I was able to grab an interview with the former jungler of fnatic, Lauri "Cyanide" Happonen. We spoke about his thoughts on the game and the competitive scene in general, enjoy reading!

What do you think is the biggest difference in the pro scene between now and season 1?

Cyanide: In season 1 there were way fewer players and the prize pools of tournaments were obviously much lower so it was much more casual back then. I was studying, and even though I spent most of my free time playing soloQ we practiced maybe 2 hours a day on average and had no coaches, support staff etc. Teams these days practice around 6-10 hours a day (counting time spent on watching replays with the team etc.) and the rest of the day most spend on soloQ. So there is a huge difference.

How do you feel about the “EU Exodus”- do you think it will have major impacts on the Worlds stage?

Cyanide: Star players leaving leaves more room for new stars to rise, I think so far Europe has suffered the most from Huni and Reignover leaving if we look at the results of Immortals and Fnatic, however a lot of things can and will change as the season goes on. It is hard to tell at this point.

What is your most hated champion? (Whether it be on your team or on the enemy team)

Cyanide: Poppy after the patch. I like to play champions with dashes.

What is the most memorable experience with a fan that you’ve had?

Cyanide: When I was leaving the Berlin studio after a tough day of genius analysis, a fan came to me outside and told me she has been a huge fan for 4 years and came all the way from Hong Kong and especially looked forward to meeting me. Then she gave me a cool magnet that she brought from Hong Kong. I like magnets.



What was the most fun you’ve had playing League of Legends, or the best point in your career as a pro player in general?

Cyanide: The most fun I had was probably during season 1 as the game was still very new and exciting to me. I could play all day. I think the point when I was the most motivated was during the end of season 3, but consecutively the fact that I pushed myself so hard to practice resulted in a burnout that I never fully recovered from.

Who do you think is the best jungler in the LCS right now?

Cyanide: I'd say Rush but he keeps playing Nidalee. I have to say Reignover as I believe he is making a lot of shots in the team and is overall quite consistent.

Which team do you think is going to end up on top this split?

Cyanide: Immortals in NA, in Europe I believe Origen to prevail!

How has the transition into streaming been thus far?

Cyanide: It's definitely a lot more relaxing than playing pro, I make my own hours and have time to do a lot more stuff than play League of Legends. Overall I'm satisfied.

Do you act differently on stream than you would normally?

Cyanide: I think a lot of times I just say stuff outloud that pops into my mind which is not normal for me during normal social interaction, especially with people I don't know well.

You’ve mentioned that you were interested in playing Overwatch somewhat competitively when it comes out; have you been doing anything to prepare for this or are you kind of just going in blind?

Cyanide: Honestly I just want to play the game, make some videos and see what happens. I do love it as it is new and exciting and I love the concept. I think if I enjoy it so much that I WANT to play 6+ hours a day it is possible that I'll go pro, however at the moment I am still terrible.

Obviously you were pretty popular on the caster’s desk last split- do you think that you would ever want to become a full time caster, like Krepo or Kobe?

Cyanide: I enjoy analysing from time to time but it's not something I'd like to do for a living. It actually requires a lot of work and I have nothing but respect for all the hard workers in the studio.

And finally, are there any shoutouts that you'd like to give, or just anything you'd like to add?

Cyanide: Thank you to all the awesome people who keep supporting me!

If you want to hear more from Cyanide, you can catch his stream at http://www.twitch.tv/cyanide.