"The Pokémon UNITE community is amazing and I would aim to perform on the global stage again": Bryan "Solo" Khoo Chin of Orangutan Esports

Pokémon UNITE’s competitive scenario might not be thriving in India, but it has a major presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Orangutan Esports is one of the Indian organizations that has its own roster for the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game.

Bryan Khoo “Solo” Chin is one of the members of the Orangutan Esports roster that qualified for the Pokémon UNITE World Championship 2022. In conversation with Sportskeeda Esports’ Debolina Banerjee, Solo spoke about his love for the game, his experience at the World Championship, and more.

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Solo's journey in the competitive world of Pokémon UNITE

Q. Tell us more about your journey in the world of esports. Did you face any tribulations in your initial days as a gamer?

Solo: Pokémon UNITE has a very different pacing in comparison to traditional MOBAs. When I first started playing with other parties, I often got scolded for mistakes such as not rotating to the first Drednaw or not gathering for the Zapdos fight. I started off playing solo as I found it hard to find people to play with.

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Q. You recently joined the Orangutan Esports roster. What made you join the roster and what are your expectations?

Solo: The roster in Orangutan Esports consists of people whom I have teamed up with or played with in the past, such as Raithe (Chuang Fu Yuan) from No Lucario, as well as Ice (Tay Leong Jie) and Aere from Star 9. I had a lot of fun and a certain amount of confidence in them, which is why I was willing to take a gamble and form a competitive Pokémon UNITE team with these individuals. I expected us to qualify to the World Championship 2022 as that was the main goal and we did perform to that expectation.

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Q. Your roster recently won the Pokémon UNITE Championship Series from the Asia-Pacific region. What do you feel contributed to your victory?

Solo: I would say highly competent individuals with a drive to win having very similar mindsets allowed us to train and study the game at a level higher than most, which resulted in our victory in the APAC region.

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Q. One of your major achievements was winning the SEA Invitational Spring, where you did not lose a single match from the Group Stage to the Grand Finals. What do you feel contributed to this major win?

Solo: I think we were well prepared heading into the competition. We had a clear idea of how to respond to multiple scenarios. Even when the situation seemed dire, our quick thinking and adaptiveness allowed us to play comeback games and win, even without taking Zapdos.

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Q. Now that live esports tournaments are back, how was it to travel and play on the global stage for the very first time?

Solo: It was truly satisfying and motivating. The community is amazing and I would aim to do it again!

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Q. Your team was not able to perform to the best of their ability at the Pokémon UNITE World Championship 2022. What are some of the mistakes that you learned that you would be sure to not repeat in the future?

Solo: I think we were slightly unprepared for the scenario as none of our five main players could attend the Pokémon UNITE World Championship 2022. As a result, our sub players had insufficient training and we had to rush to prepare a backup plan. Going forward, besides having phenomenal gameplay, we will also be vigilant regarding administrative matters.

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Q. Name five aspects that a professional gamer must keep in mind before taking part in a tournament.

Solo: The five aspects that players should keep in mind are:

• Time
• Motivation
• Stable mentality
• Trust
• And finally, have fun!