HasuObs: "Without team ROCCAT we couldn't play Heroes of the Storm full time"

Just hours before ROCCAT Heroe's group stage match for Enter the Stop Cup #3, HasuObs took the time to answer some of my questions about his team and how they operate. ROCCAT isn't the only team comprised with experienced eSports competitors, but are still a minority when it comes to a game a new as Heroes. As the 7th ranked EU team in the world, ROCCAT is looking for a big win soon.

You (and Socke) are eSports veteran(s) with a history in Blizzard games- how did you find the teammates you needed to dive into Heroes of the storm?

We had almost no clue about the Heroes of the Storm scene when we started to play. Some players we just ran into (during Ranked matches), some others we knew from tournaments or custom games. Our original team (Well Met) with Socke, Knowme and myself were former SC2 players while we met Hiruke during our ladder sessions and Pausenclown was our placeholder until we knew exactly where to go with our team, or who to pickup.

We had some roster changes and when we joined team ROCCAT and we picked up Shadowmare, Sportbilly and Cris. Shadowmare was our standin before, Sportbilly we didn't really know, but we saw very high potential and Cris was the latest addition, his former team disbanded and i knew him already from the very last WCG in China.

Who calls the shots in your team? What type of strategies do you like to use in Heroes?

Socke and Sportbilly are our main shotcallers. Everyone is trying to give as much input as possible, but we follow the rules if there is a call by Socke or Sportbilly. During fights im usually the target calling player, but if someone else sees an opportunity we go for that one.

For our strategies and drafts, I think we are usually pretty good at adapting to the newest meta because we like to try out the new heroes a lot and try to figure out how to use them in the competitive scene. Overall our drafts are very stable and not too gimmicky. If it fits into the draft , ideally we try to get our comfort heroes.

You really hit your stride in the 5th Enter the Storm Cup #3 qualifier: What went right that day and how does ROCCAT Heroes try to repeat that?

I think we just played very good Heroes on that day. We knew we had to win at least one of the qualifier cups to be safe for the playoffs – and the 5th Cup was one of the last ones we could play without problems. So we took the chance and went for the win, we had to beat Kinguin, BoB and Kappa123, so we were pretty happy with our performance that day!

You haven't had a chance to play the current EU champ, Team Liquid, in tournament recently. What do you think about their team keeps them on top?

Yes, we didn't play vs Team Liquid in a tournament lately, but we played a few scrims vs them. I think Team Liquid often times have a unique draft, it's the way they mix their heroes. Also their individual skill seems to be very high, that's why they are winning so consistent.

ROCCAT heroes is in group B along side Na'Vi, Evil Murkies, and Kinguin. Who is the team to beat from your perspective?

I think Na'Vi is the slight favorite in our group. If we can take down Navi we would be qualified for the playoff bracket – if we lose to Navi we will have a decider match vs either EM or Kinguin, its hard for me to judge who is stronger right now but we are very positive that we can advance in group B.

How has ROCCAT helped your team transistion to the professional level? How important is having the right sponsor for you and your teammates?

Without team ROCCAT we couldnt play Heroes of the Storm fulltime, so it is extremly important to have a team to back you up. We are very happy that we got the chance to represent ROCCAT in Heroes of the Storm and we are grateful that we can attend to every tournament we want to.

How will your team adjust to this latest patch?

We tried out Kharazim a lot already and we are trying to make him work in our drafts. So far i think we adapted to the patch rather good, but obviously we have to wait for the bigger tournaments to find out. The ETS groupstage is the first big step for us.

What should teams do to position them selves for a sponsor? Any advice for aspiring teams?

Try to perform as good as you can in Tournaments and Qualifiers. Be smart about your appearance online, because if you want a professional sponsorship you need to be professional yourself. Don't be shy -  ask Teams or Sponsors if they are interested in cooperating with you.

ROCCAT Heroes roster:
Dennis "HasuObs" Schneider
Giacomo "Socke" Thus 
Finn Lasse "ShadowmaReX" Fries
Ivan "sportbilly" Koturic
 Christopher "dChris" Gowitzke