eUnited Adds Veteran PUBG Coach To The Fold
By: Zachary Lange
With eUnited’s PUBG team performing near the top of the standings in Phase 2 of the National PUBG League, the squad has a new voice on the sidelines to help propel them to new heights.
Trey “Afflux” Bourne has been signed to provide crucial analysis of the team’s performance during NPL play at the OGN Super Arena in Manhattan Beach, California.
A veteran of the competitive PUBG scene and longtime esports competitor, Trey has competed in several different titles outside of PUBG, such as Call of Duty and Halo. In the PUBG scene, Afflux has helped spur the creation of a variety of top contending PUBG teams such as Tempo Storm, Ghost and Simplicity dating back to 2017.
His addition at eUnited comes at a time where the 26-year-old Maryland native was searching for his forever home in esports.
“I would very well love this to be the last jersey I ever wear,” Afflux said. “I really believe in this brand and everyone that I’ve worked with so far in this journey and I think this team has everything to make it to the next level.”
Afflux will be joining a team that has been on the rise from a performance standpoint in recent months. With the addition of Viktor "Stab" Blaesbjerg, the team have ranked inside the top-5 in kills for the duration of the current phase of the NPL.
In-game leader Tom “PistolaTime” Banel and fragger Taylor “TaylorJay” Johnson stressed that having a new guide on the headset will help fix the small things that arise between the team in lengthy daily scrimmages, which typically last for approximately six hours on the weekdays.
“It’s good to have a third party watch over you and have an objective view of it all,” PistolaTime said. “It’s easier to take decisions (from a coach), helps fix issues in communication, rotation or any other issues in-game and he can also assure that healthy discussions take place.”
Andrew “GICE” Geisinger added that Afflux’s history in the formation of heavy hitting lineups will serve as a positive influence for eUnited.
“Since he's coached teams to success as well as some that have struggled, I think he will have a lot of insight on when we good and bad to help us refine or change up our play style depending on how we are doing,” GICE said.
Afflux’s top placements include guiding Ghost to a first-place finish at the PGL PUBG Spring Invitational in 2018, an event that a previous iteration of eUnited finished 13th at, respectively. More recently, Afflux helped lead Simplicity to a spot inside the group of 16 NPL teams with a first place finish in the NPL Preseason Qualifiers back in January.
The new coach sees loads of potential in eUnited and praised the team for having a “championship winning mentality” due to their amount of dedication to practicing outside of competition.
Minor improvements, such as continuing to work on team chemistry and making more decisive play calls in-game are areas that Afflux wants to stress to the team as they gear up for Week 3 of the second season of NPL play.
With the final transfer spot into the next global event held in Sweden in July secured for the moment, it’s up to Afflux and the team to push the pedal to the floor to make sure their goals for Phase 2 are fulfilled. In the long term, the coach sees potential that will lead to the hoisting of some serious hardware.
“These guys are going to win and take first place eventually, I promise you,” Afflux said. “I will not stop working until it happens and then some.”
NPL play continues live Saturday from the OGN Super Arena on the official PUBG Twitch channel.