Article by Bryan "DrDogg" Dawson, Senior Writer TheCGS.com


Much like the Los Angeles Complexity, the New York 3D have a long history in the eSports world. They were able to transition that winning spirit to the Championship Gaming Series and finish as the fourth place team in Region 1 competition. We sat down with Dave Geffon, General Manager of the New York 3D, to discuss all things relating to the draft and the following season.

How did your draft order evolve as the other General Managers made their selections? How close did your final draft selections mirror your pre-draft preferred roster?

My draft order obviously had to change as the draft evolved because my options and available players to pick were a direct correlation as to who the other General Managers did and did not pick. I would say that my initial pre-draft strategy was about 80% similar to what I came out with come Draft day and I don’t think anyone could ask for anything better.

Going into the draft, what game held the most importance to you, and why? Which game held the least importance to you, and why?

I knew that PGR was going to be incredibly important come Draft time which is why I tried to structure my draft strategy with a focus on the importance of PGR. I’m not sure if anyone really knew how much PGR was going to affect the outcome of games at the time of the draft because we had never seen the scoring system in action.

I think that it might have to be DoA Female. I knew that I wanted Coolsvilla going into the draft but I felt like there were 3-4 girls behind Vanessa that could fight and work for the honor of being the second best female in the league.

Which draft decision helped your team the most throughout the season and which decision hurt the most?

That’s a tough question because throughout the season every single one of our players pulled through when we needed it and had less than stellar performances at times so to try to put a label on who helped and hurt us the most would be a mistake because everyone had their moments.

Which draft choices by the other GMs surprised you the most?

I think picking Stermy in the 3rd round was a little bit of a surprise because I think Kat might have been able to get him later on, but if she really wanted him as apart of her franchise he might have been a steal - it really depends on what your draft strategy is I suppose.

At the Combine, many players were informed that sheer skill was not the only determining factor in who was drafted. What was the primary reason you drafted your players; sheer talent, skill under pressure, publicity or something else?

I drafted my players with a bit of everything in mind. What kind of skill they had, the ability to play well under pressure and what kind of presence they would bring to the camera.

Team 3D has always been known as a Counter-Strike powerhouse. How important was it for you to secure them with your first round selection? Did they met your expectations throughout the season?

I felt that it was very important that I pick my Counter-Strike team in the first round because I feel they are a big part of who we really are as a team. I think they had a good season, not the best it could have been but I don’t think I’m disappointed by any means.

You selected your first PGR pick immediately after ch0mpr, Phantom and Jason X had been taken. Did you feel you were forced to select BadAXX as your second draft pick? Would you have made a different selection had the draft not shifted to a PGR focus at that time?

I honestly don’t think that the draft took a PGR Focus until after I picked BadAXX. I think it was at that time that the other 3 General Managers saw ChompR, JasonX, Phantom and BadAXX gone and wanted to make sure they got themselves a solid racer. I intended to pick BadAXX at that spot long before the Draft had even started.

Most GMs looked at FIFA as a less important game due to the generally low scoring Combine matches. Did you feel you were able to steal away the top FIFA player by selecting Wizakor as your third pick and 16th overall?

I think Wizakor was definitely a steal in the 3rd round. I know many people including myself viewed FIFA as not too important in the grand scheme of things but any time you can get the Number #1 player in any game during the 3rd round it is a steal. Wizakor was amazingly consistent throughout the entire season and really proved that having a great player in whatever game it might be always is the best possible scenario.

Your last pick of the draft was Coolsvilla at number 33. She ended up finishing the season as the second ranked DOA Womens player, making her arguably the best pick of the final round. Did you always have your eyes on Coolsvilla and if so, what made you wait until the last round to pick her up?

I did always have my eyes on her and it wasn’t that it was my intention to pick her up in the final round but rather that the DoA Female players that the other General Managers picked that lead me to believe that I could delay my picking her until the end.

New York when 1-3 to start the season, but still managed to make the playoffs. What happened during the start of the season, and what changed throughout the course of the season that allowed you to come back strong for the playoffs?

We started off the season with really close 1-2 point losses to Carolina and Los Angeles and just came together as a team to realize that we needed to pull it together and get those points in order to win. While we weren’t getting blown out we just needed the wins which we managed to get later on in the season.



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