Can you please introduce yourself and tell us your role in the team?

"Of course! My name is Seth "Araragi" Fitzpatrick. I am the captain of SK Gaming Heroes of the Storm and currently playing the tank role. I also handle the draft and shot calling for the team."

You just qualified for the ESL Major League playoffs, how does that feel?

"It feels great to know that all the hard work we put in is starting to pay off! We had a rough start of the league due to our roster being less than a week old. We started practicing hard and building synergy mid way through and slowly but surely, turned into a strong competitive force!"

How has the team environment been lately? You mentioned you had a rough start but you're turning into a strong team, has that had any negative effects that maybe carried over to now?

"The team environment is very light hearted and professional at the same time. We have all grown to be friends and respectful colleagues. We knew at the start of the roster changes that it would make us weak for a short while. Aside from the first week of getting to know each others playstyle, it has been only positive effects. Once we overcame that obstacle, we were able to work with each others strengths and begin to produce results. I have full confidence in the ability of each of my players and their potential going into the future of Heroes of the Storm."

How is the team preparing for playoffs?

"1st place is our goal and dream for every event we enter. In order to realize that, we are practicing about 6-8 hours of scrims 6/7 days a week. We are also investing additional time in solo queue and replay overview/analysis. We recognize the vast amount of effort required to prove yourself in the competitive scene and are approaching it in a practical and professional manner. Every map will be mastered and every hero's potential explored. This is our mindset going into the upcoming events."

Any teams you think will be tough to play against or maybe you fear playing?

"We do not fear any team in the competitive scene but, we respect all of their skill and potential. We have confidence in our abilities and look forward to clashing with the best. Most of the top teams in Europe are formidable and require you to bring your "A game". I think that Fnatic is a strong team and may surprise a few people in the playoffs. They seem to be investing a lot of time into practice and are starting to adapt very well to the current meta. Gamers2 and LDLC both had strong performances in the first phase of ESL Major Series. They each have a unique play style that requires careful thought and flexibility in the draft phase. Every team in the playoffs deserve to be here and I welcome the challenge. We will most likely see a lot of back and forth games."

What do you feel separates SK from other teams such as Fnatic or even Gamers2?

"Our playstyle is very different from each of these teams. We tend to rely on a more calculated playstyle that controls the overall pace of the game, not just at one given point. Recognizing the times to play agressive and to pick and choose our battles is one of our biggest strengths. Our drafts are very strong as well and suited to this playstyle. We are highly adaptable in both play and draft which allows us to be a bit more flexible than the other teams. There are pros and cons to this but we play our game well and mix it up often."

Plans for SK after playoffs?

"There are many amazing tournaments coming up and we plan to keep the same practice schedule to prepare for them. The new patch is also approaching soon and that is always my favorite time in the game. Exploring the new changes and hero will lead to a new meta and a race to figure it out first. We will keep our pace and continue to get the results worthy of the SK Gaming name! Huge thanks to all our sponsors and supporters for believing in us as we continue into the future of esports for Heroes of the Storm!



I would also like to add that it is a shame that El Nexo did not make it into the playoffs. They have a talented pool of players and a very clever strategist. I am sure we will see them in other events though!"

After qualifying for the playoffs in the ESL Major League, I sat down withSeth "Araragi" Fitzpatrick to pick his brain about the team's performance and playoff preparation.Thanks to Araragi for taking the time out of his schedule to sit down with me to conduct this interview. Good luck to our boys in SK in the upcoming playoffs which will be played between 30th March and 1st April!