Fortnite Spotlight: Featuring Sparkdog_

We are back everyone. Hope you had a great time in Fortnite Land! Today we are speaking with Sparkdog_. As recent as yesterday, he had come in the top 100 in Solo Showdown Blitz.

*JBeck: * Introduce yourself.

Sparkdog: Hi, my name is Matt. I’m 19 years old and I go by Sparkdog on twitch.

*JBeck: * When did you start playing video games?

Sparkdog_: I started playing video games when I was around 5-6 years old. My first video game was Pokemon Emerald. After my DS days I switched to the Wii. My first ever shooting game was Golden Eye 007. After 007 I switch to the Cod games and absolutely loved BO2 (Black Ops II).

*JBeck: * What was the first game you began to take seriously?

Sparkdog_: The first game I began to take seriously has to be CS:GO. I have around 2000 hours on CS:GO. The thing I like about CS:GO is the competitive nature of the game. I absolutely love competitive atmospheres. When I first stumbled around this game two years ago I could not get enough of it.

*JBeck: * What stands out to you about Battle Royal games versus other genres?

Sparkdog_: I think that BR games like fortnite show how truly skilled a player is. In fortnite, a player must be able to build, shoot, and have proper game sense to win games all the time.

*JBeck: * When you made the switch to Fortnite what stood out to you?

Sparkdog_: I started a little late on the Fortnite grind. I started back in mid-November. I decided to give Fortnite a try when I couldn't stand PUBG anymore. The thing that stood out to me was that in Fortnite you could be fully looted in less than five minutes. All these other BR modes I had to loot 10 minutes for a gun and then another 15 minutes to find a proper scope. Also when I first ran Fortnite my FPS felt so much smoother than any other BR games.

*JBeck: * What do you think your specialities lie? Building? Sniping? Etc?

Sparkdog_: The area I specialize in is my building. I feel comfortable going up against anyone when I have full materials. There is nothing more satisfying then outbuilding someone and pumping them in the forehead with a pump shotgun!

*JBeck: * Take us through a game. Where do you drop ideally? What do you look for? Etc.

Sparkdog_: A typical game for me is dropping either Anarchy or Retail. If I am looking for a higher kill game I will drop Retail. When I am dropping from the bus I usually look for any type of shotgun on the top of any building (preferably a pump). When I have full mats I love to get into 1v1 build battles.

*JBeck: * What are your thoughts on the season so far?

Sparkdog_: To be honest, I am neither a fan or a hater this season. I absolutely love the shopping carts they recently added because it is super buggy and it will sometimes chuck you across the map. The thing I really hate this season is the Jetpack. I think the Jetpack should be removed because when you out build someone they should try to build to regain high ground instead of flying up and regaining it.

*JBeck: * What changes have you made as a player from Season 3 to Season 4?

Sparkdog_: I think my play style is relatively the same. The main difference between my play style in Season 3 and Season 4 is the Showdown modes are in Season 4. In the Showdown modes I do not try to fight people. I play super passive so that I will have a chance to come in the top 100.

*JBeck: * While your win percentage has been going up (up 6.2% compared to Season 3), your K/D has dropped .36. Is this due to any change in engagements ?

Sparkdog_: This is due to change in engagements. Epic has released two Showdown modes now and in each showdown mode I have played super passive and just going for the win. In the recent Blitz solo showdown I won 16 out of 25 games. Keep in mind these games I only went for the win compared to getting kills.

*JBeck: * When playing do you have matches where you focus on upping your k/d vs. winning, or, are both a priority?

Sparkdog_: In regular matches I try to up my k/d and win. In solo showdown I go for the win.

*JBeck: * Who has been a mentor to you in how you play and your approach to the game?

Sparkdog_: The two streamers I have watched for awhile now has to be Myth and Hamlinz. Both of them are amazing builders and I like to imagine myself in their shoes when they are in a build battle. I often learn from their good plays and their mistakes.

*JBeck: * Fortnite is continuing to grow and grow. What are your thoughts on the speed of the growth?

Sparkdog_: I think the growth is a good thing and a bad thing. The good news is that with Fortnite growing as fast as it is, it is very easy for Epic to host tournaments. The bad thing about the speed of their growth is that I really don't want the Fortnite developers to become lazy.(H1Z1)

*JBeck: * Do you see Fortnite as an Esports? Have you looked into the format UMG uses for its events?

Sparkdog_: I 100% think that Fortnite could become a huge Esports. I think that Solos and Duos will be bigger in the Esports scene than Squads. I have looked into UMG events, but have not participated in any of them.

*JBeck: * What do you think Fortnite is lacking at the moment?

Sparkdog_: To be honest, recently I think Fortnite is lacking on its skin game. Other then that I think they should test updates more before they release them.

*JBeck: * For new players, they are always looking to improve. What advice can you give them?

Sparkdog_: My biggest piece of advice for new players is to bind your building to keys and practice building in wailing woods. For the first 100 wins I did not have my keys binded. After the first 100, I binded my keys and I started to win a lot more frequently.

I'd like to thank Sparkdog_ for his time.

To check him out head over to his twitch at twitch.tv/sparkdog.

We will see you all next week!