After a 5th place finish during the Season 3 Fall Smite season, DJ Pernicus and Eager sought to improve their play for the Season 3 Smite Lan. It was then that Team Eager began a dominance that propelled them to the Number 1 NA seed at Worlds. Now, Team Eager set their eyes on the trophy as they travel to Atlanta to compete for the title of Season 3 World Champions. We talk to Team Eager jungler Dj Pernicus to gain a better understanding of the excitement surrounding the squad's first trip to the Smite World Championships.

Image courtesy of DJ Pernicus' twitter

You guys clinched Worlds in a 3-1 victory over Flash Point Esports. Can you run me through the emotion that was going on in the last 10 minutes of the game?

DJ Pernicus: I could tell that everyone had a good feeling about the game at that point. We had a relatively clean game and were in a good position to finish, but I was just trying to make sure that my teammates and I were on the same page of how we were going to complete the task at hand, taking emotion out of it.

So when the game ended, the player cams revealed an ecstatic Team Eager that was jumping around and hugging. I believe Aror actually tackled Zapman lol. How long did it take to sink in that your team was going to Worlds? Or has the excitement reset itself for the NA Finals?

DJ Pernicus: I think a lot of us were just really excited for Zapman. He has been so close and now he has made it. I don't think it will really sink in for me personally until I'm at the venue. We are definitely reset and looking forward to the finals. It should be a fun set, as both teams will be playing even more loose.

From 5th place in the SPL Fall Split to Number 1 North American team going into Worlds, what shifted in the team dynamic to suddenly rise within NA?

DJ Pernicus: We had a lot of people traveling before the start of the split and never got time to build off the previous split. Eventually, we were able to get back into the groove of things and that was right before these Lans.

You were able to cap off an incredible NA run by taking down Soar in a 3-1 victory and head to Worlds as the best NA team. Did it feel good to take the series in a clean fashion or would you have preferred the series to be a 5 game series?

DJ Pernicus: It's always nice to play well and play clean. I think we are all happy with how the set went and it showed we have a lot of great minds to put together a good game plan for best of fives.

Team Eager group picture after a 3-1 victory over Soar Gaming at the NA Smite Super Regionals. Image courtesy of the Team Eager twitter.

Was there one specific problem that you and the team noticed needs fixing before Worlds? If so, what is it and how can it be resolved?

DJ Pernicus: A lot of Worlds prep will be exploring new ideas and reinforcing fundamentals. I'm sure there is a million things we will find and can tweak a bit, not really one specific issue.

Going more on the idea of practicing new strategies, how do you practice your unconventional starts and strategies? How do you decide what is good enough to unveil on the professional stage?

DJ Pernicus: It is a combination of scrims and just brainstorming with each other. We all trust each other, so if someone or multiple people are in support of going for it then we do.

How do you think EU and NA differ in play style? How confident are you in a possible match against NRG or Obey?

DJ Pernicus: I think most NA teams are more capable of punishing people for poor drafts and early play. I think one of the most exciting things about Worlds or any international event is having the possibility of playing European teams. We are just excited for the opportunity to play someone that we rarely see and are definitely confident.

Does this excitement also translate to facing the teams from other regions like Brazil, Latam, China and Oceanic? Do you see any of these regions as dark horses?

DJ Pernicus: Yeah, playing teams I rarely see in general is one of my favorite things. I believe that Latam will show the most improvement out of any region.

What is it about Latam that gives you confidence in their growth for this upcoming Worlds? Do you see them being competitive with an NA or EU team?

DJ Pernicus: They are willing to scrim us and have shown signs of catching up to NA/EU teams in terms of game sense. We will see how it goes at Worlds.

How will you and the team prepare for a strong showing at Worlds?

DJ Pernicus: Keep working hard and exploring our ideas further. It will probably be a lot of the same, just ramping it up a bit.

Any final words for your fans?

DJ Pernicus: Seems like a lot of the fans have enjoyed our journey so far and we hope to keep it going. Thanks for the support and I hope a lot of the fans can come out to the event and get loud. Definitely keep an eye on my twitter, as well as Eager's twitter for some cool stuff heading into Worlds.

Make sure to keep up with DJ Pernicus and Team Eager as they prepare for The 2017 Smite World Championships.

DJ Pernicus Twitter

DJ Pernicus Twitch

Team Eager Twitter