English interview - For Is Here #14 - Harstem

The Sweet Smell of Revenge

[M] TinkeR : Like many other pro players, it appears that you've started with WarCraft III. Was it your first game you've ever played competitively and how did you switch to StarCraft II ?

[Fnatic]Harstem : Hmm, I think WarCraft III was the first game I've played competitively. I enjoyed the competition, but to be honest I was quite bad at the game. One of my friends got a beta key for StarCraft II and he shared it with me. I just never stopped playing since then.

It says on Liquipedia that you've started to play Protoss from the very beginning, is that right ? What made you pick this race instead of another ?

I asked my WarCraft III friend which race was the most like Orc and they told me that Protoss was. And when I say « most like Orc », I mean the race that is the most overpowered. I felt like after being abused as an Undead player for years, I deserved some imbalance on my side.

Ahah, so did you find what you were looking for ? The Blademaster equivalent of StarCraft II ?

Not really, Colossus deathball roflstomp might be fun, but it isn't as strong as the Blademaster's Critical Strikes ;(

How long did it take you to reach high leagues (Diamond at first if I'm correct, then Master and Grandmaster when Blizzard released them), and starting to fight among European top players ?

It took me about four weeks to go from Copper to Diamond, and once Master league has been released, I got there immediately. For Grandmaster, it took me around two or three seasons to get in there.

A game fanatic

You're part of the Fnatic roster since more than two years now, seeing players coming and going (and especially going at the moment).

Besides souL, you're the only StarCraft II player remaining, how is the communication and atmosphere going with him, the management, and other Fnatic sections, if any ?

I've always had very good connections with most people in Fnatic. I like souL a lot and I hope he will make it to WCS Season 2. I used to have a lot of contacts with our old DotA squad, but since they left I haven't spoken much with them. I haven't met our new League of Legends team either, but I get along well with the CS:GO boys.

Unfortunately, you've lost with a rough 0-3 against Serral on Challenger League, even though, at least for the "general public", you've been seen as the favorite on this match. How high were your expectations before the match, and more globally for this first 2015 WCS season ?

Ten hours before the match I felt like I was going to 3-0 him, but one hour before the match I got really tired and jetlag kind of kicked in and I felt like there was no way I was going to win. I was hoping to finish at least top 8.

How much time are you dedicating to practice per day ? In an interview for Millenium last year [in French], ToD explained that Snute and him created a Skype group conversation in order to gather the best European players, so they can meet with each other, ask for custom games, etc. And he admitted that you were the most active one.

My first question is : is it still the case, and do you think it paid off regarding the time you've passed doing custom games instead of laddering ?

I try to put in eight hours a day. The Skype group died out, because European players, for some reason, prefer laddering or not playing at all. Getting dedicated practice now that the Koreans left has gotten a lot harder. I think custom games are very good for specific preparation and ladder is good to just get better overall.

OK, I see. What are your expectations for the coming weeks, and more generally for the whole year ? Will we finally be able to see #YearOfHarstem happening ?

I hope to qualify for IEM Katowice and I also hope to go to Korea somewhere this year. I hope this year will be the #TrueYearOfHarstem ;)

In general

How is the Dutch StarCraft II scene going at the moment ?

It is doing quite well I would say, we have quite a few good players and with the DSCL we have a  tournament twice a year where all good players participate !

Some players are seriously considering switching to Heroes of the Storm (it's actually already the case with VortiX, ToD, and some others).

What are your thoughts about this ? Did you try it yourself for example ? Do you think Heroes of the Storm could "kill" StarCraft II the same way DotA has killed WarCraft III (according to some people) ?

I don't think Heroes of the Storm can kill StarCraft II. I haven't played a single game of Heroes of the Storm yet. I am contracted by Fnatic as a StarCraft II player, so I play StarCraft II.

Where would you rank yourself among the foreign Protosses ? And who do you think is currently the best Protoss player in the world ?

Among foreign Protosses I like to think of myself as top 5, I think my PvP and PvT are quite strong at the moment, but with my PvZ, I doubt I'll be that high.

I think Rain is the best Protoss player in the world.

So what was your reaction once you managed to get Rain that map at Taipei ? Were you disappointed to lose the series eventually, or were you more like « Well, it's not like I was playing a sub-top Protoss ».

I was happy when I took the map, but I was quite disapointed that I didn't manage to win game 1 after being so far ahead. I felt like I could've taken the series if it wasn't for some amateur mistakes.

On the other hand, I still don't think I would've come out of that group as I would have to play Classic in winners match and Rain again after that probably, but it would've been nice to 2-0 Rain :D

eSports, but not only

I understood that besides StarCraft II, you like to workout, is there any other hobby you like to practice ? (and considering you have time for any other thing)

Hmm, I don't really have any other hobbies, ever now and then I watch an episode of The Mentalist, but I prefer meeting up with my friends when I have time.

What are your friends and family think about your job ? At first, and nowadays ? Do they support you or just let you « live your life »

My parents support me a lot. They watch every game, together.

Great ! Did they happen to come to support you like to a DreamHack or something ?

Ah no, the only events they've been to are DSCL's.

Bonus

OK then, now is the time for some bonus questions. You may already know the rule: you'll have to pick an answer without to explain your choice, ready?

Yes.

PvZ or PvT ?

PvT.

WCS format : 2012, 2013, 2014 ou 2015.

2014.

Let's say you KNOW that you'll win the next WCS Season BUT, in order to do so, you won't be able to participate in any other HomeStory Cups (neither by invitation, nor by being qualified). What would you do ? Decline the WCS title or decline the HomeStory Cup forever ?

Decline HomeStory Cup. TaKe is just going to have to rename his tournament.

French cheese ou Dutch cheese ? And I'm not talking about proxy-gate.

Dutch cheese, lol.

And to conclude, Zest or herO ?

herO.

OK. Well before we wrap up, everybody knows that you're the king of the selfie, SO, what I would like is for you to make a special selfie just for us !

Brilliant! that concludes this interview. Thank you very much for your time ! If you have anything to add or any shoutouts to make, feel free!

Thanks for the interview, and thanks for Fnatic and their sponsors for always supporting me ! :D and also thanks to the fanssss who believe in the YEAROFHARSTEM$$