to be how this goes. >> That is a good question. I am thinking to hear. Um I want to I want to get a good answer to you on this. >> Oh, okay. I would like a good answer. >> Okay. Uh, I don't know if this is the wildest, but um I think the the f one of the funniest openers I guess was on Ilgenoth. You gateway through the middle of the boss to the other side of the room on the opener. I don't know if that's that's definitely not the most wild, but it's the first thing that's going to my mind right now. >> Okay.

All right. I take it. Listen, that's that's a good one. What uh what what was your favorite raid tier? I was going a ways back. That was your first race to roll first win, right? or the first one for >> it was my favorite race. Uh I don't know. I'm kind of biased to the ones we won. >> That's okay. >> Be honest. >> Well, I got to be honest with you. If you picked one you lost, that would be weird. >> Yeah. If if we're going pre-race, my answer would be Night Hold.

But >> okay, >> that that's probably just pure nostalgia. >> Okay. Did you ever think there was a world where you would be like playing World of Warcraft professionally and like that's how you would make your living? >> Um, at some point, but definitely not while I first started playing the game. >> No, >> but um >> what did uh what did year one fired up look like in Warcraft? >> Oh, I was uh I was not very good. my my experience was I was I think I was playing uh a druid and the only thing I wanted to do while gearing the only stat I cared about was stamina >> and grace actually had more stamina than most of the gear that um like that was good.

So, I ended up just be walking around with a bunch of grays and doing no damage, no healing, just But I had a lot of health. That's the only thing I cared about. >> I I love that. You're like, I'm alive. >> Yep. >> I got this. >> That's all I wanted. >> Nice. When did you like at what point did you like start taking it seriously? When you were When did you make that shift? Um, it was Legion. >> Okay. Was there like a trigger that that that brought it on or >> Well, I quit in the expansion before it.

It was wild, right? I I don't remember. And I just I just came back and started playing M Plus with some friends and I guess uh just went from there. Turned out I was pretty okay. I uh I watch a lot of NFL and uh right now they're in like the preseason teams are getting together doing OTAAS and and uh a lot of lot of lot of quotes coming to mini camps and everybody is trying not to say something that another team can put on the wall of their locker room as you know a reason to beat that team and you would be excellent at that.

I I would be excellent at giving the other teams some some motivation. >> No, no, no. At not giving motivation. >> Yeah. Like >> Okay. >> Yeah. Very very good. Like, you know, we're humble. Everybody's putting the work in type of answers. It's good stuff. >> Yep. I gotta stay grounded. I'm staying right. >> Yeah. I dig it. I dig it. All right. So, we're gonna Let's see if we can break that a little bit. What is your wildest hot take in WoW that you believe at your core is true? >> Okay, this one this one's topical.

Okay. >> Okay. >> So, it's with with Mop coming out. >> My uh my take is every Okay. So, the the baseline is everyone talking about how good the the mop like class design is. >> Mhm. >> And I've already quit mop. I leveled and just to be to be honest, I'm not feeling that way. So my my take is that if you're saying that mop class design is good, you're probably just being influenced by like a singular interaction or like item like trinket or something.

Like for mage for example, alter time works a little bit different. So >> that's like the only thing that I can justify people thinking that it's good class design cuz I I just don't enjoy it. But I know fun is subjective. It just feels a lot less fun to me than current class design. is that so MOP is it's actually funny cuz the mage that is in the group with us right now I think mop is his favorite expansion like to the core bleeds band area um he's probably not listening while we're doing >> probably not >> I'm probably just missing something I'm probably just missing something >> yeah maybe maybe do but is that something do you think that stands true for for all versions versions of classic or is that like specific to MOP?

Like is Wrath Classic as good as people think it is? >> I've played a little bit of all classics. I I haven't enjoyed it like any >> any of them to be honest. I somehow always get roped into playing them. Uh but I I I know that a lot of it is nostalgia factor for a lot of people. I just >> I don't have all that. >> No, I I hear you. I uh the quality of life changes are too good. I I I the game I think right now is in a really good spot.

I have far too much of my personality tied to Wrath of the Lich King and the Frozen Throne. So, you know, I'm one of those people, but uh >> that's all right. >> Yeah, I think I think the game's in a really good spot right now. Um I want to talk about food a little bit here. You did mention uh earlier that you're going to have a new uh chef with the team liquid facilities. And I guess my question for you is when it comes to food, do you prefer really good food that there's not a lot of or okay food that there is a lot of? >> Uh I I probably like quality. >> I I don't like buffets, so I guess that that probably would be more on the quality spot. >> Okay.

Okay. No buffet. >> I always seem to get sick at them. So >> do you? >> I I blame the food quality on that. Nice. Yeah, >> communal food is tough. It's tough to do communal food sometimes. >> It's uh it's wild. It's uh it's it's crazy stuff tough. That's the key. We we absolutely blew the doors off of off of this uh priaryy. Um if >> we did, >> it's okay with you. I'd like to ask you one last question before we wrap it up.

We say thank you to our team that has been here. Uh that is that question is what is your most like not what's not your most fondest but what is one of your fondest memories in your Warcraft journey? >> Uh definitely uh can I say winning running the races? Is that is that fair? Okay, >> definitely. >> All right. Uh that one that one seems uh >> kind of obvious for me, but >> Yep. >> Is there a particular win that feels the best to you? >> They always feel feel so good.

It's It's hard to like choose one over the other, but but probably probably the first one is off. >> Mhm. >> Just because it was the first one. It's uh just felt special. >> Mhm. >> But they they every single one of them felt good. >> Is there I don't like to end the show on a on a sad note, so I'm going to ask you this and then I'll ask another happier question if you have time for two more quick ones. Is Is there a race loss that feels the worst? >> Yeah.

Uh that one would be the uh Raz raid. >> Oh yeah. >> With uh the timings on the nerfs while we were sleeping, >> right? >> You guys did that light a f like I I don't say light a fire cuz obviously there's no you don't need more drive to win. You don't do what you do if you're not if you don't if you're not full of drive. But did that loss and the way that that happened because you guys the ne next year you were like that can't happen again >> did that did that push you? >> I think it it pushed some people to quit the game.

It just it it wasn't like a very like for a lot of people we feel like we played really well. There's just like bad timing and >> like those races are like the the worst type of losses where you feel like you play really well and then >> yeah, >> you feel like obviously we obviously Ekko deserved to win the tier, but feel like uh just a little bit unlucky on some things. So >> yeah, it's tough when you do I think it's I'm going to quote Star Trek, you know, you do everything right, but you still lose.

It's That's not a great That's a Captain Bard quote for for the other dinosaurs in the chat. >> Yeah, that that works. I I like it. >> Yeah, that's rough. That's rough. Okay, we need to ask we need to end on one more good question. Um, so this is it. If Team Liquid was a pizza, uh, what uh what other top like what are your teammates what what are they for toppings? >> What are the what are my teammates for toppings? >> Yeah.

Yeah. So, we'll say you're pepperoni, you're the goat. Pepperoni is, you know, you're not making a pizza with no pepperoni. So, we're taking that one off the board. Um, give me give me three teammates and what toppings they are that are going on your pizza. >> Okay. Um, I feel like THC would be cheese. He just gives cheese vibes. Uh, >> I take that >> he doesn't like any sort of spice as well, so it kind of kind of fits the the narrative there.

Um, okay. What What are some some nice toppings? Uh oh. Um I already said cheese. I was I was gonna say >> cheese for for dry because uh he he knows a lot about cows. And >> we have two types of cheese. One's matzah, one's cheddar. We can cheese it up. Yeah, >> this is our pizza fired up. We can put whatever we want on it, >> of course. And then we'll give uh um I'm just trying to think who would most want to be on the pizza.

I feel like Sang Sang would love to be like uh I guess the bread is Does bread count as a topping? >> Yeah, the I mean that's the bottom, right? So Sang's the the bottom of the pizza. Is that what we're saying? >> I guess so. >> The crust. >> Yeah, he's the crust. >> Is he a stuffed crust or is he just like a regular plain crust? Maybe a little garlic butter on. >> Uh, use just normal. Just normal bread. >> Just regular.

Okay. All right. That is That's a basic ass pizza. Couple >> couple of different genes of pepperoni. We dig it though. It's a non-controversial pizza, which is in keeping in theme of the episode. I dig it. >> Yep. Not trying to start any fights. >> No. No. You're good. This is You're like There are Tyreek Hill could learn a lot from you. There are I mean I don't know if you watch NFL that man gives wild answers. Uh yeah, I dig it.

I dig it a lot. Uh fired up before I ask you to say goodbye and plug uh where people can find you. Uh one last question. Who's going to win the race to world first man for Omega? >> I sure hope that that's Liquid. I sure hope it's us. >> Nice. Nice. >> A little little three Pete going on. >> Yeah, that would be great. When's the last time we had a three Pete? It's been a while. Um, I'm not sure. I I don't think there's ever been a a sweep like for an entire expansion.

So, if if we won this one, then that would be the first for that, I think. But there might have been three in a row at some point. >> Cool. That would be very cool. Good luck to you. Good luck to the team. Uh, safe travels. You're probably on a plane in like an hour. I don't know. It's very close to patch launch. Appreciate you taking Oh, that's good. That's good. I uh when we set up the show, I was like, I hope we're not going to have to interview him in the airport. >> No, no, don't worry.

I nothing nothing going on tonight. >> Perfect. Perfect. I dig it. Can you tell everybody who is uh listening where they can find you? >> Uh sure. Uh I stream on twitch.tv/firedup and I have some other stuff, too, but I don't really use any of it. Just follow me on Twitch. >> Perfect. >> I'll be there every now and then. Make sure you show them some love. Give Team Liquid all the hype you can in the chat. Wish them well for the race world first.

Uh listeners, I am Sean. Thank you so much for deciding to spend your time with us today. This has been Raider.io's Weekly New Levers episode number five. If you want to race us in the priary, um well, you can't cuz it Oh, you can next season, I guess, but it's a little bit different. Uh our Mythic Plus replay will be live in the description of this channel. Uh and hopefully we see you after the race. Thanks for watching.