The secondary tier of R6 esports in Europe is as close as it ever has been, with the top spots being an open race for many of the teams. After two play days, Team Vitality has taken an early lead, but with ten maps remaining for every team, and just three points separating the top three teams, promotion to the Pro League is anyone's game.
The current European Challenger League standings after two play days in Season 9
We have previously spoken to Gaël "Liven" Gruyere, the team captain of XTreme Video Esports, and Sébastien "FuriouSG" Guérineau, the manager of Team Vitality, so this week we spoke to some more of the returning names hoping to make it to the Pro League, starting with Otto "pannari" Heikkinen:
Pannari during Season 1 of the Nordic Championships with ENCE eSports
While he is currently playing on KKona KKopteri (usually just referred to as “ex-NYYRIKKI”), pannari is best known from his time on ENCE eSports in Year 2. Then, his team had qualified for all four major LANs, and were crowned the Season 6 Pro League Champions. Since leaving the roster at the end of Season 7, he attended both DreamHack Austin and Valencia with T3H Esports, and now plays in both the ongoing CCS and Challenger League seasons on a new all-Finnish lineup.
We spoke to him to ask about this lineup and his journey back to the big leagues:
Firstly, can you introduce your new team to us?
The roster while it was under NYYRIKKI Esports (via their website)
Your team went from a fairly unknown roster to qualifying for both CL and CCS in the space of a day. What was this like for your team?
Next week you play Supremacy and MnM Gaming, two big contenders for the Challenger League title. What scores can we expect in these games?
Their results so far (via the SiegeGG matches page)
Can we expect a new organisation soon?
Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Next, we spoke to another returning player in Dimitri "Panix" de Longeaux, currently in his second stint in the Challenger League since joining the competitive scene back in Season 1. In this time, he has played alongside players such as ENEMY, Elemzje, meepeY, z1ronic, Hungry, and risze.
Not only that, he also claimed the first ever DreamHack title at DreamHack Tours 2016, won two Coupe de France titles (in 2017 and 2018), and was most recently crowned a German national champion at the Castle Siege 2018 tournament.
Panix at DreamHack Austin 2018 with Mock-it Esports (via DreamHack Flickr)
Now, after being kicked from PENTA, he finds himself in the previously all-Italian roster of EnD Gaming in the Challenger League also. We spoke to him to ask what it is like fitting into a roster such as this:
Firstly, can you introduce your new team to us?
How does communication work with a primarily Italian roster?
This week you played against two ex-teammates -- Voy in XTreme Video Esports, and Alive in Supremacy. did this create any extra pressure for yourself?
The stats for the EnD Gaming and XTreme Video Esports game on the second day of Season 9 of the Challenger League
Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Finally, we spoke to a new entrant in the Challenger League, Leon "Leonski" Snikkers. Leonski is now the in-game-leader of the very first team from the Benelux region (consisting of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) to qualify for the Challenger League.
Previously, Trust Gaming had achieved large amounts of success within their local region, making the ESL Benelux League Finals twice, however, they truly made a name for themselves when they took down the Pro League winning roster of Team Liquid at the DreamHack Winter event.
Now, as they already are one of the most successful core-Dutch lineups in esports history, we asked Leonski about his team, the Benelux region, and what his aims are going forward:
The Trust Gaming roster after their Benelux League Season 1 victory last June
The Trust Gaming roster via @TrustGamingTeam
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Keep an eye out here at SiegeGG over the coming weeks for more interviews and coverage of the Challenger League as we approach the mid-season.