▲ Dennis "HasuObs" Schneider during the BlizzCon Group Play stage.

The name “HasuObs” has been associated with three different competitive Blizzard Entertainment titles for over a decade. Yet, while Dennis Schneider, his real name, has been in the top one percent of players across Warcraft 3, Starcraft 2 and, now, Heroes of the Storm, he has never been to a BlizzCon before.

Part of the problem has to do with the fact that he lives in Germany and it’s not an easy travel for him. Another has to do with, as he admits, just not being able to get over the hump of the stiffest competition in Europe.

“This is my first time at BlizzCon, actually. In Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 I did not manage to qualify for BlizzCon. In Warcraft 3, I think I was not good enough as we had very, very good European players. I was just not at the level to bypass them. In Starcraft 2, I think I was much better than I was in Warcraft 3 but I think it was a little bit of the same thing actually. I just didn't manage to qualify even though I was pretty good. I always failed at the important step,” said HasuObs. “With Heroes it was kind of the same story. The first three years we came very close and lost the deciding game against Fnatic, then another year, we lost to Dignitas in the semi-finals. Finally now with this team, we have been able to make it to BlizzCon through direct qualification.”

▲ Team Liquid may need to rely on their veteran for guidance on the main stage.

Although the 30-year-old veteran has not been able to attend the event in-person until now, that doesn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t there in spirit or online.

“Every time I missed this tournament I would be watching from home as I always bought the Virtual Ticket. I was always watching the panels, the games, and the esports, so I was kind of there but just not in real life. The entire BlizzCon event is really something I'm looking forward to and it is really awesome if you are into Blizzard games. I think it is very interesting hearing the developers talk about the games and what the future is going to hold,” said HasuObs.

"Once you attend three or four offline events it is really all just the same. You get to a point where you are not nervous playing on stage or any more"

In addition to being able to see the panels and event live in-person this year, the member of Team Liquid is looking to make the most out of the largest LAN event of the year both in terms of prize money, $1 million, but in sheer importance.



“I love competing in esports. It is something that really pushes me forward every day. Not qualifying for BlizzCon in Heroes was actually bigger deal than in Warcraft and Starcraft because the variety of tournaments in the games are very different. Starcraft and Warcraft had a lot of different tournaments while the importance of BlizzCon for Heroes is a very big deal. I can tell it impacted our team quite a bit when we did not qualify for BlizzCon in the past. It impacted our team spirit,” said HasuObs. “Let's be real for a second, BlizzCon is just like any other tournament. It is just one tournament of the year but it was the one tournament I missed out on, so to finally be able to say that I made it feels really, really good.”

▲ Some HasuObs' earlier esports memories reside in the StarCraft 2 competitive scene.

HasuObs will kick back and enjoy the BlizzCon experience until the tournament start on Friday. But, on that day, it’s time for the veteran to strap on his signature beanie hat and take what he’s learned over the last decade and put it into practice.

“I have the most experience but at some point, it just doesn't matter anymore. Once you attend three or four offline events it is really all just the same. You get to a point where you are not nervous playing on stage or any more so I don't think it gives me too much of an advantage. But I can share experiences playing on stage and what is important to look for and what I have experienced before,” said HasuObs.