Interview with British Hurricane’s Hafficool: We’re better than Angry Titans in almost every way

With a big game coming up between the EU Contenders teams Angry Titans and British Hurricane, we sat down with one of the Hurricane’s oldest and most consistent stars – Hafþór “Hafficool” Hákonarson – to talk about the upcoming match, the Path to Pro in general, and who he looks up to in the Overwatch League. Enjoy!

First off, for anyone who doesn’t know you – who are you? What’s your history in Overwatch?

I started playing Overwatch around August 2016. I played for Fnatic for half a year going to Dreamhack, MLG Vegas and Korea. Then later on in 2017, I joined Team 123 and made Top 4 in Contenders. Then i joined Hurricane and have been there the past year and a half.

British Hurricane has had quite the season – what’s gone into your success, both individually and as a team? 

I think we have the best individual skill of any team, and we also have the best teamwork and cohesion. KnoxXx’s coaching is doing a lot for us on the teamwork side, and Tsuna joining the team gives us a really good, individually skilled roster. I think the thing that really made us the best team is that we have a clear plan for every situation, and we aren’t afraid to be really aggressive.

Is there anyone on the team who has had a particularly large impact on the team’s success this season? How, if so?

Since I can’t say myself, Numlocked has been doing a lot in officials. Getting huge shatters all the time and making really good calls.

How do you feel EU as a region stacks up against other Contenders regions across the world? What’s the best region in the world right now, and why?

I think we would stomp NA in GOATS. I really don’t know about Korea, since i never watch, it so I’m just going to say EU is the best!

Who are some players and teams (from any region) that you’re keeping an eye on? Why?

Molf1g from Shu’s Money Crew has been doing super well recently. He plays really smart and has good mechanics – I think he’s already a Top 3 D.Va in EU. Tek36 [from One.PoinT] has also been doing really well recently; he’s probably the best D.Va in Europe in terms of eating Gravs. His bombs are also really solid.

Are there any players that you’ve looked up to, past or present? Who would you say are your favorite OWL players/teams right now?

I try to learn a lot from Meko, because we already have a pretty similar style. In my opinion, he’s the best D.Va in the world. Meko and Fury are also probably my favorites to watch – they’re just so good. Others would be KYB, Poko, Finnsi, Greyy and Fusions. My favorite teams are Paris, Philly and London.

Are you happy with the changes Blizzard has made to T2 this year (the Gauntlet/LAN showdowns, prize pool adjustments, etc?) What more could Blizzard be doing to support Contenders at this point?

I like the current setup for Contenders, but I want more tournaments in between. Just playing in Contenders isn’t enough games in a year if you’re a team that isn’t making it far in playoffs.

How do you feel about your team’s chances against Angry Titans this week? Anything you’re particularly worried about, or preparing for?

I’m not really worried about anything. I think we’re better in almost every way, and they have a similar play style to ours. The only thing I could think of is that Spectr9l and LullSiSH can sometimes just pop off in officials. That might be difficult to deal with, but it’s going to be a solid 4-0 either way.

How do you think the new meta (if there is a new meta) will affect your team/the rest of the playoff teams?

It will probably give Samsung Morning Stars more chances to get KSP on DPS, so they should be a bit better than they’ve been. I think the rest of the teams will mostly stay the same in regards to their relative power levels.

Who’s the scariest/best player on AT? What about the least scary?

Lullsish [Angry Titans’ main tank player] is definitely the scariest, and I’d say emiL [AT’s flex tank player] is the least scary.

What sort of message would you send to OWL scouts watching you (or your team) that are on the fence about signing you? How would you convince them you’re worth a shot?

I’m the main person making plans and shot-calling for the best team in EU right now. I can flex onto DPS heroes (Sombra, Pharah, Mei, Soldier etc), my D.Va is insane, and i have a lot of experience at LAN and in stressful situations.

[Thanks to Hafficool for an awesome interview. Good luck against Angry Titans!]

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