It was a little difficult to track down a photo of George "ShaDowBurn" Gushcha live at the Blizzard Arena. Juxtaposed with someone like Fragi, ShaDowBurn emerges as an introverted presence on the team-- quietly heading onto the stage and, eventually, leaving it with little fanfare.

But, in-game, it's a completely different story. His lethal Genji play is explosive and confident, netting unexpected kills and making incredible use of Dragon Blade at the precise moment. Above all, it is ShaDowBurn's prediction skills that make him such a terror to play against, amplifying his playmaking ability to highlight worthy levels of skill.

I had a chance to talk to ShaDowBurn after Fusion's win vs. the Shanghai Dragons this week and was curious as to what he thought about his opponents poor reputation. After all, Fusion also defeated the NYXL powerhouse this week, so their close match against Shanghai Dragons was surprising. Were the Dragons really as weak as fans seem to think?

After your match with Shanghai Dragons, how would you evaluate their skills?

I think people underestimate them very hard. The teams right now are all in very close positions. Even the worst teams can beat the best teams, we are all super close. People should not underestimate Shanghai Dragons.


What player on the Shanghai Dragons surprised you with their skill or perhaps the pressure they placed on you.

I would say Undead. He is a really good player and was creating a lot of pressure with his flanks on McCree. He also has very good aim.


How would you explain Fusions recent winning streak?

I think we just practiced way more in the last couple days. We practiced with our 2nd roster a bit less, but we are trying to get more flexible players for the current maps. In our previous matches, we just had way less practice time.


How has this extra practice time translated in-game? What are you most proud of?

Our coordination was next level and our comms were super clear against NYXL. That is the hardest thing in the game to achieve and we did it really well.


What is is the difference between messy comms and clean ones?
 
Most players have played on different teams before and they have different playstyles and timings to call out ultimates or make plans for a fight. In just a short time, we learned each other's timings and playstyles.

We had really clear goals in the middle of fights and before fights. We were able to talk about ultimate economy and make plans quickly and clearly.

ShaDowBurn's Genji Mechanics on full display vs. Shanghai Dragon's

When you make that plan, what does that look like? Is it open comms where any player can suggest an idea, or is it more structured?

We focus on ultimate economies. For example,  imagine the enemy team has Transcendence and Valkerie.  We'd look at our DPS ultimates and then make a plan based on it: "what are we going to do with this?"

Do we force the Transcendence and use our ultimates instantly to bait the enemy team? Stuff like that. It is mostly up to the individual player to call it. If a DPS player wants to make a plan for a fight with their ultimates, they have to bring it up.


Some of the Korean teams have noted that all DPS players are very aware their own skill level. Where do you place your Genji when compared to the entire league?

Personally, I wouldn't place anyone as being either the best or the worst. It is more like we all have different playstyles that each makes us unique. Some players could learn from others-- either being patient or specific mechanics. We are all different.


So if you could fuse all the Genji players into one perfect player, what would they play like?

They would be unpredictable every time-- this is the most important thing. Some Genji's players are super passive, some play super aggressive. If you mix it up and surprise the enemy team, they don't know what you are going to do. That way, you can get the edge every fight.


Is that advice specific to Genji, or could it help Tracer players as well?

Yes, all DPS roles could be improved if they are more unpredictable.


How do you become unpredictable and avoid going on auto-pilot?

You have to know your style and how you play, then you make a plan during a game once you figure out how the other team is playing that day. For example, if a team is focusing you very hard, you adapt and play passively.

Then, when they start to lose, you immediately play aggressive and make them change their style again. 

I prefer to play how I usually play and not focus on the other DPS players. If you are really good, you naturally force the other DPS player to change their style. Then, they don't feel comfortable during the match.

ShaDowBurn doing what he does best.

There was recently some statistics that came out regarding which target DPS players in the league tend to focus on. It was revealed that Seoul Dynasty rarely focuses on support heroes. Do you think Seoul Dynasty is on to something by not focusing supports so much? Which targets do you prioritize?

I would say it all comes down to the different team's playstyle. Different teams have different priorities, they each have strong parts and weaknesses. In that way, you can't really say in general whether you need to focus supports more on DPS more.

How I choose targets? Well, sometimes in the match, we notice a particular player is not playing their best. When that happens, we all decide to shut them down every time and they aren't able to do anything about it.


What would you say to all your fans who love your Genji play

Always go for 1 vs. 6!

*laughs* 

That is more of a meme. To be serious, Genji players should work on their mechanics and be patient about their ultimate. Think about how you are going to use Dragonblade: who are you going to focus first, where will you end up after you use it. They need a game plan before they even press Q.

RELATED -- Seoul Dynasty: "Through our process, I believe we will be untouchable."

You can follow ShaDowBurn on Twitter @SDBurnOW. All photos at Blizzard Arena taken by Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment and subsequently released by Blizzard for publication.