Beans: "The ceiling of this team is a lot higher than people expect"
Today, we sit down with Cloud9 New York's new AR signing, Ben "Beans" McMellon, to discuss his signing with the franchise, the ending with Toronto Ultra in Black Ops 6, & his expectations going into Black Ops 7.
Out with the Ultra
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📸 Photo by @TorontoKOI
Welcome back, and congratulations on rejoining the league after your time away from Toronto Ultra. Let’s start with your move from Boston to Toronto last year. How did that transition come about?
Beans: "Was a super weird off season for me, obviously got dropped going into ewc that year which took me by surprise quite a lot but luckily landed on ravens and id say performed decently so I was hoping for a good team heading into BO6, but when the Toronto rumour started to take shape I was extremely excited as I knew the roster was gonna be really good, initially was supposed to be Reaal but because of issues we ended up getting Joe and obviously was a great move in hindsight. I did have a couple of other offers for quite a bit more money, but I’d never have turned down that team regardless of contracts."
Many believed you were the ideal replacement for Scrap and that this was the perfect opportunity for you to prove you belong at the top level. How do you reflect on the overall season?
Beans: "I think the season for the first half was going extremely well, started a bit slow, but we were really hitting insane levels going from major 2 to major 3, those scrims in between majors were the best I’ve been a part possibly ever. I thought I was proving I belonged at the top of the league for the first half of that year for sure."
How difficult was it for you and the team to synchronize after your return from missing Major 3? Did Merc's performance create extra stress and pressure for all of you?
Beans: "I think the performance of the team with Mason and the fact that Toronto still hadn’t sorted out visa problems until 2 days before we flew to the event really took a huge toll on the team and me. Of course, it’s not an excuse, I should’ve played better and been better overall, but the stress levels of everything combined for sure got to me, and I think the team too."
Off-Season Mayhem
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📸 Photo by @TorontoKOI
After leaving Ultra, you found yourself heading into the off-season without a team. How did that off-season go for you? Did you and your long-time friend Afro plan to team up for this season?
Beans: "The offseason was to be honest a little drier than I thought it would’ve been, I thought after the year I had I would’ve had some offers but only a couple were super interested, obviously individually I was worse towards the end than I was the start of bo6 but I think people had some perception that I was just awful second half of bo6 which just factually wasn’t true. Yeah me Marcus and I spoke in the off-season, and wherever I was going, I was very keen to play with him."
You must be really excited to join Cloud9, a well-established organization in esports. How did that move come about?
Beans: "It was quite a funny story, I believe Arian wasn’t hitting me up as much in the offseason as he was convinced I would be heading off elsewhere, but the stars aligned and I landed here. C9 is a huge org & I couldn’t be happier playing under them, I’m extremely excited for the season ahead."
Rumors have circulated about you and Afro possibly teaming with another duo. What convinced you that Mack and Vivid were the right pair to make this team work? Did your previous experience with Vivid help?
Beans: "I think Mack and Reece fit very well around me and Marcus playstyle-wise, and as I’ve played with Reece before, we already have that teammate connection. I always kept in touch with Reece throughout the years, which is quite a rarity when EU’s teaming with NAs, so we get on quite well.
On To Black Ops 7
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📸 Photo by @TorontoKOI
Having played a week of Black Ops 7, how do you think the game will suit you and the squad?
Beans: "I think the pacing of our team works really well with bo7, I’m always a pretty quick player when I’m in the zone and playing like I usually do, I think the tail end of BO6 I slowed down a bit sub-consciously, but normally if anything I’m usually a bit too over-chally and fast on an AR so it works well."
Which team do you expect to be your biggest threat this upcoming season?
Beans: "I think Optic is the biggest threat, Mason was a huge addition to them, and they looked 100x the team with him compared to other iterations
Finally, what are the team's goals and expectations for this CDL season?
Beans: "Goals and expectations wise, I think a lot of people counting us out before and COD has been played but we have a very vetty roster and I think we can cause serious upsets this year, I won’t sit here and say oh we’ll win this event and this event but I think the ceiling of this team is a lot higher than people expect which I’m super looking forward to reaching.