robadobah · @robadobah
5th Nov 2017 from TwitLonger
Moving to EU 2k18
Hi hots community,
I don't usually broadcast my plans so publicly but I figure this is something that is in my best interest to make people aware of.
I have been playing Heroes of the Storm competitively since early 2015. In this time, I have played with a multitude of different teams and players and have been ANZ's sole player to have always won the region and make it to every international event.
Although I have managed to stay at the top of my region for so long, I have always felt deeply unsatisfied in doing so poorly internationally. Throughout 2016 I felt embarrassed even being at these events - I knew from a spectator point of view how pointless our involvement in these tournaments were. I hated to think that players I really respected would get the impression I was happy mooching a free trip.
The first Western Clash as part of Nomia was thrilling to me as it felt like I and my region finally belonged playing amongst other good players/teams in the world. I find myself still rewatching our games from this event, listening to the excitement of casters and wishing we could have done that slightest bit better and truly left a mark.
I think that the strength of this team was that, at least at first, everyone on Nomia had a similar level of passion for the game and would grind relentlessly to improve. It has been hard for me to drive standards in most teams I have played in as I have felt guilty in a sense for being as committed as I am to hots when it's probably not something you should attempt to do full time in Australia. The gap in passion for this game between myself and many other competitive players in anz has been difficult to deal with. I am seen by some as a judgemental figure but it makes me genuinely happy (and I will go out of my way to encourage) when I see someone fall in love with the game and improve their skill through grinding HL.
That segues me nicely into Arcaner - the player to me who best exemplifies improving through intense dedication. I watched him improve past me and start to make his mark internationally this year. He had long held similar feelings of an enthusiasm gap between himself and his region and found a point of intense frustration when he felt like he could no longer improve or enjoy the game until he moved to a major region.
When Nomia imploded through personal disputes, he implored me to join him in moving to Europe. I was hesitant at the time out of a mixture of doubting my own skill level, being extremely unwilling to leave someone I love and also if I'm honest I wanted to destroy Nomia first.
In the lead up to anz finals, I concentrated more than I probably ever have and all doubts over my own level vanished - I now fully believe in myself that I am a good player capable of making an impact in a major region. I also credit a lot of my confidence to DS, playing with people who push me to work on my shortcomings and be a better person/team mate was a great learning experience. Winning those finals was probably the best moment in my career, no one believed in us to win and it took great mental strength for us to lose the first game but still dominate the series - something we had always struggled with on Nomia.
Of course we then bombed out at blizzcon. Still probably better than my last experience at blizzcon but not something I can be at all satisfied with.
I still have a burning desire to make an impact on this game but now feel that I have nothing left to prove in my own region and that there is only one way forward if I want to continue pursuing hots. I want to play eu hero league and make it into the full grandmaster games and show that I am a good player. I want to break my way in to hgc and be exposed to the highest level of competition and see how well I can do.
My visa is still being processed but I intend to move to england by the end of the month, live with my friend Arcaner and pursue this dream together. Even if it completely fails I will be happy to have tried and maybe I can still be of some use pushing him to succeed.
PS I've loved playing with DS and hanging out with them for the past couple of weeks. If the worst happens and my visa gets rejected/plane won't start I'll happily stay and try to rebuild the roster.