After being promoted to the PG Nationals, I sat down with ENEMI3S team manager Sergio “Spasio” Federico and analyst Antonio “Tony G” Vincenzo Giardinoto to talk about their team, their expectations, and what it feels like jumping to a higher division.

Image Credits | Esports.net

Interview with ENEMI3S – Who are they?

ENEMI3S (NM3) is an ambitious esports project born in 2022 based on solid ethical principles and led by people who have a 360° perspective of the industry. It initially started off by partnering with the Italian organization aNc Outplayed in order to grow and learn as much as possible within the competitive gaming scene. After one year, ENEMI3s have been able to land into PG Nationals, Italy’s most prestigious League of Legends competition, as well as the Blooming Talents League on VALORANT.

Even though ENEMI3S have been promoted to PG Nationals after Webidoo were removed from the league, their results and dominance in the second division were enough to give them that chance. And according to Spasio, they didn’t hesitate on taking that opportunity:

We immediately decided to accept the offer because we know that PG Nationals gives a lot more visibility and at the same time, we believe we have a roster capable of competing in PG Nationals, so we decided to give our players a shot.

The decision came one week following the roster lock, so the team found itself in a tricky situation. Despite that, they still jumped the gun because they thought it was more beneficial for the players and it would be a motivating factor for the organization as a whole, considering they were aiming to climb the divisions anyway.

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Keeping the players and the synergy

Going into the Summer Split, ENEMI3S only made one roster change, replacing ADC Filippo “Sandalo” Laghi with Vincent “xDrop” Rietberg. His arrival has been positive for the team overall, giving the team more flexibility when it comes to their playstyle. However, the most important reason is that the team will already have a stronger synergy:

Our biggest advantage is that we’ve been working with the 4/5 of the lineup for nearly 7 months. We have built chemistry over the year and there is a great team spirit between the players and the coaching staff. 

Despite that, it will be an uphill battle for NM3. Not only are they going to be facing competitive teams, but they will also have to find a way to avoid relegation. Since the slot was given to them, they are currently sitting at 0 championship points. Unless they get a top 4 or top 5 finish, NM3 will then have to play in the promotion tournament.

In a recent interview with DSYRE, they expressed their interest in NM3 as a way to see whether there is still a big gap between the first and the second division. When asked about it, they said that while the average level is lower, there are some top teams like NOVO Esports that have the potential to make the upset happen during the promotion tournament.

Even though there might be a gap between individual players, morale will be a significant factor during the tournament. 

Tony G also added that, for him, the gap got higher this year compared to 2022. This is because PG teams have raised the bar since everyone built the roster to avoid relegation, and on the other hand, the Pro Gro teams don’t seem as competitive.

Speaking of teams and the overall competition, Spasio was particularly interested in two players:

My two names are the Turkish ADCs in the league: Aetinoth, who I think is the best ADC in PG, and Pako who plays for AXL. I had the chance to see the latter a lot during the offseason, and I believe he is a very strong and mechanical player. As for the teams, I’m extremely excited to play against DSYRE because I have good relationship with most of the coaching staff. For my players, instead, I would say MACKO since they made the top 8 in EUM. It will be a great opportunity to learn from them.

Tony G, on the other hand, is mostly interested in Atleta after what they showed during the first games. “They look well-established already with strong preparation and I think credit goes to the head coach BlackRussian,” he said. “Also, I can’t wait to play against ACD (MACKO’s top laner). I’ve had the chance to work with him in Spring 2022 and he’s a player I’ve always liked in and outside of the game.”

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The rough start to the split

ENEMI3S are currently 0-2 in the standings, after losing to Cyberground Gaming and Axolotl in the first week. Despite the initial results, Tony G was happy about how the teams showed up so far. Having said that, he also mentioned how the lack of experience in a much more competitive environment affected the team.

I ended up asking if they had plans to manage that lack of experience, considering the short amount of time they have left, which is around two months. To that end, NM3 decided to pick up Gabriel “Halier” Garcia Negreiros as an assistant coach.

He previously worked with Flamengo Esports in CBLOL and packs international experiences. According to Tony G, he has been a game changer:

Luckily, we have fewer things to focus on since the players know wach other for quite some time. It’s evident that Drop and Joao have reacted better since they have already played in ERL1, while Skaterot, XnS, and Kpr need to be motivated. Our apporach has been to strengthen the coaching staff and bring in people who know because they have worked at the most competitive levels like Halier.

Tony G added that Halier has been helping the team whenever things get heated. Both the head coach and the players have strong personalities, so it’s inevitable to have some conflicts from time to time:

Some have a lot of composure, while others are quite emotional, but they are very confident in themselves. Hybrid, likewise, demands a lot from himself and this team, so there are egos clashing occasionally. Nonetheless, we have found a good balance, and the resolution allows us to improve more.

The state of the meta

League enthusiasts have recently complained about the stale competitive meta and it has been a deciding factor across all levels of professional play. Tony G gave some interesting insights in that regard, mentioning how he thinks Riot changed its policy with the pace of the changes in the last two years. Nowadays, the game makes big leaps and more radical changes every 5 or 6 patches. It happened with the preseason, the mid-season update, as well as with the durability patch in 2022.

It forces the teams to adapt a lot more quickly and spend a lot of time studying. While I do agree that the meta is stagnating, I believe that it’s mainly due to the concepts that some champions have. Certain picks have too much in competitive play and they will always be prioritized. It’s also tough to have many viable champions at the same time. There are constant changes and I think there’s a lot more volatility compared to the past, but it’s up to the coach and players to take, study, and adapt. That’s where the difference will lie going forward.

Before rounding off our interview, I asked both if they wanted to shout out someone. The two wanted to publicly thank their assistant coach Alessio “Casco” Vitale: “He has been with us since spring,” said Spasio. “He’s only 17 years old and has been working hard. I’m glad he’s getting a chance with us in PG.”

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