In Season 1 of the Overwatch League, Alexandre “SPREE” Vanhomwegen averaged more eliminations per ten minutes than any other player in the league. In a game where getting eliminations is a key part of any victory – this is a big deal. While his sample size may be smaller than others at 3h 29m, he is still higher than the next player by over a full elimination.
With numbers like these, you might think SPREE is a definite starter and maybe even an MVP candidate, right?
Wrong.
SPREE plays a crucial, yet limited, role for the Houston Outlaws as their Zarya specialist. This means that SPREE is able to come into the game in situations where he can be most effective and elevate the team’s overall performance. If you have watched the Outlaws play on King’s Row, you are familiar with this.
In short, SPREE is exactly what a good sub should be and is something all teams wish they had their own version of.
But this begs the question: Should SPREE’s dominant performance in Season 1 call for an increased role with the Outlaws? How can we know SPREE’s true potential if he only sees 3 hours of game time?
To figure this out and learn more about the league’s deadliest player, I talked with SPREE and asked him a few questions about Season 1, role models, and his biggest rivals.
Q. This season, you ranked 1st overall in eliminations per ten minutes, yet you were not featured very often for the Outlaws. In Season 2, do you expect your role to change for the Outlaws? And if not, would you look to play elsewhere?
“It is possible that we might start to experiment me on more maps to see if my play style can be more beneficial outside of just the Zarya pick. It is something that takes time to do but in Season 2 we definitely will have time for that.”
Q. You have mainly been a Zarya specialist in OWL so far but on your streams, you succeed with playing a lot of other heroes. Which hero do you hope to play more of in Season 2?
“I really enjoy playing D.Va right now, but I like to play every hero. Specifically, I excel with the off-tanks.”
Q. What are the biggest personal improvements you and the Outlaws want to make heading into Season 2?
“In Season 2, I want to have a better-structured practice routine that is more efficient. This will allow me to focus on what’s more important instead of always trying to fix the impossible details.”
Q. What was your favorite moment of Season 1?
“Stage 4 was the most fun I had due to having more play time. We won every map I played except one map on Oasis where we tried the Zarya death-ball strategy. My favorite moment was specifically the game against the London Spitfire in Stage 4, surprising them with our Reinhardt, Zarya, and Double Sniper composition.”
Q. Which other pro is your biggest rival?
“Coolmatt is my true rival, but [he’s] also a really good friend. We have an attitude of sportsmanship towards each other and we’re friends outside the team environment. We try to give each other constructive feedback. I always strive to be better than him and to be able to have more playtime when it comes to D.Va.”
Q. Who are your role models, both in esports and in the rest of the world?
“Fury and Space are the 2 off-tank players I look up to the most. Outside of Overwatch, Niko from CS:GO has always amazed me. He’s able to always perform really well at the
highest level and is definitely a player to look up to.”
There is no doubt we will see more of SPREE in the upcoming season of the Overwatch League. Until then, you can keep up with him on his Twitch channel or on his Twitter.
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