Interview with Mafiabala (FFIC 2020 Fall Winners)

Mafiabala is one of the deadliest snipers in the Free Fire Indian competitive circuit. Being the winner of the FFIC 2020 Fall, he is the defending champion this time. We had a small chat with him before he starts his journey in the Free Fire India Championship 2021 Spring. As one of the oldest members of Total Gaming Esports, his team has recently undergone a roster change and are preparing hard for the most prestigious tournament in the country. Let’s see what he has to say about the same. 

Q. Hey Mafiabala, how are the preparations going for FFIC 2021 Spring?

We’re preparing slowly and steadily, trying to cook up some new strategies. We need to iron out the basics first, like moving together in a formation, covering firing, etc. These little things might seem very simple but they’re fundamental. Of course, we also need to do our homework, like studying the drop locations and rotation patterns of our opponents. We’ll do that eventually. 

Q. How’s the new roster gelling together?

At first, when we started playing with the new players, we were so confused. We wouldn’t be able to understand what they wanted to do or what was going on in their minds. Their playstyle was very different from ours. Their old team used to have a different set of strategies. For the longest time, neither we couldn’t figure out what strategy they were trying to implement, nor could they understand what we intended to do. But eventually, as we played more and more tournaments together, we started to understand how they liked to approach the game. For now, I think it’s safe to say that we are 70% in sync. We keep on working to improve our synergy. Don’t let this fool you though, it won’t take us long to get to 110%. 

Q. How do you guys practice? What is your routine like?

We practice by participating in "SO MANY" daily tournaments that we barely have any free time after lunch. From the start of the noon till the wee hours of the night, we keep on grinding. The most important thing is discipline. We are instructed to put our phones away after 12 am. We don’t touch the devices. At all. Sometimes we get a day off to watch movies and whatnot. But this discipline extends outside the game as well. We go for a morning walk to refresh ourselves. In the afternoon, we play tournaments. If there are no tournaments on that day, then we sit down together and bond with each other. We talk about our personal lives, laugh, cry and gossip together like a family. Our relationship is not that of teammates, but that of brothers.

Q. What are your expectations from the FFIC 2021 Spring?

Whether it’s the FFIC or any other tournament, the goal is to win. But it isn’t always necessary to be the number one. Free Fire is an unpredictable game and one cannot always win. But for this question, I would like to quote Hritik Roshan from the movie War. 

“It isn’t always necessary to win. But after the tournament, you will ask your team - Did you give it your best? If the answer is yes, then you are a winner.”

It’s a pretty inspiring dialogue, I guess this is why they added Jai into the game - to inspire everyone. 

Q. Which opponent team do you think is the most dangerous one?

I don’t have any particular team that I can name here. Sometimes I like to believe that we are the most dangerous team. Anyone can be dangerous with the right mindset. I would like to put it out there, that the team that is playing with a calm and collected mindset is the most dangerous one. If we are calm and clear with our communication, then everyone will fear us. Although if we keep on bickering, if we keep on doing nothing but nagging each other and finding faults, then we are done. If we don’t have a fresh and healthy mindset, then even the weakest teams can wipe us out. 

Q. What are your thoughts about the recent meta changes - the new characters and weapons?

The new patches have left everyone in splits. The double vector gives you a sense of power. You know that you can challenge anyone when you’re wielding that weapon. Chrono’s abilities add a whole new flavor to the game. Of course, there will always be players who complain about the new changes because it forces everyone to adapt. There will always be people who resist change. But personally, I think it’s fun. We need these patches to keep the game from getting stale. 

Q. Before we wrap up here, is there any message you would like to share with your fans?

I would just like to thank everyone for their love and support. I do have a really interesting tale to tell. I won’t name them, but there are a few teams here, who always supported us and called themselves our fans. Eventually, they improved, and they’re no longer just our fans, but our opponents. It feels really good to see things like this, to see them grow. It’ll be a lot of fun playing against them. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone for their love and support. 

Mafiabala will be playing alongside his team - Total Gaming Esports in the Free Fire India Championship 2021 Spring League Stage starting from 19th February 2021 at 6 PM IST. Be sure to watch them in action on the Free Fire Esports India Official YouTube Channel.