As you may or may not have heard, Equinox, who most recently played for No Tomorrow, will be taking a step back from professional HGC play and will be stepping into the coaching role for Simplicity. We were able to catch up with him to talk about his HotS career, and what to expect moving forward into the HGC 2018 Phase 2.

You have been playing HotS at the pro level as long as anyone. What is your favorite memory from the early HotS scene?

My favorite memory is honestly the first time I qualified for a LAN back in 2015 with Murloc Geniuses (Me, Faye, Fury, Cauthon, and Madtimmy). That was the first time I really accomplished something in HotS and the first time I've ever traveled more than a couple hours away. Seeing all of my teammates and all of the people that I've been playing with or against for so long will always be a special moment for me.

As a tank player, which tank do you think is currently the strongest? Your historic favorite tank? Least favorite to play?

Right now I think the strongest tank is Garrosh followed by E.T.C. They both offer so much catch and teamfight potential either from a big Moshpit or a clutch Warlord's Challenge. My least favorite tank to play is E.T.C, I'd rather play Gazlowe main tank any day of the week.

What do you think the biggest challenge transitioning from playing to coaching will be? What are you most excited for, or looking forward to?

Right now my biggest challenge is not being able to control what they do in game. I can't tell them what to do I just have to watch and help my team improve. As a player who is used to having some sense of control it's very stressful but also rewarding when they do the right thing.

What particular strength do you have as a player that you are excited to bring to Simplicity?

My biggest strength is game knowledge. Just knowing what decisions they need to make is a huge advantage when coaching. Especially to the players you're coaching, having it in their mind that the person who's coaching them knows just as much about the game or more makes it easier to give criticism and have them respect me enough to build off of my advice.

Former teammates of yours have also moved on to Coaching, like Cauthonluck. How do you feel seeing the 'old guard' move on to this mentorship and trainer role?

I think it's wonderful that players are moving on to coach. It brings so much value to the scene as a whole being able to keep teams more disciplined plus giving that long time player experience to newer players lets them grow faster. For me it also solves a lot of team problems. So many players and teams suffer from not having an outside voice to settle arguments, and having someone that has played the game forever be that voice can project a team forward. HHE is obviously the example here, from before that team picked up Cauthon and after is a world of difference, they're so much more focused and coordinated.

Tell us about your thoughts/feelings on your 'new' teammates on Simplicity.

I love my new team, they're all great guys who listen and contribute to a discussion. I think they are definitely a team that will completely change for the better once they're all on the same page.

Is there a particular strength of the team that excited you?

A big thing that surprised me was their communication. For the past year I've been on a team with very separated communication. Some people would talk a lot more than others but everyone puts in an equal amount except Hosty cause he's tired 24/7.

Who are you most excited to be working with?

Everyone. I've never been on a team with any of the players but I've been losing to Caff, K1, and Zuna for a long time so being able to see how they work is pretty enjoyable. Hosty is also a good friend of mine so getting to be on the same team as him, although not as a player, makes me happy.

What is one piece of advice you would give to a player looking to break in to the pro scene?

Play in the Open Division and talk to pro players, ask them questions. I've had many talks with amateur players and seeing people with that kind of drive makes you want to try them out. Also have good communication, say your cooldowns, what target you're hitting, when you need help, where you're going, all of this adds up and separates an amateur player from a pro player.

What would you say to current HGC players?

Try out more open players, even 1-2 of them. Some of the top 5 teams could benefit from some of the players in open like Etoby, Ekevin, Talkingtrees, Tigerjk, Zergling, Homi, and others that I'm definitely forgetting. Being honest, most of the teams already had their new roster figured out before release period even happened and I feel like that's never the way to make changes.

Do you still have the bear hat/paws?

I do, it's on the other side of my desk. It's surprisingly apart of my history in HotS, bringing it to my first LAN in 2016 and what not so I have to keep it.

A big thanks to Equinox for the interview, and Kiyeberries for her contributions. We look forward to seeing the effects of his new coaching work in the upcoming Phase!