HeatoN on the Draft

Posted by: LD^Mike

The draft is almost upon us. Players are flocking to Birmingham, trying to catch the eyes of one of four General Managers in attendance.

But what are those GMs looking for? How did they prepare for the draft? These questions and more are answered by Stockholm's Emil "Heaton" Christensen, just in time for the action tomorrow.

Enjoy.

1. The UK and European Qualifier is just around the corner. We know the players are getting ready; what does a GM such as yourself do to prepare?

With the second season giving the General Managers the opportunity to save up to 5 players from their current team including the franchise player, I have been reviewing each one of them and how they have performed over the past few months. I have also been talking to gamers who are attending the event, getting to know some of them before meeting them.

2. The competition lasts two days. How much (and what kind of things) can you learn about a gamer in that time frame compared to the weeks or months leading up to the event?

Two days doesn't give much time for me to learn about a certain gamer, which is why I advised players to contact me prior to the draft and for them to tell me about themselves. You normally can tell how a player will perform by watching them for an hour or so, you get to see what their playstyle is like. Also you get to see what their personality is like before and after a match.

3. As the CGS enters its second year, and considering the new partnership with Eurosport, how has the perception of the league changed, if at all?

With the CGS gaining broadcasting from Eurosports, it gives even more coverage of the league to people in Europe. With this, I feel it will give the players a huge boost to want to play to their full potential, with their friends and family at home watching them do what they do best: gaming.

4. This is your second go-around with the draft. What have you learned from last year's experience?

From the last season, I gained a lot of knowledge in the games that I wasn't too familiar with last year. Along with this, I learnt that some players find it hard to perform under the pressure of the TV cameras or the atmosphere of the studio. So I will be looking of ways to improve their confidence and to turn their nerves into adrenaline.

5. Stockholm's run at the World Finals ended on a sour note at the hands of the eventual champions, the Chicago Chimera. Is there a little extra motivation to perform well this time around?

Of course! After the defeat from Chicago in December it has made me even more determined to bring the title back to Europe, which is what I hope to achieve this year. I for sure do not want to set anymore records like Stockholm Magnetik did in December (the biggest loss in CGS history, at the time), but instead breaking set ones on winning games.

6. The North American teams just upgraded through the draft, and the teams from the Pan-Asia Championship look stronger than last year, as well. How much pressure is there to keep up with the sort of "arms race" in terms of player potential?

The pressure is really high, after watching some of the games from the American players on the pre-season games they are already showing that they are all making improvements. I now need to bring forward areas which were not our strongest and improve on them, making sure that my team is able to perform to the best of their ability.

7. If there's a message you could send to any gamer that wants to be part of the Stockholm Magnetik, what would it be?

Just make sure you attend the draft. This is the starting point in order to get yourself on the team. If you feel you have the talent, then come to the combine and show it off the best you can! If you do that then you stand as good a chance as anyone.

8. When the World Finals are over and the Stockholm team is heading home, they'll look back at the Finals and say ...

Well done everyone, it was a team effort and we did ourselves proud. Let’s do exactly the same next season.