Gaming
esports
SetToDestroyX: Ready to Defend at the Splatoon 2 World Championship
Last year's champs discuss dominating NA and preparing for a new Japanese threat.
It's early days still for Splatoon 2's competitive scene, which has been driven by community passion with gradually increasing assistance from Nintendo. Even so, one team has already established itself as a dominant force in the Switch ink-splatting sensation: SetToDestroyX.
Known originally as Deadbeat, the team won last year's Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational on Nintendo's E3 stage, defeating Japan's Dynameu to claim the game's first major title. They soon signed to SetToDestroyX and have continued to be a North American force in the game, taking Squidstorm 2017, Genesis 5 and Beakon 2018 LAN wins in the months since.
After winning the United States/Canada Inkling Open, they're heading back into the E3 buzz next month for the Splatoon 2 World Championship, and hope to defend their title from last year's international finals. Ahead of the showdown, we spoke with Austin "Penguitt" Whitt and Gregory "HXN" Papi about their chances to repeat as the world's best Splatoon 2 squad, and asked caster Charles "Nine" Whitehead about what makes the Destroyers such an intimidating splat squad.
From Deadbeat to Destroyers
With the original Splatoon on Wii U, Japanese teams were routinely dominant online against the international competition — but that didn't stop others from trying. Deadbeat first started in late 2016 as a pickup squad with Penguitt, HXN, Power and former teammate Tim, and they started putting up solid showings in online battles.
"We placed first in most Western tournaments, and earned decent placings in online Japanese tournaments," said Penguitt, who admitted that their competitive focus was much more limited in the Wii U days. HXN added, "Back in the original game, we were only practicing to beat teams in the Western scene, and we were getting destroyed by Japanese teams."
According to Nine, who casted the Inkling Open regional that SetToDestroyX just won, "The Japanese scene was so much more advanced than the Western scene in Splatoon 1, and any team that came together to compete with that level of competition had to be formidable." He described the original Deadbeat squad as "a team of 1's" — that is, four players who could each be the star on any other roster. "I don't think anyone was really surprised to see their early success, as they could strong-arm teams through sheer individual skill alone," he added.
But as the results of last year's World Inkling Invitational showed, Deadbeat rose to the occasion and took out Japan's Dynameu in a commanding 4-1 victory — and this was a month before Splatoon 2 even hit stores. "The Invitational last year was amazing; an experience I won't forget. It was the largest Splatoon tournament to be broadcasted, and it was our first time competing in real life as Deadbeat," Penguitt said. "We got off to a rocky start and everyone counted us out, which is what made winning that much more fulfilling."
StDx won January's Genesis 5 tournament
© HelloItsLi
When they signed with SetToDestroyX last August, Penguitt and HXN brought in Steevy "Kiver" Bokwa in place of Jake, while Fuzzy joined this February as a starter (Power is currently taking a break). "Even in Splatoon 2, their roster is fully loaded," Nine suggested. "Within a single week of their United States/Canada Inkling Open victory, I saw a variety of posts naming members as the team's 'best' player. The humorous part was that every member came up multiple times."
NA's undisputed splat kings
Individually, they're all top players — and collectively, they're the most accomplished North American team in Splatoon and the reigning international champions. But what makes them so dominant? Penguitt suggested that a lot of it comes down to mentality and the ability to fluidly adapt to the ever-shifting meta.
"I would say what makes this team so successful is our individual mindsets," he said. "We take criticism no matter how blunt it may be, and we adapt to the changes in the game to win. Weapon comps and strategies change all the time, and the meta is always developing. If you're living in the last patch, you're going to be left behind most likely."
Splatoon 2 is a frenzied and chaotic experience, but there's serious strategy and teamwork required beneath the frenetic ink-slinging. That's especially true with such diverse competitive modes, including Rainmaker and Clam Blitz. SetToDestroyX has been an overpowering force thanks to a mix of solo mechanics, clever team play and the ability to throw curveballs at opponents.
"They're unmatched at giving themselves the best chance to win. Perhaps more than any other team, StDx is willing to completely change their philosophy if they feel it gives them the edge," Nine explained. He noted that many teams have become well-defined in their approach, which makes them easier to read by the competition. For example, U.S./Canada Inkling Open runner-up TOMO favors Blasters, while Saikai tries to play against meta with unconventional weapons and Deep Blues are consistently aggressive.
"With SetToDestroyX, it's so difficult to categorize their play style in isolated terms. They adapt, adjust, and manage to stay ahead," said Nine. "They combine this willingness to change with that same incredible individual ability. It's all well and good to attempt to learn a new weapon, but few do it as well as them."
Nine called HXN perhaps the top "flex" player today, given his immense versatility and ability to swap between a wide array of weapons as the situation demands. "I've never seen anyone else hop between weapon classes as efficiently as he has. He's the only person I've seen play a variant of Roller, Dualies, Nozzlenose, Splatling, and Blaster all in the same tournament effectively," said Nine. He also pointed out the way that frontline shooters like Kiver and Fuzzy have altered and enhanced their positioning as the meta has evolved.
"The team has a fundamental understanding of what 'works' in this game and a willingness to do it," he continued. "When you add that knowledge to their pedigree and skill, it creates a situation where they enter each match with the better game plan and the better pieces to execute that game plan. If it seems unfair ... well, that's not a bad word to describe it!"
Ready for Worlds
It's been almost a year since this team won the last international championship, and the competition has improved across the board. There are also a lot more people playing in tournaments these days: Penguitt pointed out that there were about 140 teams in last year's U.S./Canada Inkling Open qualifier. This year, there were more than 570 teams. Still, SetToDestroyX cruised to victory in the winner's bracket without dropping a series. Clearly, they're still a cut above the North American competition.
Will they find the same kind of success against international squads at the Splatoon 2 World Championship next month? German team Gucci Gang won the European Championship last month and will represent EU, while Yeah Nah took the Australian/New Zealand Splatoon 2 Cup to secure their trip to Los Angeles for the finals. But it's the prospect of another North American/Japanese clash that seems most exciting, as GG Boyz hope to reassert Japan's dominance in Splatoon.
"Gucci Gang and Yeah Nah are composed of very talented players, but these are players that StDx are familiar with. The matchup people are waiting for is GG Boyz and the grudge match of last year's NA-Japan Finals," Nine said. "On paper, GG Boyz is the favorite by a fair margin. They're one of the strongest teams in the world's strongest region, starring two players (Taiji and Dynamon) who present legitimate cases to be the best in the world at their weapon classes."
HXN affirmed that GG Boyz are StDx's biggest competition, but also noted that they have been eyeing the best Japanese squads and learning from their strategies. "In Splatoon 2, we have been watching the top teams in Japan, looking at what they are doing, what is working, and we adapt/implement it into our play," he added.
In any case, they're expecting much stronger competition than last year's championship. Penguitt said they're scrimming more and studying the other teams' tactics ahead of the World Championship, and HXN suggested, "Like last year, our strategy will set us apart."
"Being perfectly honest, I'm not sure what to expect from StDx at the World Championships. I think anything lower than second place is a disappointment, frankly. This team has not dropped a non-Japanese tournament since August," Nine said. But even if GG Boyz seem like the top contender on paper, he can't help but recall the World Inkling Invitational, in which the favored Japanese team fell. Given the Destroyers' run of late, it's hard for him to imagine that they'll crumble on the game's biggest stage as they attempt to defend their crown.
"As I start to crunch the numbers in my head, I can't help but remember last year ... it's a sense of déjà vu," he added. "I haven't seen [SetToDestroyX] lose in so long that it's difficult picturing them losing to anyone. I think we're in for a real treat when the two go head-to-head."
(Editor's Note: Updated to clarify a quote from Nine about SetToDestroyX's past experience with international teams.)
For more Splatoon features, follow @redbullesports on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
