Cloud9 has shown, yet again, why they are the 2015 World Champions.
The new North American rivalry has turned into C9 and Naventic, especially after Naventic took the top spot at Heroes Rising, dropping Cloud9 in the Grand Finals 3-2. The same matchup became the grand finals at the North American Spring Regionals, but this time Cloud9 clinched the win.
Fresh off of becoming NA Spring Champions, iDream and Arthelon took some time to answer a handful of questions about their Regionals perfomance and looking forward to the Spring Championship in Seoul, Korea?.
What was the overall experience like at Regionals last weekend? Being surrounded by other top teams, competing two days straight, and being on such a huge (theoretical) stage?
Arthelon: It felt a little grassrooty, being with all the teams in the same room for a long time and also seeing so many ESL crew members running around. The first day was not pleasant because we had to wait 12 hours to play one set but other than that the event was pretty smooth and fun.
iDream: It felt a lot like opening week from BlizzCon because it was in the same location and nearly the same set-up. By this point, our team has plenty of LAN experience so nerves weren't an issue.
Speaking of the "stage" what was it like competing in a LAN tournament without a live audience? Did it affect the team performance at all?
Arthelon: I love being in front of a crowd and I think it is actually harder to compete in just a studio than it is in front of a crowd. I think our team got hyped this event despite there being no audience.
iDream: I feel that our team consistently plays the worst when there isn't a crowd because we tend to communicate less and take the games less seriously. This time around, however, we were able to hype ourselves up and play as if there was.
What was the turning point in game three vs. Tempo Storm? What was the moment you realized you were going to win and advance to Korea?
Arthelon: I think it was when iDream went to go cocoon Cho’Gall and we insta-killed him out of the web wrap.
iDream: Arthelon reminded me when we were approaching level 10 to take the right ultimate on Anub'arak because once in a scrim, we counterpicked Cho'Gall with Anub'arak the same way, but I leveled Locust Swarm on accident. As soon as we had the right ultimate, the game got sealed quick with a kill on Cho'Gall.
What team(s) were you most impressed with at Regionals?
Arthelon: Every single one. I think North America as a whole has really stepped up its game and it was surprising and refreshing to see that at Regionals.
"I think North America as a whole has really stepped up its game"
I think overall I was most impressed by Blaze considering how well they did against everyone while having a sub, that is no easy task.
iDream: Before this event, I had barely heard of King of Blades or their roster, but they easily were the team that impressed me the most. They had better team coordination and playmaking abilities than most teams that have been around for much longer.
From the looks of this tournament the North American meta is shifting hard (yet again). What do you think about the Hero selections from this weekend?
Arthelon: I think this tournament each and every team had their own style of play, it was cool to see each and every team's different prioritizations and playstyles. We ourselves had a lot of pocket picks and strats and didn’t even reveal most of them. I think a lot of teams forgot how good Sonya and Falstad were and got punished for it.
iDream: It felt like Naventic and our team had a much different meta than the other the other teams, but it was still cool to see all of the strategies that each team had developed. For example, Blaze was able to catch us off-guard with a great Artanis pick. A few key things that caught my attention was how often Zeratul was banned against certain teams and also how many teams seemingly didn't play Sonya or Illidan.
What team/region do you think will be the biggest obstacle at the Spring Championship in Korea?
Arthelon: Too early to tell honestly, the meta will be so different and surely there will be more patches so it will be very interesting to see what each region brings to the table.
"I still don't think there is any stand-out region yet in HotS"
iDream: I still don't think there is any stand-out region yet in HotS and the meta will be completely different in a month from now when we play in Korea.
If you get any down time while you’re in Seoul, what will you try to do?
Arthelon: Real Kbbq (Korean Barbecue) thats for SURE.
iDream: I think I'm looking forward to trying the food the most.
How do you feel about Blizzards format for tournaments this year as opposed to last year?
Arthelon: It is amazing having multiple big tournaments instead of just one. It gives teams something to always look forward to and global competition is always thrilling.
What does the team do to stay fresh in between tournaments?
Arthelon: Have fun, scrim, play other games together.
iDream: We just try to not take scrims too seriously and have it affect the team. It helps keep us in a good mindset when approaching a LAN.
Are there any game day rituals that the team or individual players do before matches start? Any good luck charms?
Arthelon: We hug Zoia so we can hopefully absorb some of his swag.
iDream: Personally, I always try to have some energy drinks before we play. It helps me play better and stay communicative. I think I had something like 8 or 9 redbulls during the second day of Spring Regionals.
Add any final shout outs?
Arthelon: Huge thanks to Cloud9 for supporting us, to the ESL crew who I saw working tirelessly to run this event. To Blizzard for hosting these tournaments and allowing what us players love to do best which is compete. And of course to all our fans who support us, you help us every step along the way!
Cloud9 has a break after returning from Regionals. You can see them in action next in the NA Enter the Storm Group Stages, beginning March 11th.
Follow us on Twitter @GosuGamersHotS for more Heroes of the Storm esports news.
