After a few seasons towards the lower end of Division 1, /for fence stepped up to Premiership in Season 42 and performed respectably. They failed to make an impact against the top dogs but took maps away from their two competitors at the lower end of the table, and three of their players were subsequently nominated for Debut of the Season: not earth-shattering, but more than enough to cement their place in Prem. The next season, Autumn 2022, playoffs seemed within reach as their games were constantly competitive, but while they took points away from all but the top two teams /for fence ultimately had to settle for another sixth place.

This season, they have made changes. Two The League Of Shadows alumni have been added, with ronz replacing alX on Roamer and deli69 joining as Demo, with AlienSmiley moving over to Pocket Scout. These two come with freshly minted silver medals around their necks and were hailed as “straight upgrades” by countryman dmoule on Fully Charged #56.

ronz joins /for fence after a third place finish with Season 42’s NOOBPANZER and a second place finish with Autumn 2022’s The League Of Shadows, having made their name as one of the best soldiers in Europe. Returning to Roamer after two seasons in the combo, the raccoon fan now links up with Brujman in a duo hailed as one of the best in Europe by papi and as the powerhouse of the team: if they can live up to the hype, this might just be what /for fence need to push them ahead of the pack.

In the combo, AlienSmiley has moved away from Demo onto their other main, the Pocket Scout role. While their two seasons with /for fence in Prem have only been as the Scotsman, the last time they were seen on Scout at the top level was with ★★★½ in Season 39’s run to third place alongside Cuby and deli69. Make no mistake, AlienSmiley is more than capable on both classes, and importantly this move frees up a space in the combo for deli69.

deli69 is one of the best players to have never won Premiership. After debuting in the division more than three years ago, they bounced between French and international teams until in Autumn 2022 they ended up on The League Of Shadows. In between, they found time to try their hand at Medic, most recently on France’s Nations’ Cup team and as a merc for none other than /for fence, but it is as Demo that they join for the Winter Showdown 2023. Last season they commonly top-damaged for their team, commonly aggressing to set up the fragging classes, and doubtless they can do this again alongside their compatriots.

While half of /for fence has changed, half remain as they were. Supporting the team, Medic juxta reprises their role from last season after initially joining as a scout some seasons ago. Already unafraid to commit, the addition of deli69 may embolden them further to produce a combo permanently in their opponents’ faces. Flank Scout Cuby is a staple of the French Prem scene, with multiple playoffs appearances to their name. The playmaker now finds themself with a new partner-in-crime on the flank; two young guns laser-focused on the perfect timing. Finally and inevitably, Pocket and maincaller Brujman stands at the helm of this team. Well respected and individually talented, they have led /for fence all the way from Division 2 to now contenders for Premiership playoffs: the architect of a team whose ceiling keeps rising.

TEAMFORTRESS.TV: How do you explain your somewhat lacklustre performance last season? Do you think you have to change anything apart from your roster?

Our main problem last season was that some of us were not as involved as the others. So we couldn't improve in a good environment, it created conflict and frustration. As long as this new roster keeps being motivated during all the season, we should be able to improve as much as i want.

TEAMFORTRESS.TV: You have picked up two very talented players, but the teams in Prem this season are all looking strong as well. What are your goals for this season?

As I said, we wanted to have a roster of 6 people very involved and motivated to improve and stay together during next seasons. So now our main goal is to improve as much as we can during the season, and stay together for the next one. Our goal in term of rank in prem is to reach podium and maybe even 2nd place if we stay keen during all the season.

TEAMFORTRESS.TV: In the latest Fully Charged! episode, your team has been called "dark horses" and overall people were very complimentary. Do you care about these accolades? Is there some pressure coming from those expectations?

the goals we have for this season were pretty much set upon creation of the current roster. they will be what defines how much pressure we put onto ourselves.

Refreshed, refined and re-focused, /for fence are:

• Pocket Scout: AlienSmiley
• Flank Scout: Cuby
• Roamer: ronz
• Pocket: Brujman
• Demoman: deli69
• Medic: juxta