The Grand Finals – Interview With The Wildcard Teams

KAZNA KRU

Hello, we are KAZNA KRU, a professional World of Tanks team and currently the champions of European Wargaming.net League. We are here on the Grand Finals to also prove that we can be the best World of Tanks team in the world.  We would like to thank our fans and friends who supported us from the very beginning and say to them that we won’t let them down and that this would not be possible if it wasn’t for them. Don't forget to watch and cheer for us during the Grand Finals in Warsaw because it is going to be an epic battle and we can only be on top with your support.

Thank you all and KAZNA SMASH!

Personal Questions

1. Can you introduce yourself?
   I'm ealien from Kazna Kru, WGLEU Season 5 champions.
2. When did you start playing World of Tanks?
   I started playing WoT during the open beta of the game.
3. When did you join the team?
   I joined Kazna Kru a month after the previous Grand Finals, so around May 2014.
4. What is your favorite World of Tanks map and why?
   Ruinberg as it is a mix of open and city map, having the great tactical side and also space to surprise the enemy.
5. What is your favorite tank and why?
   T-54 lightweight - decent turret armor, speed, on-the-move accuracy. Perfect all-rounder.
6. How would you describe your role in the team?
   I'm helping with developing new tactics and positions and main-roster player.
7. What does it take to be an eSports pro?
   You have to be good at the game, obviously, so knowing its mechanics and as many little tricks as possible. You also need to find your place in the team, be able to work with different people in the game and outside the game.
8. What makes World of Tanks a unique competitive/gaming experience?
   It's tactical and very team-based. You have to have 7 people acting like one unit to outplay and outsmart the enemy.
9. What are your eSports goals?
   To compete on the highest level possible and have fun doing that.
10. How did people react when you told them you were to become an eSports pro?
    It happened naturally and my friends were all supporting me even when my team is losing.
11. How do you prepare yourself before a big match/tournament?
    I practice with the team and talk a lot about the game to better understand each other and the way of thinking of the guys I’m playing with. Other than that, the preparation is mostly working on having the right mindset for the matches.
12. Are there any lucky rituals that you have to give you a better chance for victory?
    Not really, victory is possible even when being extremely unlucky!

Team Questions

1. How did you become involved with your team?
   After KAZNA KRU clan was made, there were 2 very good ESL competitive teams in it, so we took the best 7 guys for it and started to play on a professional level and the first offline tournament was CEBIT in Hannover in 2013. That was a tournament in which only the first teams who qualified for Gold Season 1 could participate in, and that’s how it all started.
2. How long have you been with your team?
   I joined my team for the first qualifiers for the Gold Season 1 League, so you can say I was here from the beginning.
3. When and how did you get into World of Tanks?
   I started playing World of Tanks with my friends who showed me the game in early beta, we all got hooked on it as we saw that the game is very good and had a huge potential to become even better at that time. I can also say that everyone who is playing World of Tanks on a professional level started to play this game in beta.
4. How did you transition from the amateur to the pro scene?
   The transition from amateur to professional took some time and it wasn’t an easy task. Like everything in life, professionalism is on a different level and in some ways you live with it. You need to work hard and give a lot of blood, sweat and tears for your team to be successful and good.
5. How does the team prepare for a big battle/tournament?
   For a big tournament, you need to have training sessions almost every day of the week. We have a very good practice schedule with or sometimes even without opponents.  We talk about tactics and ideas all the time. We have a couple of very skilful players and the hardest part in this game is to implement those individual skills in your team because this is a team game after all.
6. Are there any lucky rituals the team have to give you a better chance for victory?
   We don’t have any special or lucky rituals. We just try to keep ourselves pumped up and focused as much as we can. We already have and always had a good chemistry inside our team and that’s also what keeps us focused and balanced.
7. What is one of your most memorable team moments?
   There were a lot of great team moments but probably the best moment was the last offline finals where we beat Virtus PRO and Schoolbus and took home the Wargaming.net League Europe Season 5 Championship. That is what we were waiting for from the very beginning of this competition.
8. What are your goals as a team?
   Our goals are to be the best European team and to win the Grand Finals 2015 so we are automatically the best team in the world.
9. What makes a successful team?
   Things that make a successful team are practice, communication, and implementing individual skills into your team play, good chemistry in your team and more practice.

Santa Claus and 6 Deers (WP.SC6)

Our team was founded by Evgeniy Riazanov aka SantaClaus, this is how we got our name. He did everything possible to create a great band of players with its unique atmosphere geared towards winning. However, Santa Claus had to leave the team after WGLRU 3 Season Finals. But we stayed together as a group and we hope to show good results at the Grand Finals.

This last season, when we made it to Gold Series, we signed a contract with WePlay.TV. Having them at our side helped us with preparations for the LAN-finals. We are greatful for their support. Cooperation with a serious partner and sponsor gives us lots of possibilities for further development.

We are developing our media network with the help of WePlay.TV and using our own resources in social media.

The team is spread through Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. We are in different time zones, but we manage it well. The fact that we became second in the last season, surprisingly even for us, gave us a great morale boost. We are ready for the Grand Finals and we will show good results there too!

Personal Questions

1. Can you introduce yourself?
   Bogdan Snigach aka Snigach.
2. When did you start playing World of Tanks?
   In 2012.
3. When did you join the team?
   3 months ago, in December 2014.
4. What is your favorite World of Tanks map and why?
   Ensk, I love city maps.
5. What is your favorite tank and why?
   T-54 ltwt. It’s quick and gives out good DPM.
6. How would you describe your role in the team?
   I am a team captain after WGL RU 3S Finals.
7. What does it take to be an eSports pro?
   One has to think of gaming as a legitimate work.
8. What makes World of Tanks a unique competitive/gaming experience?
   A new competitive format Attack/Defense.
9. What are your eSports goals?
   Become better and better with every competition.
10. How did people react when you told them you were to become an eSports pro?
    The initial reaction was negative, but it improved after the first prize money. Now people around me are more serious about my gaming career.
11. How do you prepare yourself before a big match/tournament?
    Training hard before every match.
12. Are there any lucky rituals that you have to give you a better chance for victory?
    We give each other high fives for encouragement!

Team Questions (Andrey Rozhnov aka CatOfFay)

1. How did you become involved with your team?
   The team signed a contract with WePlay, an organization where I work as a project manager.
2. How long have you been with your team?
   I’ve been their manager for 3 months now, since SC6 made it to Gold Series, a top WGL RU division.
3. When and how did you get into World of Tanks?
   I started playing WoT back in 2011. It’s a unique game, which being a shooter allows many users to play comfortably without being too demanding as other shooters.
4. How did you transition from the amateur to the pro scene?
   A pro-gamer experience is different from person to person. Someone plays for fun even in serious tournaments and with strong teams. However, other do make a further step towards becoming a pro, making gaming a professional occupation. And generally only these dedicated individuals achieve real results. SC6 made an incredible leap – they managed to get from Weekly Cups, the lowest WGL RU division, to the LAN-finals in their first season amongst the best CIS teams.
5. How does the team prepare for a big battle/tournament?
   As a manager I try to make sure that the team gets plenty of training. I also check whether they are doing fine otherwise: personal life, other problems. I really want them to succeed and get the recognition they deserve.
6. Are there any lucky rituals the team have to give you a better chance for victory?
   We are a young team. The rituals are still in formation, but a round of high fives is a must!
7. What is one of your most memorable team moments?
   Going the LAN-final in Minsk and winning the second place in WGL RU 3 Season.
8. What are your goals as a team?
   Becoming better and better with every game.
9. What makes a successful team?
   Team spirit and mutual understanding.

All the best for the teams!