Kevin “Tocata” Larrinaga is a former Fortnite pro who now spends his time on the official broadcast. Tocata has done it all in his career, from competing for Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) titles on NA West to calling the top-tier play. This weekend, Tocata is attending the FNCS Invitational to break down all the action.
Esports.gg had a chance to chat with Tocata ahead of day two. We discussed Fortnite’s return to LAN, team performances on day one, who he believes is the Fortnite GOAT, and more!
Tocata talks returning to LAN at the FNCS Invitational
The stage at the FNCS Invitational
Please give me your first impressions on day one. How did it feel to be back in a LAN environment at this level?
Tocata: “It felt incredible. Coming from having years of everything being done at home, online events, the previous international event being one as big as the World Cup, it was nerve-wracking, it was scary, but say one was amazing, and I’m excited to see how day two turns out.”
Can you talk about the differences between being virtual and in-person from your perspective as an analyst?
Tocata: “There are many different ways to look at it. You can look at it from my perspective, where, when we’re doing these shows online, we’re in our house, in our room, in a setup, maybe on like a green screen or whatever and we are talking to a camera. But when we are at an in-person event like this one, there’s a crowd, there’s roarings, there’s reactions to plays that are being made, and even jokes that are being made on the broadcast. The ambiance and the feel is completely different, and also coming from the perspective of a player, as I did compete before in Fortnite, and I still do in some tournaments.
When you’re in-person at an event like this, and you actually get to meet your competitors and the people who you’ve talked to online for a while now, you’ve seen in-game, and even people you’ve never met before, as there’s people coming from different regions. There’s seven different regions competing here today and 27 different countries. Seeing these players meet each other and kind of say hi and see how the culture of competitive differs from region to region is really something that’s special.”
When you’re competing as a player, you’re focused on what you can differently, how you can adapt, and how you can overcome these challenges. But it’s also kind of the same as an analyst.
Tocata
As a former professional player, what’s it like to be behind the desk? Which do you prefer and why?
Tocata: “Competing as a player and being on the desk is different, but it has it has its similarities. So, competing is obviously nerve-wracking and so is being on the desk, but they are their own unique things. When you’re competing as a player, you’re focused on what you can differently, how you can adapt, and how you can overcome these challenges. But it’s also kind of the same as an analyst.
I thought it was funny because I was in the player’s lounge right after day one and I was VOD reviewing, you know, reviewing the player’s matches, what they were doing, and seeing what they might be able to change for day two. I was talking to Ceice, who is a player that was invited as a backup. He’s like, ‘wait, you guys VOD review as well? That’s the same thing we do as players.’ I was like ‘yeah you know it has its similarities. We have to review, practice, and prep as well.’ So, it’s interesting.”
Recapping day one, Tocata talks about the FNCS Invitational top performers & who he expects to perform well on day two
Who do you feel underperformed and who impressed you on day one?
Tocata: “It’s interesting when you say ‘underperformed’ because normally when you look at the bottom of the leaderboard, it’s filled with players who might not have as much experience whether it be in in-person events or in Fortnite competitive itself. But, literally, every person here is a champion. They all have made names for themselves and you can see people like Bugha, who came from winning the World Cup. That was a while ago, but he has been performing well with Mero in online events and now with a second chance to do it at an in-person event.
Day one probably didn’t go to what he would’ve expected. However, it is day one, and a lot of changes can be made. The zones were very north, so I’m curious to see how different zones could affect other teams that might have had an unfortunate start to their tournament. We’ll have to see how it ends.”
Which teams do you expect to perform well on day two?
Tocata: “I want to talk a bit about the ones that are kind of close to the top right now. So, Queasy and Veno are obviously in first place. They did have five of the six zones close north and them dropping in Shiny Sound favors them quite a bit for high ground, where you need to conserve as many materials as possible. If you don’t have to rotate as far, you have more materials to use in that late game, but for example, Th0mas and Tripperrn and Kami and Setty are more centralized – Th0mas and Tripperrn being in Rave Cave and Kami and Setty doing the Kami Split.
They have higher odds of the zones closing anywhere on the map and it does not affect them as much as Queasy and Veno. So, I think day two, based on consistency, and also Kami and Setty’s playstyle, one of those duos could do well. Even Acorn and Edgey landing in Tilted Towers as they are more centralized, I think they’ll have higher odds if we’re thinking pure consistency percentage to get more points on day two, but you never know.”
Tocata says Aqua/Rezon, Maliuca/Merstach, and TaySon/Chapix WON’T change their strategy on FNCS Invitational day two & picks the winner
Cloudy Condos – the site where three of Europe’s best duos are contesting each other
Did the three teams at Cloudy Condos make a mistake not switching their strategy? Do you think any plans will change on day two?
Tocata: “There’s no way they change their strategy. If they came into the Invitational with months of prep and they knew they were going to be contested, and they still went for it day one. I think it’s very unlikely that will change it for day two. It is interesting that they committed to being contested by some of the best – Aqua and Rezon, TaySon and Chapix, and Maliuca and Merstach.
I mean, just those names have made history in Fortnite competitive, and them being in the same drop spot contesting each other, it was surprising, to say the least. But I don’t think they’re going to change their strategy.”
Who do you believe will hoist the trophy this evening?
Tocata: “You know, I rooted for them before, Setty and Kami are known for having a very good day, but then the next day, not going too well. However, I love Become Legends, and how they’ve been supporting their players.
I love how motivated Kami and Setty are, and I like their mentality as competitors. So, I’d really like to see them succeed, and coming from the drop spot they have and still not being contested. I think there’s a strong possibility they take it home.
Discussing the Fortnite “GOAT” conversation and who he would pick for his Fortnite GOAT squad
Who do you believe is the Fortnite GOAT? Do you think that opinion changes this weekend?
Tocata: “See, that’s an interesting question because I’d like to answer it after day two. We’ve had the online GOAT, which I would say is TaySon from the European region. He’s been excelling in these online events. But when you’re thinking of the greatest of all time, it’s not just online events, it’s all-time; in-person events, World Cup, and everything.
We’ve had players like EpikWhale, who came from NA West and succeeded against other regions in the most recent international event and also getting third-place at the World Cup. He’s also the “6x” in his own region. I’d like to see how day two concludes before giving that title.
Let’s say you had to build a GOAT squad for Fortnite taking four players from any region; who would you pick?
Tocata: “This is a difficult question because, to make it fun, I’d like to mix players from different regions, but there’s obviously boundaries that come into play. Language barriers, time zone barriers, I mean, there’s difficulties there. But I’d like to see a lot of region mixing. For example, a lot of players from Brazil are very aggressive. They play a lot more creative than Europe, and we saw that in player’s lounge. K1ng and all these players were kind of stomping a lot of the EU pros just in their 2v2s or their Zone Wars matches.
I’d like to mix players from different regions, but there’s obviously boundaries that come into play. Language barriers, time zone barriers, I mean, there’s difficulties there. But I’d like to see a lot of region mixing.
Tocata
So, I’d like to put a Phzin, a K1ng on the roster, but then I would want one of the European’s GOATs, who are a little more mentally controlled that can play it slow like Kami and Setty. Only 5% of their eliminations are from the first two to three zones. I’d like to put Kami or Setty with aggressive players like Phzin or K1ng. Then, I’d put them with someone from NA West like EpikWhale, who is a well-balanced player. I think that would be a pretty cool squad.
You can follow Tocata on Twitter and catch day two of the FNCS Invitational beginning today on Twitch and YouTube. Also, check out our live coverage article to stay up-to-date on all the happenings as the tournament closes.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Fortnite news and updates!
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