Old Gods transition into 2018 as a team formed with some of the most veteran players in Heroes of the Storm. The team consists of Zuna, k1pro, Erho, KingCaffeine, Hosty; and, of those players, KingCaffeine and k1pro stand out as a long-standing duo who have weathered the storm since alpha. After joining numerous teams together and remaining in the pro scene despite countless growing pains of the newer MOBA, many are left wondering: Why are these two players so passionate about HotS and what do they still have to bring to the scene?

The Strength of an Unbreakable Friendship

KingCaffeine and k1pro have one of the most loyal friendships in HotS and their synergy is undeniable. The friendship started back in 2014 during the early phases of HotS alpha. k1pro recalls, “Caff and I met during the HotS alpha in 2014 when I first joined C9 Vortex. At the time Caff was on C9 Maelstrom and we were scrimming each other regularly, but after a short time iDream and I moved to C9 Maelstrom in order to form a team to contest Tempo Storm for the number one spot in NA. This team is where Caff and my friendship began.”

They both quickly realized that their similarities spanned across gameplay and theory. k1pro goes on to say, “We were the same age, lived 10 minutes away from each other, grew up in the same area, played a lot of the same games as each other, and we both enjoyed hiking. It's important to be on the same team because [Caff] is a great player with a great attitude. The pro gaming life is also a much more fun and enjoyable experience with him around.” KingCaffeine also commented on how their hangouts outside of HotS has also influenced gameplay, “Other than play, we both loved to theorycraft about the game while hanging out outside the game. That’s how we came up with the Murky draft and several other tricky compositions.” Similar to the bond held between Team Twelve’s Justing and Buds, k1 and KingCaffeine both agree that the game is all about synergy and utilizing that against opponents is a huge advantage. KingCaff believes that, “HotS is a game all about team synergy and multiple players seeing the same plays at the right time. k1 and I always seemed to see the same mistakes our opponents were making and punished accordingly.”



Mentality shifts and Transitions

Even though their synergy is strong, the two have still dealt with multiple team changes due to internal issues. When discussing their most previous team Gale Force eSports k1pro explains, “we didn't know how to fix our problems. We were a very strong macro team, but after Western Clash we changed our shot calling and stopped playing to our strengths. I'm not worried about the same issues arising again because Old Gods is a very strong mechanical team with great team fight. I'm more worried about the opposite issue with this team, our macro.” KingCaffeine also remains positive that Old Gods can overcome previous shortcomings and says, “On our new roster, I really respect the level of play we are able to reach and the attitudes of the players. I think when the going gets tough, our experience and maturity will help us learn from any shortcomings.”

Instead of viewing their multiple team changes as disadvantage, both players have learned from each change and plan to take valuable lessons to their new team. k1pro believes that “being on multiple teams lets you see a lot of different perspectives and play styles from other teammates. It's incredibly important to share ideas and opinions with teammates, not only to share information, but to get a better understanding of your teammates' ways of thinking. Your synergy will be much better if you understand your teammate's thought process.” Expanding on that, KingCaffeine specifically took valuable lessons of macro play from Gale Force eSports, “My last team specialized in winning games through strictly macro play, something I’ve never been accustomed to. Being primarily a team fighter, the macro knowledge I learned was really refreshing and definitely something I can bring to any team I play for.”

Outlook for the New Year

Scrims seem to be going well for Old Gods and both players are optimistic about the team outlook for 2018; however, they unanimously agree that Team Twelve will be their biggest competition. KingCaffeine goes on to say that, “[Team Twelve] have very strong individual players and good macro as well.” Both players are realistic about the competition but also seem to be working hard to be the best they can within their new team. k1pro recently switched to a new role as support but seems to be adjusting nicely. He says, “it helps that I was a challenger support player in League who switched from ranged carry. Being on support feels amazing because the role feels so impactful.”



Looking into the Future

When looking ahead, both players see themselves playing HotS for the foreseeable future. But, even beyond that they are both passionate about staying connected to the esports world in some aspect. Surprisingly, KingCaffeine knew very little about esports when he was picked up in 2014; but, being a part of the scene has had a huge impact on him, “It has been amazing watching the scene grow firsthand and meeting all the amazing people so passionate about the thing we all love.” With that said, KingCaffeine expressed that he “would love to continue playing HotS as long as it’s around. [But] if I were to stop playing Hots, I would definitely love to continue working in esports, to what capacity though, I haven’t decided.”

In the same respect, k1pro can see himself “playing HotS for another 1-3 years”, and also has “goals of playing another game professionally in the future.” When asked if he feels any pressure to retire from professional gaming, he says, “I don't feel any pressure to retire. Experience is always a great advantage in anything. I don't think there are really disadvantages to having more experience with the game. I guess eventually you will become old and slow down, but I still feel young!”

Whatever the future holds for these two players, it is unquestionable that HotS has positively impacted them and in turn, they continue to exude enthusiasm that spills out into their gameplay. Their passion for the game surges into the future with no sight of slowing down, and that type of loyalty makes the budding HotS community that much better.



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Please be sure to follow KingCaffeine and k1pro on Twitter! You can also check out KingCaffeine's Twitch stream here and k1pro's Twitch stream here.