Williams Resolve’s Rocket League team is long associated with the tricolore, with the red, white, and blue flag being carried by its mostly French team. However, the British organisation is trading that in for the Union Jack, with former 00 DNB players Jack ‘FlamE’ Pearton and George ‘Breezi’ Rusiecki picking up Noah ‘noahsaki’ Gillespie to form a sturdy new squad. Together with coach Ethan ‘Ethzn’ Laughland and manager Euan ‘Tadpole’ Ingram, Williams Resolve is looking to make a statement in the RLCS 2022-2023 season.
They might not be the biggest team in the Rocket League esports ecosystem, but with the first European RLCS event underway, the new Williams Resolve roster is hoping it can prove itself on the big stage. But how is the team setting itself up for success and what does this new British mix bring to the table? We spoke with Ethzn and Breezi to find out.
Choosing the right teammates is never an easy task. You have to trust them on and off the field, go through the highs and lows of competitive gaming together, and spend a lot of time together on practice and playing days. It will come as no surprise then, that Breezi has high expectations.
Introducing our 'Quintessentially British' @RLEsports Roster! 🇬🇧@FlamE_RL @Noahsaki_ @Breezi_EU @EthznRL (Coach)#ShowYourResolve pic.twitter.com/pWkHc8NmDb
— Williams Resolve (@RSVGG) October 5, 2022
“I expect them to put their maximum effort into the game and try their absolute best to perform to the best of their abilities,” he tells The Loadout. It’s an obvious statement, but it’s one that is key to success. Outside of the game, Breezi is happy as long as his teammates keep their heads up, don’t tilt easily, and try to perform well in scrims.
This desire to stay positive in spite of recent results is actually what inspired the roster change. Last season, Breezi and FlamE played with Joseph Jamie ‘hibbs’ Hibbert under the banner of 00 Nation DNB. They started off alright, with three top-eight finishes in Regional Events throughout the Fall and Winter Split. The Spring Split, however, was disappointing for the team, as they missed out on two of the three Regional Events.
“The Spring Split results were definitely not up to par, compared to the other competing RLCS rosters,” Ethzn says. But with noahsaki, things feel different already for the coach. “There’s a lot more raw potential with bringing in a player like Noah, because he’s very hungry to succeed – that was maybe a bit of a challenge last season.
“We decided to make a change pretty much as soon as the Spring Split ended. We looked at what we have. We have a very mechanical player in Breezi so we have his mechanics. We have a very experienced and consistent player in FlamE. And we thought: ‘what do we actually need, realistically?’ We need more of a wildcard factor within the team. Breezi can do that, but I feel like you need to bring in someone who is from the new mechanical age of Rocket League, and hopefully that can bring out the best in Breezi.”
Bringing in noahsaki gives Williams Resolve a big advantage when it comes to playing against mechanical teams too. “Noah has the mechanics to outpace and outperform most top mechanical players,” Breezi says. In fact, he does much more than that – he “brings Breezi alive”, according to Ethzn.
“Noah brings a different dynamic to the team. As everyone knows, Breezi is a mechanical player too, but his talent has been looked down upon in comparison to a lot of the up-and-coming players – the likes of Joyo, Vatira, and so forth.” A player like noahsaki can be a star player, but he can also help Breezi and FlamE get the best out of themselves by motivating them to push for more.
The former 00 Nation DNB duo have competitiveness in their blood. At 20 and 23, Breezi and FlamE, are one of the oldest partnerships in the game – even with the 17-year-old noahsaki in their team – and that experience is really important. “A lot of these young players don’t really understand how to play under pressure and consistently perform at the highest level, so I think our team is going to be really good at that,” Breezi says.
Part of dealing with that pressure comes down to team composition, something Breezi says made signing noahsaki ten times easier. “We were always looking towards that English third, because the English dynamic last season brought a lot of good vibes within the team. I don’t think there was a question of getting a different nationality in,” he continues.
Adapting to a new team can take time, of course, but this British roster have had time to think about how best to set themselves up for success in the new season.
FlamE is the captain of the team, but Ethzn is the gameplay coach, and the one who helps control the comms. As Ethzn puts it: ”they’re relying on me to say when to step it up or when to calm themselves down. I am quite an outgoing character, so that sort of naturally happened.”
During the games, Ethzn takes notes and gives basic advice, but his coaching is most visible in the team’s preparation. “I usually do three individual sessions a week, so one for each player, as well as at least one team session. We can have an optional team session if the players feel like it’s necessary. The players know they can just come to me when they need some extra help.”
When it comes to scrims, Ethzn has certain points to focus on each week. “With the in-game notes I take, I’ve made a summary of what we need to focus on, and point by point, I’ll prepare a session on that certain topic. Then, during the next scrims, we will focus on that point for however long we feel we need to do that for.” As they work together to improve, Ethzn’s coaching method asks a lot of cooperation from the players – not just with the coach, but especially between themselves.
With a new roster and a new organisation, the lads are confident about this season. Last season’s results were not too bad, but Breezi has always wanted to make a Major. Breaking down those barriers will be the team’s biggest goal at the start of the new season, but they have resolve – something they’ll need well past the Fall Open.