SR Fudge – “We can get into that same tier as FlyQuest/C9 and [can] win against them next split”

Shopify Rebellion were on the Cinderella run of a lifetime, until they weren’t, falling unceremoniously to Cloud9 in a 0-3 B05 series. We sat down with Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami to chat about the series, the split, and his joking beef with 100T Sniper.

The team has been in a much more compelling spot at the end of LTA Split 2 than any fan could have predicted coming into the year. They’ve managed to come into form just in time to make a great run in playoffs, dispatching both 100 Thieves and Team Liquid, teams that were on paper above them.

SR Fudge Interview

Nick James: Hey Fudge, thanks for taking this. Obviously a 3-0 for Cloud9 isn’t at all the result you were hoping for, but just walk me through the series.

Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami: “Um, I feel like game 2 and 3, at least for me, felt pretty unplayable. I did not know how to progress the game. I did not know how to win fights. [I] felt like after game 2, when I died to the bot dive, I don’t know how to outplay that, and how to play the map from that perspective. It just felt like I didn’t have much agency, I guess, in the games. Aatrox vs Sion obviously is a good matchup, but [I] felt like after I died that one time to the three-man dive with bot and Wukong, I couldn’t really progress anything. And teamfighting, we just lost.

Game 3, same thing, really. I got a kill on Maokai, but then the swaps happened and then they got ahead and it felt like I couldn’t really do much in fights as Rumble that game. Game 1, though, I think I was in a good matchup and in a good spot in the game, and just misplayed a lot of fights. To be honest, I think the fights were just either in bad situations, bad timings, or simply misplayed. That game 1 felt the closest for sure for me and the most, the most winnable, I guess, out of the games for me.”

Nick: Yeah, I won’t lie – the draft made it seem pretty impossible for them to kill a Cho’Gath, and it looked like it was going to be a win for you guys for a hot minute.

Fudge: “I think if we didn’t like mess up the fights in the mid game, then it would have been pretty, pretty easy, honestly, to win that game. I think that game was simply a terrible game for us, yeah.”

Nick: Contractz mentioned your guys’ experience and understanding of what you’re capable of being a key factor.

What were the changes that you guys made and the steps you had to take to get to a place where you’re pretty handily beating Team Liquid and 100 Thieves?

Fudge: “I think the changes were probably mainly just in mentality towards practice and general improvement. I think everyone kind of realized we were playing terribly, and we were bad. And I think everyone kind of just came back into the scrims and practice with an open mindset on how to improve and how to win games. And I think we kind of just played stable League of Legends and a lot of the other teams, I feel like, kind of just tripped over themselves in a way. It still takes some sort of skill to play stable League of Legends, right? But I didn’t think we necessarily like individually outplayed them, or something like super hard to like stump them, or anything like that. It was just all general good team play and the enemy team kind of messing up. And I think we didn’t mess up as much as the enemy team did.”

Nick: Listen, that’s an LTA/LCS classic. Bjergsen and Doublelift won many a trophy for TSM by drafting to scale and just letting the other teams throw later on. You have to not throw yourself to pull it off, it’s totally a viable way to play.

Fudge: “Exactly. Exactly.”

Nick: We’ve got these new thematic seasons where Summoner’s Rift transforms, a bunch of skins come out, there are comics, events, and minigames, etc. Riot has said these can be themed after both regions and skinlines.

If they came to you and were like, “Fudge, you’re in charge of coming up with the idea for the next season.” Where are we going?

Fudge: “Honestly, I just don’t want something that’s depressing. Some sort of Darkin and or something would be cool, right? Like, some sort of dark map. But when I play League, I get depressed if the maps [are] kind of dark and I was kind of depressed. I like greenery, you know, I feel like the Spirit Blossom is somewhat fine. Ionia, I feel like it’s fine. I just don’t like Noxus because I feel like it’s too dark, and I just want something that’s a little bit more sunny. You know, I like the sun. I like bright. I need bright. I need bright colors. So anything that’s bright, what’s bright in League? I don’t actually know.”

Nick: Hmmm, lemme think. Shurima? Demacia? There’s the Yordle realm, Bandle City. Shurima would be a lot of gold and sand.

Fudge: “Shurima would be chill. I like Shurima. Shurima sounds chill. Let’s do Shurima.”

Nick: Hell yeah, lockin’ in Shurima.

Fudge: “I’m doing it. Yeah, yeah.”

Riot has said there will be another Arcane-style series in a new region. If you’re in charge, like last question, what champions or regions do you want to see on the big screen?

Fudge: “Dude, I want to see some like Kindred because she’s like the god, no? She’s like death or something.”

Nick: Yeah, she’s sort of the manifestation of death itself. Kind of, it’s complicated.

Fudge: “Death itself, which would sound kind of cool. But yeah, it does sound pretty cool. I like seeing the OP main characters. So honestly, I just want like an OP main. You know, I don’t like when everyone’s kind of equal and stuff. Like, I want an OP main character. So I’m going to go with like, I hope it’s like Kindred or like Bard or like Aurelion Sol or something like some OP motherf—-r. But the sad part is it’s probably going to be like Noxus. I’m pretty sure. I’m pretty sure.”

Nick: Yeah, obviously Riot hasn’t confirmed anything, but it seems incredibly likely.

Fudge: “Yeah, they haven’t confirmed anything. But yeah, I want an OP main character. I’m sick of watching shows with everyone’s strong guys and who wins? No, I just want someone that’s OP and just stomps everyone.”

Nick: I mean Mel’s kind of OP, and not just in my ARAM lobbies. She’s got some pretty OP powers going on.

Fudge: “Yeah. But she was useless until now.”

Nick: Oh, okay, so they have to be OP from the jump, day one sort of thing.

Fudge: “Yeah, she’s like useless, and then now she’s becoming OP. I would just watch out for whoever is then buffing and League of Legends. And that’s probably going to be the one they’re talking about. Just look at the big buffs and the patch notes.”

Nick: So, should we be watching out for a show about the new ADC, Yunara? Surely she’ll be crazy.

Fudge: “Yeah. Well, I don’t, I don’t even know the new ADC, but whatever’s new and whatever’s OP, they’re probably going to, that’s probably like, whatever the patch notes say, that’s probably what they’re going to do for this animation. They’re going to make a popular, you know?”

I’ll open the floor to you to say anything you’d like to the fans who have been cheering you and Spotify on this split. Anything you’d like to say? 

Fudge: “We obviously are not good enough to win against C9/FLY. I think that’s like the next tier that we need to improve towards. And I think, I mean, we did a good job. I’m happy that all the fans [are] still supporting us. Even though we were losing the first two games, I remember the fans were screaming Shopify. That was nice. And yeah, thank you to all the fans that were like fans from the beginning. Now that we’ve started picking up our gameplay a little bit, I’m sorry to the disappointed fans, but we’ll definitely improve even more. We can get into that same tier as FlyQuest/C9, and we can definitely win against them next split. I think I believe in the process of, uh, improvement and, uh, team. So thank you to everyone, and we will make you proud next split.”

Nick: Awesome, thanks Fudge. It’s been really fun watching you guys play this split, and I think the content you’ve been giving fans is fantastic. Your interview with NAmen where you said something about Sniper to the effect of  “Get over here, boy. He’s a little Tik-Tok lookin’ ass” is one of my favourite interview headlines in ages. Just keep doing what you’re doing, man, I think you’re a great personality for the league.

Fudge: “That guy’s a little rat, bro. I saw him on broadcast today. If I see him say anything stupid, bro, I’m like sending him a million, like Tik-Toks or something. I don’t know.”

Nick: Do they have to bar off the host lounge because of you and Sniper’s obviously very serious beef?

Fudge: “No, they don’t. They don’t, but that guy’s brain rotted, bro. I’m sure he said something dumb. I’m brain rotted, too. So I can’t complain. Can I?”

Nick: Takes one to know one, right? So that just makes your accusation more damning.

Fudge: “There you go. Exactly. Thanks”

Nick: Awesome, thanks so much for taking the time, Fudge. We’ll chat next split. Sorry about the result today, but enjoy the time between now and Split 3.

Fudge: “Thank you so much. Appreciate it.”