We’re officially one week away from the start of the British Hurricanes defence of their Contenders Europe crown and with Contenders Europe season two taking place during OWL playoffs and off-season, the contenders scene is about to get it's own spotlight for the players to take a shine. With five weeks of matches and playoffs to come it's a good time to get into the Contenders and the British Hurricane.
The Hurricane have undergone a few small changes within the DPS core. Philip "Kragie" Krag has been moved to the reserves and the team have signed free agent and former Florida Mayhem academy DPS player Michael “MikeyA” Adams and ex-6nakes DPS Herman “Nesh” Kobrin and today's interview allows us to get to know them both a little bit further.
First of all, welcome to the Hurricane. For those people who don't know you, can you introduce yourself and your hero pool.
MikeyA: Hello! Glad to be here. I'm Michael "MikeyA" Adams. I used to play TF2 professionally before moving to Overwatch when it was released as a closed beta. I played for a bit in closed beta before taking a pause to finish my Bachelors degree in Psychology. Following on from that I pursued a Masters in Neuroimaging but dropped out to commit to Overwatch full-time as I liked the state the game was in and had an opportunity to join a team with some ex-TF2 friends (FaZe). Since then I have played for team UK, Cloud9 and Mayhem Academy.
Nesh: Yeah sure, my name is Herman "Nesh" Kobrin and i am 22 years old coming from Germany. I play Overwatch since closed beta and i play mostly hitscan heroes right now.
What was it about the Hurricane that made you want to join when you received the offer and what do you feel you'll bring to the team?
MikeyA: Following my departure from Mayhem Academy I wanted to join a European team more than anything as I have had a bunch of sour experiences with NA teams, and when I got asked to try out for British Hurricane I was ecstatic as they were the only team I really kept track of in EU contenders (as I was mainly focused on NA at the time) and have tried out for the team back in January/February, meaning I am already familiar with most of the players and staff. They won the previous season contenders and in my eyes are the current best contenders team in the West so I couldn't really have hoped to have joined a better team, in terms of everything from players, to staff, to the organisation itself.
Nesh: Hurricane is a respected team in the western scene, especially after claiming the first place in EU Contenders last season. So getting an offer by the best western team surprised me alot but also gave me a big confidence boost which tells me that i am doing something right, since it didn't go well in the previous seasons. So after trailing for a week or more i understood what role the team wants me on and how much playtime i am going to get. Obviously the team environment takes a huge part in this decision, but i know a couple of the Hurricane players and also had my experience in previous teams with some of them and after all that i just couldn't say no to the offer. Also not to forget, having an Org behind your back as a support (which is now a rare thing in Tier 2 EU scene) is a huge bonus and makes some issues/decision easier to handle/decide.
I'll bring hitscan flexibility into this team but also knowledge about the current meta.
With the Hurricane being the defending champions, do you feel like there's any pressure for you to retain the title for this year?
MikeyA: I wouldn't say I feel any pressure, as I know what I'm capable of (especially on LAN) but also because I believe the mental state you adopt with regards to playing in tournament matches, both online and offline, is very important, and as part of my own personal mental state I try not to consider the bigger picture when I am playing because it will distract me from just focusing on my own performance in the moment, and make me unnecessarily nervous or anxious about the result which will be detrimental to how I play. Also, I have the utmost confident in my team to play their best, which is enough to secure titles, when under pressure as they have already proven.
Nesh: Of course there will be pressure on me. Even if i am playing for the best western team it doesn't mean you can underestimate the other teams coming into the next Contenders season. So taking it easy is a no go for me in this case. But as soon we qualify for the LAN, there won't be any pressure because i am a different player on LAN.
You've now got the schedule for this season, which team are you looking forward to playing against and why?
MikeyA: I like the individual talent on Angry Titans and I think that will be a fun match up for me personally. Also, the revamped Orgless & Hungry roster is interesting and I think that could also be a good game. I can't say too much about the other teams, as I don't know who will make it through trials yet.
Nesh: I am looking to play against 6Nakes and Gigantti. 6Nakes, because i am in good relation to them even if i had to leave them for Hurricane, i am really curious on what KDG made out of this team coming into the next season. And Gigantti - because it's one of the strongest but also one of the most consistent teams in Contenders. So playing against a really strong opponent is a lot of fun and experience.
If there was one person you could play on the same team with who would it be and why?
MikeyA: Of course I'm going to assume this excludes everyone on Hurricane but I would definitely want to play with Boombox, his mechanics are insane and he's a funny lad.
Nesh: Well, you don't enjoy playing in a team just because of one person, so i just have to go with a full team and it's Hurricane right now.
I do this with the Spitfire but give me one good reason for someone to buy your Hurricane Jersey?
MikeyA: They're going to have a super rare Welsh flag on them, it'll basically be like a shiny Pokémon.
Nesh: Buying my Jersey with my number on it will not only look good on you but also give you good aim and confidence.
Finally do you have anything to say to the Hurricane fans?
MikeyA: I know my addition may surprise many, as Kragie was a fan favourite for good reason, but I hope you will welcome me and believe me when I say I will try my best and work hard to perform to the level which British Hurricane competes at, to ensure we will continue to be a team worth believing in and above all a team that can win contenders.
Nesh: First of all, thanks to those who support the team or me. I know i have big shoes to fill by defending the EU Contenders Champion title, but i will promise to not disappoint any of you and i will do everything to make the team succeed!
The Hurricanes first game of Season Two is against Young and Beautiful on Monday July 2nd at 5pm BST and you're able to catch the games on the Overwatch Contenders Twitch linked here.
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