EPT
Interview
With 
Arcaner
Liam “Arcaner” Simpson is a relative newcomer to the European HGC scene but has been a prevalent competitor since the game’s inception. Having left his Australian home to live in Europe, he has sought to challenge himself and prove his worth on a bigger stage.
Arcaner served as the main tank for Method in the first phase of 2018, a team which saw great success as they qualified for the Western Clash and Mid-Season Brawl. After the closing of the Phase 1 roster change window, Arcaner left Method to join Team Liquid as ranged carry. This was accompanied by a role swap for Nurok, who moved to support after the departure of Splendour to the Monkey Menagerie (formerly Tricked eSport).
I recently spoke with Arcaner to reflect on his experiences at the Mid-Season Brawl as well as his new role with Team Liquid.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Liam Simpson, otherwise known as Arcaner, and I've been playing Heroes of the Storm since August of 2014. I spent 2015 learning the game and then started to perform in tournaments during 2016 as a semi-pro. Once I qualified for BlizzCon 2016, I decided to take the game very seriously and pursue playing it professionally. I spent just over half of 2017 playing for an Australian team called Nomia, where I competed at both Western Clashes and the Mid-Season Brawl.
Afterwards in August, I decided that I wanted to move to Europe to play in HGC. I arrived in Europe in late September and made it into HGC 2018 as a recruit.
Afterwards in August, I decided that I wanted to move to Europe to play in HGC. I arrived in Europe in late September and made it into HGC 2018 as a recruit.
How has the transition of leaving Australia to play in the EU been for you?
It was a difficult few months when I moved and started looking for tryouts for HGC. I took a risk in moving without confirmation that I'd get on a team, so I had to work non-stop to make sure it happened. Once I joined Team Expert/Method, I felt a lot of pressure to perform at a top tier on melee, and I struggled with the role swap at first.
Once I started scrimming in January, I felt like I was improving rapidly and building up confidence in my own play that helped me perform well in my debut match of HGC 2018. After this match, I felt confident and optimistic, allowing me to relax and enjoy playing in Europe.
Once I started scrimming in January, I felt like I was improving rapidly and building up confidence in my own play that helped me perform well in my debut match of HGC 2018. After this match, I felt confident and optimistic, allowing me to relax and enjoy playing in Europe.
On the Mid-Season Brawl
What was it like playing against Korean teams like Tempest? Did you get to scrim with any other teams?
What was it like? Exciting, I guess. I can't remember my exact emotions or thoughts after scrimming Gen.G and Ballistix, but I do recall being impressed by their teamwork and individual mechanics. Tempest also showed a lot of strength against us in the group stage, and afterwards I remember feeling inspired from playing some very high level matches.
Were you satisfied with your result?
As a team, no. From our performance in scrims leading up to the event, I thought our top goal could be to make 4th, so I was disappointed not getting close to that and placing 8th.
As for my own play on tank, I was satisfied since I didn't commit much time to practicing my tank mechanics in Hero League. I didn't want to be the burden on my team at the event, so it meant a lot to me to play well on a role I never considered myself talented on.
As for my own play on tank, I was satisfied since I didn't commit much time to practicing my tank mechanics in Hero League. I didn't want to be the burden on my team at the event, so it meant a lot to me to play well on a role I never considered myself talented on.
What were your biggest takeaways from the event as a player?
I've already learned what it feels like to watch others succeed whilst having to accept my own defeat. It sucks and it can be very difficult to understand your emotions during high energy events, especially coming to terms with almost winning an important series. So I think what I learned from this event was how high Rich has set the bar for me to reach in ranged DPS play. My goal now is to catch up to him.
Did you get to do anything else while you were in Sweden?
I didn't really have time to explore Sweden, but my team and I ate some nice Swedish pizza. I'm looking forward to eating it again next year.
On playing with Liquid
How is the new team dynamic, especially with all the role swaps?
The new team dynamic feels positive and quite energetic; it felt like I entered into an established, professional environment. Our transition regarding role swaps has been smooth, as NuroK has been performing well in a short amount of time on support, and in scrims I'm feeling confident performing on ranged.
Ranged carry is a role that I'm extremely passionate about, and the only other role that comes close is support. I feel a lot of freedom being able to play my role of choice for this season, and I have some big goals I want to achieve soon. I plan to be the best ranged carry internationally, and I'm feeling confident in achieving this.
Ranged carry is a role that I'm extremely passionate about, and the only other role that comes close is support. I feel a lot of freedom being able to play my role of choice for this season, and I have some big goals I want to achieve soon. I plan to be the best ranged carry internationally, and I'm feeling confident in achieving this.
You seemed very comfortable on ranged this weekend with some admirable Genji play and even some Sgt. Hammer. I take it you watched Rich a good bit at the MSB?
I wasn't pleased with my performance against Fnatic. I played too nervously, wasn't accurate on some of my skillshots, and made quite a lot of mistakes in decision making as well. I am a bit confused that I had some positive feedback for the weekend's games, but I will take the compliments and make sure to perform at my potential in future HGC matches.
I watched Rich a lot during the MSB and figured out how to play some of the heroes he was good at optimally, and I've been using the information to refine some of my heroes like Hanzo.
I watched Rich a lot during the MSB and figured out how to play some of the heroes he was good at optimally, and I've been using the information to refine some of my heroes like Hanzo.
Your first weekend with Team Liquid was quite a successful one after defeating the Monkey Menagerie 3-1 and finally besting Fnatic in one of the best series of the weekend. What is the general mood of the team right now and what did you learn from these series as you prepare for the rest of HGC?
The team mood is quite happy. Winning both series, particularly the one versus Fnatic, makes our chances of qualifying for the Western Clash high. We learned that we still aren't playing clean enough when we can play better in scrims, so we are going to be more critical of our mistakes in scrims this week.
Do you have any thoughts on the rest of EU after the roster swaps and seeing their performances on the opening weekend?
I think there's a clear difference in strength between Dignitas and the rest of the region. I don't believe they will be contested during this part of Phase 2, but if they are contested in the future it might be from Team Liquid or Method. Fnatic seemed quite strong in our HGC matches, but we have yet to scrim them, so I don't have much information on them. As for the rest of the HGC teams, they all appear competitive and shouldn't be underestimated in tournament matches.
Any shoutouts?
Shoutout to Team Liquid, my teammates and Zoos. Also thank you to all the fans cheering for my team and me.
Arcaner is practicing hard for this weekend's #HGC games.
You can follow him on Twitter and watch his frequent streams on Twitch.
You can follow him on Twitter and watch his frequent streams on Twitch.
Interview: Rozai
Editor(s): EsportsJohn
Formatting: EsportsJohn
Design: shiroiusagi
Photo Credit: Blizzard
Editor(s): EsportsJohn
Formatting: EsportsJohn
Design: shiroiusagi
Photo Credit: Blizzard
