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FlyQuest's Moon Reaches for the Stars
After a rough start to his LCS career, Moon is now rising high with the LCS veterans of FlyQuest.
Moon's moving up with FlyQuest
© Riot Games Flickr
Galen "Moon" Holgate has been on a rollercoaster ride in and out of the LCS, but he seems to have found his wings on FlyQuest. Moon was a favorite of the Challenger scene, but his two stints in the LCS on NRG and Team Liquid didn’t translate his potential into results. Now, Moon is flying high with the rest of FlyQuest. FlyQuest entered the LCS with low expectations, but they’re currently in the top tier of the LCS with a 3-1 record. Moon was a last minute pickup to the old Cloud9 core of Balls, Hai and Lemonnation, and he joins former teammate Altec on the team. Red Bull eSports caught up with Moon after the NA LCS to get his thoughts on their match against Counter Logic Gaming, redeeming himself in the LCS, and gelling with the rest of FlyQuest.
Waning stages
Moon came out of the Challenger circuit with a solid reputation, but he wasn’t able to perform on NRG. The team was initially expected to be top three. Moon, Impact, GBM, KonKwon and Altec had a strong start, but they weren’t able to keep momentum. Eventually, Moon stepped down, and NRG evolved into their second, fan-friendly iteration. He made a second appearance on the LCS on Team Liquid after Dardoch was benched, but the change didn’t stick after a disastrous weekend.
Hai and Moon are becoming solid teammates
© Riot Games Flickr
The first iteration of NRG, while stacked with Korean talent, wasn’t particularly productive for a North American rookie. FlyQuest, by comparison, is a North American team. "I think having one language is really nice," Moon admits. "In-game, having Koreans doesn’t matter too much. Especially out of game, on NRG we had a Korean top and mid and Konkwon who was bilingual. So a lot of times in scrim review, GBM and Impact would talk and then Konkwon would talk to them."
The result was a fractured team that couldn’t connect. "Altec and I were just sitting there and really didn't know what was going on. Koreans also tend to befriend each other," Moon says. "Once you get on stage, I don't think it matters too much, unless the Korean doesn't speak any English at all." It’s clear that NRG’s in game performance was influenced by the team off stage.
Waxing strong
Moon was, at first glance, a last-minute pickup from FlyQuest. While nearly everyone who examined the roster admitted that Hai’s shotcalling would be a strong point, no one expected the team to turn in such a strong early performance overall. Everyone may be performing well individually, but Hai’s still at the wheel.
"Hai’s shotcalling is really good, especially under pressure," says Moon. "I still feel I’m this rookie even though I’ve played professionally for like a year. I still have this rookie mindset and rookie play. A lot of times, if I’m ever lost in game, I ask Hai 'What are we doing again?' or I get Lemon to get me up to pace and tell me what’s going on."
Hai is still the legendary shotcaller of NA legend
© Riot Games Flickr
The old guard do more than shotcall; they also keep a hectic game under control and guide Moon when nerves threaten to weaken his play. "When you’re on stage a lot, people will stay stuff. You’re kind of hype-y. I was like, 8-2 or something on Rengar, and got really hype-y then. It was good to have Hai and Lemon there to control the situation."
With two veterans giving him on the job training, Moon is finally able to show his stuff. Winning against Counter Logic Gaming was one highlight Moon was happy to talk about. “[The win felt] really good,” he says. “Xmithie is always the one I highly respected. There's this kind of meme like 'Oh Xmithie underrated!' and everyone thought that for a long time. I always liked him as a jungler, I think he's really smart about the game and he generally knows where to be. He didn't play well that series, but we played really well though so I'm happy.”
Moon impressed viewers and fans with a well-timed, expertly timed Kha’zix countergank on top in game one against CLG, about five minutes in. "I saw that Lee Sin was there, and I was like, 'Hey Balls! Hey Balls, I can countergank!'" he explains. "Balls didn’t see him, but that was really good.I barely killed him with red buff and my Q was on 1 second cooldown after I flashed. I was so happy. I killed mid level 3, farmed my jungle, then counterganked top. Kha'zix is super good if you get early kills."
Still earning their wings
FlyQuest is still new as an organization, and everyone is finding their footing. Moon explained what early days with the org are like. “I don’t really know how it functions,” he admits, “but everything is good though. Everything was really late because it's a brand-new org and they're brand new in eSports so it was pretty much expected. All the problems we had are continually getting fixed and everything is set in stone. It's nice to be on a new org, too, because everyone is learning together."
FlyQuest is half C9, and half NRG
© Riot Games Flickr
The team atmosphere is relaxed, and everyone is getting along, according to Moon. It’s an environment reminiscent of his time on Team Liquid Academy, except with the perks — and motivation — that come from playing on the LCS stage. He seems comfortable and confident after having months of his narrative defined by seeming anxiety and confusion. In just five games, he’s outstripped his 2016 Spring Split kill record, going from 28 to 40. Now, Moon is getting his chance to shine, and it looks like his meteoric rise is going to continue.
It can’t all be sunshine, so we asked if there were any unexpected hurdles. Well, the food budget’s a little high. “We actually just got groceries yesterday,” he laughs, sharing the team’s first benchmark. "We spent a lot of money eating out or eating in."
Right now, the team is focusing on Spring playoffs. "I know Altec really wants to go to Vancouver," Moon says, and then laughs. "So I’m going to take him there." If FlyQuest continue to succeed, that promise seems as good as fulfilled.
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