JoJo: "[Slugy]'s one of the more skilled players I've played with"
For Dust2.us' fourth interview of Fragadelphia 15, Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore sat down with Josiah "JoJo" Jimenez to discuss among other topics: Fragadelphia 15, Mythic's rebuild, Slugy's potential, and his plans for the future.
To start, how was your experience standing in for Big Chillin?
It was alright, I got to AWP again which I kind of prefer doing and haven't done in a while, that was pretty fun. Their team is kind of getting owned by the ESL rule and I don't know, it was an interesting experience.
Any moments that particularly stood out or any teams you were really excited to take down?
Nah. Every team we beat I kind of expected to beat. I don't think there was any teams that I really thought we should've lost to except for the ones we did like Bad News Bears.
Obviously Mythic weren't able to make it out to Fragadelphia this year. Was there ever a discussion about the whole team coming to the event together?
We were talking about it for a bit but fl0m had other obligations although everyone else was down.
You mentioned that you got to return to AWPing for this event, what is your current role within Mythic? Also, as a result of your experience at this event, do you think we'll see you AWPing more on Mythic in the future?
On Mythic I'm starting to AWP more this season and have been in practice and qualifiers. So I've been secondary AWPing a lot but normally I'm just the entry.
Now that you've had a chance to settle into Mythic, how has the experience been of playing on a team that is more focused on streaming and content compared to your previous lineups?
I'd say it was pretty cool because on Third Impact I streamed a lot like when we were just winning Advanced I was streaming pretty much every day and I was trying to grow my brand and try to focus on getting better at social media. After that was over when I was looking for a new team Big Chillin actually asked me to join them, but I wanted to focus on my own brand and streaming but then I was able to join Mythic which was the best of both worlds.
What's it like playing under fl0m and LeX? On one hand they're very well known for their role as content creators, but they were also top NA pros earlier in their careers so what can they offer you from these two perspectives?
I feel like it’s kind of cool because they're very well-known and all that. I've always played with players that are more experienced than me. With this current Mythic roster I'm no longer that, it's more Slugy and JDubs.
Speaking of Slugy and JDubs, how are they settling into the Mythic lineup and has it been fun to work with them as a more senior player?
JDubs is pretty much just slotted in and he's been able to do everything we've needed from him. Obviously we still don't have everything worked out but with Slugy I've been talking to him a bit more on how to do certain things and how to improve his mentality more than anything. He's one of the more skilled players I've played with but his confidence is one of the lowest I've seen in any competitive player.
Do you think this is a good opportunity for him to play on LAN? Does he have any LAN experience that you know of?
He went to a Brazilian LAN with STMN and I think he did well there. I think he just needs more experience playing against better teams and realizing he can actually perform against them. Out of game he needs to focus on his mentality. It's not like toxicity or attitude problems, it's just genuinely believing in himself.
Is Mythic a good environment for player to build their confidence?
I think for Slugy joining Mythic is going to be good because he's playing against higher level teams than he'd normally be and also because we're not going to yell at him if he makes mistakes. We'll just be there to help and guide him rather than scream at him and we're a lot more chill.
Mythic has been such a consistent member of the Premier community for more than for ten seasons. With that, last season was only the second time that Mythic faced Relegation. Was there ever a discussion about what the team would do if they were relegated then or in the future?
We never had a discussion about that. I don't know what everyone's plans was, but I don't know.
Would you be willing to play in Advanced again?
Honestly I don't know, I didn't really think about it. I don't want to play Advanced; I don't think you're getting better in Advanced. I don't think I'd gain anything from playing in Advanced. But, for Mythic we're playing for content so it would just be deciding what I care more about.
This is a bit personal, but I saw you haven't been home for some time since Hurricane Ida. What's your current situation like and where have you been staying?
I haven't been home since we won the 10k Oklahoma LAN. I've been staying with my friend and former teammate agm in Dallas. I'm going home for the first time since then on Monday. I have no idea what the internet is like, we only got power back on Thursday.
To close, after you go home and assuming you'll be able to play what are your plans and Mythic's plans for the future?
I think just to stream and actually not have to play Relegation this season. I think seeing our group for Premier I think we can potentially make playoffs.
Since joining Mythic have you been trying to do more content?
I think I've streamed either less or the same, but I've been making more Twitter videos and trying to do more on socials.
When I talked to CoJoMo earlier, he said he used his Twitter to stay on people's minds. Has that approach helped you in any way?
I basically build my brand around my own personality and just other shitposting. I obviously don't take myself seriously and I don't think any of this stuff is serious. Anything I post to my Twitter is obviously not serious at all, I don't try to put effort into it. I think a lot of players could be doing their branding and socials better and honestly just people care too much about what others think about them, so they don't post. I post stuff that makes me kind of look dumb sometimes but it's funny to me and most people know I'm joking.
Mythic and JoJo are set to be back in action on September 20th when they take on Big Chillin in ESEA Premier Season 38.
