We were lucky enough to get an interview with the coach, Taylor “Tailored” Broomall, of the newly-formed and much-hyped Team SoloMid before the launch of Valorant. TSM carries a lot of weight as a brand and the squad themselves found much success in the Closed Beta period while playing under MouseSpaz. That roster found themselves on the podium of every tournament they played and won six of them. Tailored walks us through what he thinks about Valorant, some questions he has about the role he is to fill, and how his history with CSGO benefits his situation.

Being a well established CSGO player, how was the transition to Valorant from CSGO? Is there anything in Valorant that you find yourself struggling with?

TSM Tailored: The transition was pretty easy. Outside of filtering the noise from social media it was a very warm welcome from the Development team and especially from TSM. The support they have given us is something I have not experienced from an organization before. There are still some gameplay and mechanical biases I struggle within Valorant that stem from CSGO habits, but otherwise it’s been an easy transition.

The Closed Beta is now over and we have a small break before the game goes live – without giving away secrets, how are you and the team preparing to hit the ground running when the game goes live?

TSM Tailored: Unfortunately during the downtime we could do almost nothing to prepare. I tried to stay on top of updates as they came out and as soon as the patch-notes hit I started working. With all the changes made, the meta will need to adjust as well.

In CSGO we see 7 maps in the pool at once. With Valorant, we currently have three maps with a fourth incoming at launch. Without revealing any secrets, how is your team preparing with the current map pool? Do you believe teams will prepare for all 4 or specialize like most do in CSGO?

TSM Tailored: We knew that everyone disliked Split when it came out as the map has significant issues. When we started practicing I made it a goal to learn how to play Split effectively so that we would be strong where everyone else was weak. No one can hold that map over our heads as a threat. As ex-CSGO professionals we are used to juggling 6 or 7 maps worth of theory, so 4 maps will be no issue.

Fun question – There is a new Agent to be released alongside the game. Do you have any predictions for the Agent? How do you want the new Agent to play?

TSM Tailored: Coming from a game as uniform as CSGO it’s hard for me to be creative in imagining a character with unique abilities. I love the idea of a character with a high skill ceiling movement ability. KZ, surfing, SSBM tech and Quake movement are all things that have been a bit part of how I recognize skill in a game.

Do you think the game is in the best state possible for release? Do you think any Agents should be changed?

TSM Tailored: I think the game is in a viable state for release but many changes still need to be made. The devs at Riot have given me confidence that over time the game will become more and more balanced due to their level of communication and aptitude. That is the ultimate goal. I’ve played over 10,000 hours of Counter-Strike in my lifetime and I can’t even name one person on the development team. In the first 2 weeks fo the Valorant beta, I had 5 devs on my friends list inviting me to play.

What is it like working with an established organization with a history like Team SoloMid? Does it give you a leg up on the competition in a way? Do you feel any added pressure carrying the banner of TSM into Valorant?

TSM Tailored: The last org I was with was Envy, which carries a huge fan base, and all of the guys have played under big brands as well. None of us were timid about signing. I feel that it only has an effect on our competition when the opponent lets it get to their heads. It seems to happen pretty often, people tend to stumble before we even start playing. As far as pressure on us, all five players and I will play to win whether we have an org or not, but having the support of TSM absolutely candies our wins.

Do you have an In-game Leader/Captain or are things more free form currently?

TSM Tailored: Hazed currently is calling in-game. We are unsure of how Riot will treat the coaching role in the future. In Counter-Strike, Valve made it clear that coaches were not to be a part of the in-game team. It’s good to have one voice, but we are all open to plays people want to call. Often Wardell will dictate a round simply because he knows he can get a pick somewhere.

Leave us with one fact that most fans probably don’t know about TSM?

TSM Tailored: Being new to TSM, I feel like I’m learning a lot about them that I didn’t know before.

We here at Run It Back also would love to see what Riot has in store for the coach role. In League of Legends, the role has been fluid in its role and we anticipate that Valorant’s form will look similar. We thank TSM Tailored for sharing his insights with us and giving us a peek behind the curtain of one of the most hyped squads coming to Valorant. We wish Tailored and the rest of TSM’s Valorant roster the best of luck moving forward.

Check back with us at Run It Back for more interviews, news, and analysis in all things Valorant.