European Heroes of the Storm has excelled quicker than most other regions. Teams have come out in drones which brought an insane amount of tournaments in the region in 2015, even though the game has only been official for six months. European teams were able to pretty much dominate the rankings, except for the top spot. We asked some of the top European teams their thoughts on 2015 and hopes for the new year.
How do you feel about the team’s general performance in 2015?
2015 has been great, was really disappointing not to qualify for BlizzCon but looking at the whole of the year, Team Liquid has been the team to dominate for the longest time and the team to win the most amount of major offline tournaments in Europe.
What team or tournament was the toughest competition for you in 2015?
Probably Heroes World Championship Europe [Qualifiers], Na'Vi and Dignitas were in very good shape and the rest of the European teams were kinda strong as well since everyone wanted to qualify for BlizzCon.
What are the team goals for 2016?
Right now we're taking a break for a week or two and then we'll start working on next year, the team hasn't yet set any goal but I think Team Liquid will still be one of the best teams throughout the year, and we'll work hard to qualify for BlizzCon.
How will the team approach the new year? What will be done differently?
I think we have to work a lot on strategies, there are so many strategies we would have liked to try but we haven't had the time due to Dreamhack and WCA, the rest I think is ok.
How do you feel about the team’s general performance in 2015?
Looking back to the start of 2015, it’s crazy to think how far all of my team have come. To make it to the first ever World Championships, and to end up in the finals (with a live audience that was so big it was causing a fire hazard) was amazing, and I am very proud of how far we came as a team.
I think in both the European Championship finals and the World Championship finals we could have performed much better, but to make it there showed how strong a team we were.
What team or tournament was the toughest competition for you in 2015?
Honestly the most difficult thing for us to overcome were the internal issues within the team. Despite the good results and friendships within the team, the pressure to perform was causing a lot of tension between players, and the team almost fell apart at BlizzCon, but we were able to pull it back together just in time, with some help from ODEE, the owner of Team Dignitas.
What are the team goals for 2016?
We have one goal in 2016, and we will give everything we have to try and make it a reality; to be World Champions. While the Asian regions are still ramping up, and a very deep talent pool in Europe, I think it’s entirely possible that we can do it.
Aleksandar "AlexTheProG" Grumstrup
How do you feel about the team’s general performance in 2015?
I think we had a really strong performance in 2015, especially at the European Championship where we won 10-0. We also did pretty good overall at BlizzCon, even though it was sad losing to Dignitas in the semi-finals.
What team or tournament was the toughest competition for you in 2015?
The toughest team most of the year was Team Liquid, but when it came to the European Championship Dignitas was no doubt our biggest opponent. At BlizzCon team DK and C9 looked really scary as well.
What are the team goals for 2016?
Our goal is to continue being the best team in Europe, and hopefully get a better placing in the international tournaments with the other regions.
Cristian "Ace of Spades" Lippa
How do you feel about the team’s general performance in 2015?
TCM is happy, I would've liked to do more though. I always want more.
What team or tournament was the toughest competition for you in 2015?
I think DreamHack Winter since I was not there, leaving the team without a proper shotcaller.
What are the team goals for 2016?
We would like to play in the WCA next year, playing versus teams from other regions is always lots of fun.
How will the team approach the new year? What will be done differently?
Some unfortunate events outside the game didn't allow us to practice as much as other teams. Practicing more will be our first priority in 2016.
How do you feel about the team’s general performance in 2015?
Well, when I first joined the roster of Me, Wubby, Lowell, Kesil and Mene I had very high expectations, but it ended up not going so well since we didn’t have players of the highest quality and we weren’t really working great together as a team. But after BlizzCon all the roster swaps started rolling, and Mene and I were left on the team to create our own roster which we thought would be the best. So now we are still trying out our fifth player but with the four people we have at the moment (Me, Mene, Smexystyle, QuackNiix) is working out really great so far and we are definitely one of the strongest if not the strongest team in Europe at the moment.
What team or tournament was the toughest competition for you in 2015?
The toughest competition for me this year has been Team Liquid. Since I started playing with Na’Vi they have been a top contender in EU all along. When they started playing as Team Liquid they basically won every single LAN in EU, and my goal when I joined Fnatic was to beat them and become #1 EU myself.
How will the team approach the new year? What will be done differently?
For 2016 we are going to get our 5th player for the roster first of all. We will practice a lot every single day and prepare especially for the upcoming global tournaments, which are our number 1 priority.
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