Team Tuesday: Calluna

Hello again, and welcome back to our beloved series Team Tuesday! For this month’s article, I was lucky enough to get to chat with one of our beloved EU teams, Calluna. This eight-person roster is full of spunk, personality, and love for their teammates. Read on to learn about the origins of Team Calluna, their team goals and aspirations, as well as the players’ experiences playing on an all-female Death Blossoms Team.

Team Calluna has been playing together for over a year, and is currently made up of: Adaiah, the team captain and dps player; ButchVillain (Butch), the team co-captain and fellow dps player; Bijibun (BijI), main healer; Nantuui, main tank; Pickles, an off-healer; Puusku, the teams off-tank; and Sleepy, a flex player. At the time of our interview, Adaiah (who plays a mean Pharah) and Butch mentioned they are looking to trial an 8th member to allow flexibility in the schedule for these busy ladies. This trial turned out spectacularly and they have recently added Woestjin, a dps player, to their team roster. Work and university takes up much of their time, and it can be tough for them to all be available simultaneously. However, when all eight ladies are available, they have an efficient system in place where the extra two players rotates in the game with the the team, spectates their teammates, and gives feedback in the meantime!

Sleepy, Bijibun, and Butchvillain at one of their meet-ups!

The original team captain, Butch, had help from Adaiah early on and over time they swapped responsibilities and roles due to other obligations and from necessity. When their original coach and co-captain departed from Calluna in ~August 2018, Adaiah took on the role of captain officially. Butch ( the resident “meme” hero fan) has continued to assist in any way she can, and this proves to be an effective system for the ladies.

When asked how they decided on Calluna for the team name, Butch is quick to speak up.

“This is the ORIGINAL CONTROVERSY! Some members wanted to be named “Stink Lily” (like me) but it was downvoted. Adaiah came up with Calluna and it was adopted as the team name.”

Puusku’s doggo, a very sophisticated one at that!

Puusku (who loves playing Dva and Roadhog) was the creative genius behind the team logo. The beloved snail icon that all of Calluna proudly has in their name within our Death Blossoms Discord was voted upon and won (for good reason – look how cute!!). Biji says the snail emoji was a sign for her when she applied, saying: “It was meant to be! I’m so happy we have the snail (by our names).” The snail perhaps isn’t thought of as a fearsome emoji, but in action, Calluna is terrifying.

“A snail is the cutest thing you wouldn’t want to touch with your bare hands.”

The ladies of Calluna unanimously agree that solo queue just isn’t the life for them after being on this amazing team. They have all experienced the dark scene of solo competitive currently and do their best to track down a teammate or friend before entering the throes of ELO hell. This isn’t entirely a bad situation overall, though! Biji so beautifully explained:

“It’s not the same alone. Even if it’s a positive match, it doesn’t have that same feel. With Overwatch being a team game, it is not the same when playing alone or with random people.”

The discussion then moved to my favorite topic of these team interviews – the ladies favorite part about playing on a Death Blossoms team. These responses are what really helps me to learn about the relationships between the teammates and to better understand what our members are looking for when they advertise themselves for a team within our community. This is also the part of the interview where my “proud mom” persona comes out and I, more often than not, get teary eyed and happy that these teams have worked out so well for the players.

One of Bijibun’s cats. We love team pets at DB!

Adaiah shares that she has found a personal sense of accomplishment with Calluna by being able to practice and learn new heroes because her teammates have her best interests at heart. They provide her with positive feedback and a safe environment to learn at her own pace. Puusku shared that Calluna has been a positive social circle for her not only in Overwatch, but offline as well. After a difficult Christmas last year, she could turn to her friends within her team for the support she needed. Pickles, a Zenyatta and Moira fan, shared that while she is not a very social person and used to fear using voice comms being in Death Blossoms and then on Team Calluna has helped her to overcome this. She now confidently uses comms and speaks up more often.

Butch told me the story of when she moved from the states to Stockholm to live with her girlfriend. Moving was stressful, she had difficulties finding a job, and her younger brother passed away. She was understandably feeling depressed and she withdrew to a dark place. But her teammates have been an anchor to her, and she expressed sincere gratitude for all they’ve done.

“Yeah, it (meeting through the team) was about Overwatch, but even if I left Overwatch I know we would still be friends.”

This deep sense of trust and friendship is what I love to hear from our teams. Death Blossoms teams are meant to be an environment where our members can not only improve and grow as players, but as an opportunity to find new friends and a deep sense of belonging.

Adaiah, Catfish, and Butchvillain at Stockolm Pride!

Our EU teams are spread all over, like our US rosters, and Calluna is no exception. They are made up of ladies from Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands. They find the time to make trips to see one another whenever possible. Butch told me that she is currently collecting selfies with her teammates as she’s able to meet up with them, treasured memories from rare time spent together not behind a monitor.

Bijibun and Butchvillain after a Midsummer Celebration

After speaking with Calluna and seeing firsthand how close they have all become, I asked if the ladies had any words of wisdom or tips they would offer players who are looking to join or form a new team. They had some great advice to share, and this doesn’t apply only to all-female teams! Players of any game, whether it be Overwatch or not, that requires a team dynamic should consider the points made by these ladies.

“I would say if you get the opportunity to be on a team, to group up, or take on responsibility… take it and run with it. Even if you want to make excuses about using comms or being nervous, just try it. The things that are scariest at first are the ones with the greatest reward.” – Adaiah

“I would offer words of caution. Personality really matters more than anything. Don’t fall into the trap of letting someone toxic play with you because they’re skilled at the game. We all want to win, but it’s just a video game at the end of the day. Get something good out of it instead of just SR.” – Butch

“If someone is afraid of using voice comms (because many people start out quiet or afraid of being social – it’s okay. DB doesn’t judge, so don’t be afraid!” – Pickles

As we prepared to part ways, Calluna was in high spirits. I was grateful for the opportunity to get to know this sweet team, and I asked one final question: ‘What are some of your favorite and memorable moments as a member of Team Calluna?’ The answers varied greatly, but they made me laugh all the same. Butch told me of a time early on when Pickles had her muted on Discord for two weeks and had no idea. “I was captain at the time and she wasn’t responding when I called out ults or strategies. I was getting frustrated and didn’t know what was going on! Turns out she thought I was just being quiet and didn’t realize she had muted me.” Pickles had a good explanation, though! “I had never used discord before joining DB and the team, so I just thought ‘oh, she muted herself, she doesn’t want to talk.’ Then I thought ‘Maybe they’re all in a different voice chat that I didn’t know about because I’m new??’” Nantuui shared, “I love some of the call outs from this team. Some of the names are just… funny.” They told me one of these names in particular and although it made me laugh, I won’t be including them in this post. But I won’t discourage you from reaching out to a Calluna member and asking for yourself! Adaiah quipped “We’ll start chanting MURDER and then we dive into the team… it usually works for us!” Can you imagine eight snails chanting for murder? Neither can I… it’s too scary to consider!

Team Calluna is a wonderful, diverse group of ladies… one I am glad I got to sit and talk with because I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on by not getting to know them better. Thank you, Calluna, for taking the time to talk with me and for sharing about yourselves with the Death Blossoms blog!

Check back next month for a new Team Tuesday feature, this time with one of our NA teams, Wisteria! Until then, heroes!

Team Tuesday: EUcalyptus

Hello and welcome to this iteration of Team Tuesday! This time around we will be meeting Team EUcalyptus, Death Blossoms’ first EU team, and one of the oldest teams on our server. Read on to learn about our favorite koalas, from the early days of EUcalyptus, all the way to where the team stands now and the goals they hope to achieve together.

Team EUcalyptus is comprised of 7 members:

Captain Ramsbottom, Benolot, Frostfoxie, Grohiik, Sandra, Tustun, and Kindred

Former co-captain and member Somecatfish also participated in this interview on her last day officially as part of the team. Like I mentioned previously, EUcalyptus was the first EU team formed within Death Blossoms. The original members of this team – 4 of the current 7 members – were part of what is now known as Team Aris. The team at that time was split in half to form both an NA and EU team. When the EU team was formed and they began searching for a flower themed name, pun master Sandra, who is a flex player for the team, came up with the idea of EUcalyptus to include the option to capitalize the EU in their team name. One of the original members friends drew their koala logo, and Frostfoxie, a Mercy main support on the team, added the team name to the logo. This was a very collaborative effort and it helped them grow together early on.

“We’re high KOALA-TY!” – Sandra

The team does stream from time to time on their personal Twitch accounts as well as on the official Death Blossoms Twitch. When asked what they feel is important to know about them when tuning in to a stream for the first time there was a resounding answer amongst themselves: “If you want to laugh along with us, please watch. There will be many laughs!”

Recently the ladies had a serious conversation about what goals are looking to achieve individually and as a team. They agreed they are here to play together and have as much fun as possible, but they are absolutely looking to improve. With a current overall SR average of platinum, they enjoy grouping up for both quick play and competitive during practice nights.

“This team has ruined comp for me! I never want to solo queue anymore!” – Ramsbottom

While they haven’t done any tournaments as a team, they have participated in scrims in the past with in-house DB teams Zenobia and Calluna. These scrims have since dropped off due to SR differences, and they have begun looking outside of the DB realm to find new partners to continue practicing against different teams but haven’t found any matches yet. EUcalyptus’ schedule for a while consisted of scrim Sundays, practice on Mondays, and a silly, more laid back practice on Wednesdays. Nowadays, however, they try to keep a more flexible schedule, and group up whenever they are all available to hop on Overwatch together. They have a goal to reach 1 scrim a week and 2 practice days a week for 3 days total playing together realistically. On practice nights they tend to prefer playing quick play before jumping into competitive play.

“OW was getting boring for me. I found EUcalyptus, and now it’s fun again! I really don’t play outside of team activities anymore.” – Benolot

Something unique to Team EUcalyptus (and our other EU teams) is they are international. All of the girls come from different European countries and therefore have different mother tongues. When asked how this affects communication and mannerisms they had this to share:

“We’re used to when you’re outside of your country, you speak English. So since we all know we’re from different countries we switch to English and hope for the best! Meeting in Death Blossoms also means we all spoke English – and most of us started on Aris, too, which spoke English primarily – so English is an understood norm for our team.”

I asked the ladies what their favorite part of playing on an all female team within Death Blossoms was, and this is when the wholesome factor hit over 9000.

“I’m so grateful I got to meet all of these wonderful human beings.” – Sandra

There was a resounding feeling of safety and comfort because there is an expectation of male toxicity within the gaming community because of past experiences on other games and within Overwatch itself. When playing with DB members there has been a marked difference in the rude remarks, crass humor, and inappropriate behaviors. Ramsbottom joined DB because she remembers in over 6 months of playing Overwatch she hadn’t heard a single female voice in comms while playing quick play or competitive modes. Since joining, she’s grateful to have many more female gamers she plays with regularly.

“Where are all the female gamers?! I don’t think I’ve ever had so many girl friends in my entire life.” – Ramsbottom

After asking how the experience of being on an all ladies team has affected their gaming experience for EUcalyptus, I asked how it has affected them overall in OW. Again, this was an enlightening question for me because I did not realize just how negative the experience had been for some of these ladies. I heard first hand experiences of women who had lost their voice out of fear of being attacked or insulted, and how they found it again once they had their friends backing them up, and standing in their corner ready to remind them they’re important and cared for. Many shared that having these friends with them not only makes them feel stronger and braver, but has helped them have more fun overall. Being teammates and long-time friends has enriched their gaming experience greatly.

“I feel the support from the team has the biggest impact on me, and is the greatest change I’ve seen.” – Frostfoxie

“I’ve grown more confident from being in DB and especially from being on EUcalyptus. I rarely talked before due to remarks I got, but now I talk constantly.” – Benolot

“I’ve never really been comfortable with my voice, and talking in-game… being teased… it scared me. But I’ve grown so much more comfortable talking and even shot-calling just from being around these lovely people.” – Sandra

Since Team EUcalyptus has been so successful in navigating the sometimes tumultuous waters of working as a team, I asked if they had any advice for those who are looking to join or form a team.

Benolot, their resident Mei ice queen and support player, had this pearl of wisdom to share: “Choose who you enjoy playing with, not just the ‘best’ people. You’ll play together more, practice more, and have fun. You want to be friends with your teammates, not have a group of people who DC as soon as possible when the games end. Have a trial period. Play with them often, communicate with them, make it clear it’s to ensure they fit with the team. It’s important it’s what both of you want most.”

Somecatfish, who played DPS during her long membership with EUcalyptus, shared this advice: “It’s important to have more than just 6 people who can fill roles needed. Be friends, talk to each other, support one another. We’ve had three meet-ups, and it’s been great!”

Ramsbottom rounded out the advice with this important truth bomb: “It’s also very important to realize what everybody’s expectations are, because you can have tons of fun playing together, but if you want to be a team long-term everyone needs to know what the team motto is and what you’re all aiming for. Don’t assume everyone wants the same thing.”

As I thanked EUcalyptus for taking the time to share with me about themselves and their fantastic team, I asked if they had a memorable game or even a highlight they’d like to share. The video you’ll find below is from one of their aforementioned meet-ups in Vienna. Tustun and Sandra played Hanzo *at the same time*, with Tustun controlling the keyboard and Sandra controlling the mouse. You have to see it to believe how amazing it turned out for them!

Thank you so much, Team EUcalyptus, and I hope you enjoyed learning about our resident koalas. Check back next month for a feature on Team Calluna here at your official Death Blossoms blog!

Team Tuesday: Aris

Welcome back to Team Tuesday, an interview series conducted by IvyDragon and Stardust highlighting our incredible Death Blossoms teams. During this iteration we will learn all about Team Aris, the resident “snek squad” of DB that is comprised of 10 members: Coach Kaidas, a junkrat fan; Analyst Kris, a Widowmaker aficionado, Team Captain Demi, Jodem, Amanda, Trippid, Jennos, Stardust, Rainmonkey, and Lynnda. Read on to learn the backstory of Team Aris, and to hear what they hope the future holds for them.

The interview started our similarly to the Wolfsbane interview, and Aris was asked how they chose their team name and how their logo design was decided upon. Trippid, who is known for her Zenyatta and Zarya play, recalls that in the early days of Aris they actually just picked an emoji they liked and researched flowers that they could name themselves after! This is clearly a fond memory for the original 6 members of the team who begin laughing and there is a resounding response of “yeah… that’s pretty much all we did!” Demi, who is not only the Team Captain but their favorite off-tank specialist, mentions that Jodem actually has a document somewhere with every name they considered initially.

Amanda: I think it came down to either Aris or Foxglove in the end. But we liked the snake emoji better.

Amanda, one of the most aggressive Reinhardt players out there, actually has a very close tie to the Aris logo as well – because her boyfriend is the creator! We learned that the girls would get small previews of the logo as it was being finished from Amanda’s boyfriend over a year ago, and since that time when Aris was decided on as the team name and a logo was made for the team, they’ve truly embraced the “snek squad” mentality. Demi lovingly added “Everything about it is our thing. Even memes of snakes!”

Like all teams, Aris has its quirks. When other teams first scrim them or people tune in to their streams, the most resounding quality they want taken from that encounter is that Aris is a FAMILY. They have put a lot of time into getting to know and trust one another in-games and as a team. They are silly, fun loving, and lighthearted. Losses hurt, and mistakes happen, but Aris does their best to not let that come between them and they do not like to let things linger or fester. The ladies made it clear that they have worked hard to make open communication an easy avenue to take, but it has taken a lot of work over the last year to reach that point. For them, the growth individually and as a team has been worth it.

Trippid: When watching us stream, prepare for the Levan Polka, Jodem’s attack Torb, me throwing as Doomfist (I’m trying guys, I’m just not there yet!), Demi’s sick Dva bombs, Lynnda crying tears of joy when we do awesome stuff, Jennos taking out the entire enemy team before the rest of us have even gotten there, Amanda’s wave before she wipes the enemy off the map, Stardust pistol whipping Genji’s, Rain’s birds cheering her on when we take a point, Kaidas screaming when any damage comes his way, and Kris literally singing our praises

In a similar vein, Aris has goals as a team and individually like all our Death Blossoms members. Right now, there is an overall feeling that they have found a good balance between maintaining a casual schedule and mentality while also still being competitive in nature. The team finds time to play competitive Overwatch together, and they have participated in tournaments in the past. Demi adds that they also like to have fun and pick silly comps and strats to try sometimes, and their favorite thing to do is find new long-term scrim partners. Stardust emphasizes that as a team they do not claim that they are not in it to win or that losing doesn’t matter, because the losses can be disappointing, and the wins are always fun to celebrate. But a point Demi brings up about the post-game rituals of Aris shows just how dedicated this team is to improving.

Demi: We never enjoy a bad loss, but you better believe after a game we’re in our analysis channel going through the vod together, giving each other advice and feedback. We’re asking the hard questions and learning from our mistakes for the future.

Lynnda, the resident Moira player for Aris, makes it clear it is never in an overly critical fashion. “It’s never nitpicky or purposeful bashing. It’s us saying ‘I saw that you did that, and I think this would have been a better call. What do you think *I* could have improved upon?’”

Individually, the ladies have goals of their own that they hope will help the team continue to climb. Stardust, who plays main heals for Aris, says she wants to learn to flex more. The most encouraging part of her response is that she says, “the team supports me in this venture, and allows me to do so”. Lynnda shares this sentiment as well. Trippid mentions she’s still perfecting the dance between shot calling, playing a hero well, and tracking the enemy team ultimates all at once – a difficult challenge by any standard. Jodem, the queen of justice from the sky and memes alike, shares that she has expanded her hero pool from 2 characters to a handful since joining Aris, and she hopes to continue. Team Captain Demi adds that Aris is always chasing a goal and working on improving, but right now the team feels good about where they’re at so it’s a tough question to answer. Based on how everyone agrees, you can tell that the team feels solid and happy with the progress they’ve made together.

As a team, they aim to play together 3 days a week, 2 hours a day. Monday is their dedicated practice day, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays dedicated more to scrims. They’re so devoted to being there for each other that Jodem mentions she’s even called out of work to be able to stay up and finish up a match!

Demi: The key is to still try to play together on the off days, whether that’s playing Overwatch or even PUBG or Stardew Valley. Just playing anything with your teammates is effectively building up your teamwork and trust for one another.

Like all of our Death Blossoms teams, Aris is proud to represent our community. One of their favorite parts of being on their team is that they have the longest running majority core roster – only Stardust is a new addition. Demi, Jodem, Amanda, Trippid, Jennos, and Lynnda have all been a part of the team since it’s induction over one year ago. While discussing how they have been playing together for such a long time, we also learned that team EUcalyptus actually was formed from the EU portion of the original team that Aris was created from! (Stay tuned for a feature on EUcalyptus!) Another favorite part of being a team here in Death Blossoms for Aris is just how spoiled the team feels within their safety bubble of support and low to no toxicity. Demi explains that when scrimming outside teams found through other discord communities there have been times where toxicity has popped up and the team has literally found themselves saying “Oh, so this is how the rest of the world is!” There is talk of some of the low points the team has had in games and scrims alike, and Demi as captain acknowledges having to speak up or make the tough call whether or not to continue a match. Trippid adds, though, that “many of our members have joined Death Blossoms because they come across our girls in premade groups and they learn for the first time this type of community exists”. Lynnda also believes DB is unique in that it supports women grouping up to play games together of all types, not just Overwatch, something that is huge for the female gaming community.

Demi: I think one of my favorite things that people tell me is “I wouldn’t still be playing Overwatch if it wasn’t for Death Blossoms. This is a sentiment I understand, and share, and it makes me happy to know this community has such a positive impact.”

As one of the oldest teams, this long running roster has advice for anyone looking to form or join a team. Rainmonkey, a bighearted Dva player, stresses finding teammates who are likeminded and that you mesh well with because “mechanical skills can be learned, but personalities and a willingness for teamwork are things that people have ingrained already”. Jennos, Aris’ resident Soldier: 76, wants potential teams to remember that a team is like a serious relationship: the good ones take effort, work, compassion, communication, and open mindedness. The overall sentiment that the girls share is that your team needs to be a realistic priority. Be open to communicating honestly, but effectively, and be forthcoming with your desires and goals for yourself and your team. Joining a team means putting forward your best self in-game and out.

For the first time, we were able to also interview the coach and analyst for our Team Tuesday special. Kaidas has been the coach for Aris since May 18th, 2017. Upon this discovery Demi gushed “Oh, you just had your birthday and we missed it!” It is very clear that he is a loved and appreciated member of the team, even if he is not on the playing roster.

Kaidas: What Aris tends to excel at most is that they’re very willing to ask question and it is clear they HEAR the feedback given. All in all it’s really great to hear them ask these questions, discuss them amongst themselves, analyze everything further, then ask “Does this work for us?” They’re constantly trying to improve individually and as a team.

What makes this team unique? Well, aside from birthing the hashtag #blamekaidas – no, I’m not kidding – is the fact that because they’ve been a team for so long, they know how to work together, how to communicate, and it’s been glorious to watch it unfold. My favorite part of working with this team is it’s just plain fun. They’re fun to work with, watch play, and talk to.

Newcomer analyst to the team, Kris, had this to add:

Kris: What I think makes Aris a unique team ties into what Jodem mentioned earlier – they have one of the longest running core rosters here in DB. It has a lot to do with how much trust they have in each other. It takes a lot more than people realize for anyone to achieve the level of trust they have in one another.

My favorite part of working with Aris is of course the memes. Also, everyone on this team – core and subs included – have their hearts in the right place. They all know what it takes and they want to improve. They’re on an upward trajectory right now, and that’s really encouraging.

I think the team excels at keeping calm and adapting in high stress situations. Nobody scrambles or panics in comms when a call is made, whether is was the best one to make at the time or not. They adapt and they don’t allow a negative mindset to take over.

We had a wonderful time talking to Team Aris and getting to know each of the members better. It is evident that this team is here to stay and will continue to grow and improve with each day, week, and month that passes by. As we prepared to go our separate ways, we asked if they would share some of their favorite highlights and vods with us for this article. You can find them below along with their social media links. Thank you for spending time with us, Aris, you were amazing to interview!

Rainmonkey’s favorite moment »» Trippid’s favorite moment »» Jodem’s favorite moments (1) (2) (3) (4) »» Lynnda’s favorite moment »» Amanda’s favorite moment »» Stardust’s favorite moment

Follow Team Aris on Twitter and follow the girls at the following links:
Demi on Twitter and Twitch
Jodem on Twitter and Twitch
Lynnda on Twitter and Twitch
Stardust on Twitter and Twitch
Trippid on YouTube and Twitter
Rainmonkey on Twitter
Kris on Twitter
Amanda on Twitter

Team Tuesday: Wolfsbane

All of the members of Death Blossoms know of our amazing teams that we so proudly support and house in our community. But who are the ladies behind these fierce teams? In today’s team feature, conducted by Ivydragon and Stardust, we meet Wolfsbane, the oldest team within the DB family. We’ll get to hear their thoughts on the competitive community, and get feedback on what has held them together as a team for over a year now.

Stardust: Who are the members of Team Wolfsbane and what roles do each of you typically play? Who are your favorite/most played heroes?

Nuka (Co-Team Captain): Myself, LilyKitsune, Zadca, Memequeen, Queen, and Tomato are the “usual” players you’ll see attending scrims. LilyKitsune is our Rein/all-around murder specialist. Zadca is our off-tank/occasional Brigette. MemeQueen and I play supports. Queen and Tomato are our DPS specialists. LilyKitsune and Queen typically do a lot of the shot calling, what ults to use, where to go, what our plan is, etc.

It is obvious from the get-go that this team is extremely supportive of one another and are proud to play together. Shortly into the interview the team began excitedly lauding one another on their accomplishments as a team. LilyKitsune, for example, was much loved for her Rein.

NyxRose: LilyKitsune is the bravest Reinhardt player in the universe and her pins are 99.9 percent accurate.

Zadca: Wolfsbane is literally just the Lily survival squad, we scream and she kills things. We also occasionally clean up the mess she makes.

LilyKitsune: Is there anti-blushing medication? D:

Nuka: I’m pretty sure I said one scrim “I’m gonna go Lucio and speed boost Lily into the enemy team and then we win ok? ok go”

We then decided to ask the ever curious question that we think people frequently consider when playing other teams and seeing amazing plays made: When these girls joined Wolfsbane, were these the roles they were comfortable in? Or has there been a learning period where people have swapped roles/heroes?

LilyKitsune shares she has been a main tank since day one, but other players such as Nuka have gone through many periods of growth on the team.

Nuka: Personally I’ve been tossed around roles as the roster changed. I am a support main and started WB as a support main. I then switched to off-tank and then to DPS. I was then back on support and am possibly going to be put back on DPS again depending on the current roster changes. It’s definitely been a learning process. Nyx was also support, then DPS and then main tank and then off-tank. (“I just fill as we need” Nyx adds.)

Zadca is also no stranger to constant role swapping. She gave a nice insight on why hero swaps are necessary when working with a team.

Zadca: I started as a Dva main but enabling Lily has been a lot of learning how to play Zarya in situations I would have normally wanted to run Winston and Dva. The way Lily plays Rein you can 100% play dive around it tho. It’s a lifestyle, not a comp. Trust your fellow tank.

Each teammate acknowledges they each play a part in making the team tick, and their own responsibilities can be crucial to their overall success.

These roles, while cornerstones of the members, are not always the same. We found out that many of the girls, while they love the role they play on Wolfsbane, are also happy to play much different heroes: such as Zadca who will aggressively play off-tank but will Sombra without question when asked because she truly enjoys playing as her. Nuka mentions she has many favorites to play, but Mercy is where she finds herself most relaxed and enjoying herself.

So far the interview gave us a nice idea of who the girls behind Wolfsbane are and what they each bring to the team, but let’s dive into the leadership. Leading a lady wolf-pack into battle is no easy task, so how do Nyx and Nuka manage to do it?

IvyDragon: Do you feel having two captains allows flexibility in the leadership role of captain?

NyxRose: I’m not sure how it works for other teams, but it works for me and Nuka because we get along pretty well. Basically, I do the booking of scrims, scheduling, and Nuka leads the scrims. We make joint decisions on things that relate to the team. I generally do communications with DB, other scrim partners, potential recruits since Nuka is not comfortable with it. It also works because there isn’t really a power dynamic or any control issues, we all just want what’s best for the team.

As we read the co-captains response regarding their two captain role for Wolfsbane, we learn they are the only remaining members of the original Wolfsbane roster.

Stardust: Do you know why Wolfsbane was chosen as the name to describe your team? Do you use the original mission statement and team icon/logo or has that possibly changed as well?

Nuka: we had a vote

Nuka: since all team names had to be ‘flower’ names, I think Belladonna was on the list, along with Dahlia

Nuka: I think Nyx’s vote was the deciding vote on Wolfsbane

NyxRose: We use the original mission statement and the beautiful art was designed by Piglet with careful thought.

Nuka: she drew that up in 10 minutes, lmao

Nuka: but we love our logo

And it is quite beautiful and majestic.

IvyDragon then asked a very good question: Was the Wolf theme kind of a reason around picking it, or did you guys kind of grow into that aesthetic?

Nuka: We grew into it

Nuka: It was easier to identify with a wolf pack as a team than as a flower

This was an interesting perspective that neither of us expected from what we felt was a simple prodding question to find out how Wolfsbane’s unique logo represented them.

Ivydragon had the next question for Team WB: Alright, so say someone is tuning in to a Wolfsbane scrim on twitch for the first time; what would you want them to know about your team?

These answers varied widely and they were an excellent representation of the fun-loving, laid-back team that Wolfsbane is.

LilyKitsune: “Milo is a mischievous cat”

Piglet: It’s gonna be noisy

Nuka: Memequeen also has Cooper, a very large and loud dog who can add… flavor to the scrims lol

After sharing about how Milo often enjoys trying to sabotage Zadca mid-game and the various reasons for shrieks, screams, and bursts of laughter that the team often hears from one another in practice and scrims, we decided to ask a more serious, nitty-gritty question.

Stardust: For the team as a collective: Is the goal of your team to have a group to play together regularly or to focus on the more competitive side of Overwatch (the ELO ladder, tournaments, etc.)?

For the players individually: what is your personal goal when playing Overwatch?

NyxRose: The team has always been in the awkward spot of being competitive yet casual. We scrim regularly with diamond/masters teams, but many of us are unable to commit to a more rigorous schedule with VOD reviews, coaching, etc. I know some of us want us to be more competitive and take it more serious, so we are still trying to find that balance. In the past, we have wanted to do tournaments such as ESL weeklies, but right now… we mostly just scrim and do rank on our own.

NyxRose: Many of our members are in school, have full-time jobs, other passions and commitments.. so Overwatch for some members is just a pastime and a way to relax while playing a fun video game.

Each of the girls has strong goals they wish to achieve, some different from another, but ultimately all follow the same passion and desire: to play with a group that has good synergy and works as not only a team but a family. Anyone with team experience may understand where NyxRose and all of Wolfsbane is coming from. Many of the teams in DB as a whole are trying to find that balance of improving individually, and as a team, while also keeping the game a fun escape from everyday stresses and pressures of school, work, and daily life.

Being the oldest team in DB, most of the members have had their fair share of time within our wonderful community. We were interested to see what is their favorite part of being on a Death Blossoms team.

Stardust: What do you think is the best part of playing on a team here in Death Blossoms?

Zadca: Bullying each other in DB events—I mean… community and friendship! Serious answer though, being able to connect with one another is huge, and I think it really speaks to the intent overwatch has as a game despite seas of salt and rage we often encounter in the main game modes.

Nuka: I think just the freedom to be ourselves. A lot of times in competitive, at least for me, I don’t speak. If I feel the team out and think “ok, they don’t seem toxic”, I might make callouts. Maybe. If it’s important. Like a flanking McCree that I know has deadeye. But I’ve had experiences in competitive that weren’t nice, weren’t friendly, etc. It just wasn’t a good time. With DB and WB, I feel comfortable and free to be myself, to talk during games, and I really trust everyone to just not be dicks. DB is a wholesome pack of nerds that are good people.

Stardust: Nuka touched on something we wanted to ask you about as well: How has your experience been as an all-female team when participating in outside tournaments/scrims? What about outside Overwatch competitive community in general?

Nuka: For the most part, scrim partners are good. We’ve had a few teams where the other team was… not professional, not nice. Rude or flaky. But those are few and far between. After scrims, we like to check Twitch to see if the other team streamed their scrim against us, to see their comms and how they read what we were doing/if we were effective, etc. And usually, we find that a lot of them, at some point, notice the number of Mercy hours our team has collectively. And then they just don’t take us seriously, or they make jokes about it. The usual shit. That’s annoying.

NyxRose: But most of those scrim partners are blacklisted and we don’t play with them again. We are pretty selective. I think the majority of our experiences have been quite positive though in the scrim environment. Competitive Overwatch is a whole different beast though.

Stardust: Has the behavior within the competitive community turned you off from playing as much as you did previously? Or are you of the camp that you’ll still play but you ignore the majority of comms/leave entirely?

Zadca: This season I’ve relied a lot more on alternate accounts just to avoid the usual mercy main trash comments. Also /hidechat is a godsend

Nuka: I actually play more Competitive now these days than any other game mode. I think I actually prefer the risks of toxicity just to have a group of people who at some level want to win. Like in QP I will see 5 people pick DPS and then I sit there like… why. Why would this be fun for me to heal? In Competitive, I simply won’t talk if I feel the team environment isn’t healthy. And if it’s toxic I just leave voice chat. They’re not contributing anything worthwhile at that point so there’s no difference.

We knew and related to these experiences all too well; as Nyx said, competitive Overwatch is a beast and one you had to come at with a clear, focused mind and patience.

Stardust: On a more light-hearted note, since WB is the oldest team here in DB (despite all of the changes, you’ve come back time and time again!) what advice would you give to new players looking to form teams? What do you feel allows you to successfully bring different people together to form a tight-knit group?

Zadca: Don’t expect everyone to instantly mesh. Know yourself first before you try to team. And be willing to accept that sometimes you aren’t a good fit with everyone. Don’t let playing become a chore. If you don’t enjoy playing together it shows.

Nuka: A good lengthy trial period is necessary because of what Zadca said. Once you do form a team, play together outside of scrims. I don’t mean all 6 have to be there. But play QP, or Arcade, or another game entirely with members of your team. You want good bonds to form so that scrim communications are easier.

Ivydragon: Okay, so on the opposite note of not enjoying playing together, you guys have been talking a lot about some good times with each other. So for each of you: what has been one of the most memorable moments on the team for you so far?

Zadca: Any time we scrim a new team tbh. The panic and gushing is always A+.

Nuka: Honestly I like the little things, like… in one of our last scrims, Lily was off being a murderball and meanwhile Tomato and I found their Lucio hiding in a corner. He waved, we waved. And then we let him go. It was a fun moment. I like Zadca laughing at things that happen, like me sleep darting a Tracer into a pit. Piglet makes the GREATEST noises when she’s panicking.

Zadca: I laugh a lot. If I’m not screaming I’m laughing.

Nuka: I also love when our team coordination really comes together, ult economy is great, it really feels like we’re controlling the game. We had a great game on Horizon like that a few weeks ago. I think of it fondly, and I hate that map.

Nuka: oh! I can think of a great moment, but it was before most of the current roster. During a tournament, we had Juawia as our Rein. It was King’s Row. We’d just lost a team fight on the first point (defending) and were grouping up for the next fight when we realized we had time to contest. So we ran in there, Juawia shattered the entire team, we wiped them and held the point and won the map.

Through talking with Team Wolfsbane we realized just how much of a little family they have become. We asked for clips or videos of some of their favorite moments and we were provided with the following.

Zadca and LilyKitsune have that psychic connection…https://www.twitch.tv/videos/267600200 (another POV) https://clips.twitch.tv/HungryDistinctBeaverLitFam

Juawia helps the team contest in a clutch play: https://plays.tv/video/59642180d07bc6a20c/juawia-with-the-clutch-shatter-?from=user

If after learning about Wolfsbane you’re interested in following them on Twitch you can find their links below. Tune in for scrims and some great teamwork and wholesome support.

Nuka’s twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nukaheals

Zadca’s twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/zadcaa

[Nuka usually streams their scrims and Zadca said the best time to catch them live with scrims/practice is Wednesdays.]

This has been our first deep dive featuring a Death Blossoms team and we look forward to bringing you more. Keep an eye out for our Team Tuesday posts and next get to know our second oldest team, Aris. If you thought the wolf pack was a force to be reckoned with, get ready for our Snake Squad!