Damian "Damie" Augustyniak is a Polish FIFA pro who is making his name well known in the competitive esports scene.
After making a good impression playing in the Gfinity Challenger Series Season 3, he got drafted by Oslo based team Nordavind to play in the Gfinity Elite Series, where once again he performed well. He is currently playing for esports giants AS Roma FNATIC, and among his many accomplishments are a TOP 8 positioning in both the FIFA eWorld Cup Playoff event in Amsterdam and FUT Champs Cup Manchester.
He was also the only FNATIC player who made it all the way into the Grand Finals of the FIFA eWorld Cup in London, England.
We sat down with this great FIFA player and asked him the questions you would never have the courage to ask!
What is your real name and how did you choose your gamer tag?
My real name is Damian Augustyniak. I always had a problem to create my gamertag and at some point me and my friends decided to mix up our names with professional CS:GO players nicknames. I mixed up my first name with 'Flamie' and that's how my gamertag was created. Obviously we did it just for fun but after some time I decided to keep it.
When did you start playing videogames? what age?
Honestly I had console since I can remember. I always had a lot of fun playing so my parents didn't really have a problem with buying consoles for me.
What games did you play or still play?
Oh I played a lot of games. I always had some football games I remember playing FIFA Street a lot. Later on I was in love with Assasin's Creed series.
When did you realize you wanted to go pro?
It was just before FIFA17 came up. I've heard about FUT Champions mode and I knew that if I want to become a pro player this is my chance to improve. I've had really hard times at the start but I could see my improvement every month and that's what kept me in FIFA.
What led you to play in the Gfinity Challenger Series?
I could say everything. Gfinity is probably the best site to play against other top players and also if I was lucky enough I could get contracted by one of the teams from Gfinity Elite Series. There is everything that new player would want to have.
What do you think of the competition and how well did you do?
It was really tough, I've managed to qualify for the draft in the last cup and honestly I didn't win any of these cups back then.
How was the feeling of being drafted by a Pro Esports team?
Some teams already contacted me before draft so I knew that at some point I will be drafted but I would never expect being first picked on ps4 side. I gained a lot of confidence before Elite Series and I'm still really grateful for the chance that Nordavind gave me.
What is your advice for aspiring esports players?
First and most important thing you should like the game you are playing. After that it's all about training and being honest with yourself by finding your mistakes that you can improve on.
What is the best about the team you currently play with?
The thing that you can really feel that we are the team. Since first day I could feel support from every single person in the team and for us FIFA is more than just 1v1 game.
How was the feeling of playing for in the Gfinity Elite Series?
Just incredible. Gfinity Elite Series was different from any other tournament because you needed to play in Arena every weekend. I could gain much more experience because of that format and I was really excited while playing in front of the crowd.
What are other major competitions you have played in and did well?
In my first year I qualified for all official EA events. I managed to get two TOP8 PS4 finishes at FUT Champions Cup #2 in Manchester and Playoff Event in Amsterdam. Also, I qualified for FIFAeWorldCup Grand Finals in London.
What are you looking forward in the next Gfinity Elite Series?
Next Gfinity Elite Series will be much different for me as a player. Last season I was in Nordavind, the underdog team that no one expected to do well and we proved people wrong. This time I'm playing for defending champions so it's completely different approach to the competition. Last season I played well in my opinion but if I want to lift that trophy in next Gfinity Elite Series I need to step up even more.
The future looks bright for young Damie, and we cannot wait to see what he does next in his career!
If you want a shot at becoming the next FIFA superstar, try signing up for FREE to our ongoing Gfinity Challenger Series Delivered by Domino's! You could end up playing for FNATIC one day!