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Davin: “I’m not fully sure of who was doing it but some people were spreading info that our buyouts were crazy while in reality, they were nothing special.”

Volamel 2019-12-27 06:29:20
There is a shortlist of talented players that patiently await their call up to the Overwatch League and whether he sits on top of your list or somewhere towards the bottom, former DPS star of Team Gigantti, Tuomo "Davin" Leppänen, is undeniable. Since 2017, Davin has consistently performed at the top of his class on a team that, historically, has produced some of the best European talent bar none. Once again his talents have seemingly been overlooked for the upcoming 2020 Overwatch League season set to begin this February. Now, with a nagging health concern, he looks at a new avenue to keep his competitive fire lit; coaching. Davin spoke with Esports Heaven about his comments on his recent interest in pursuing coaching, Team Gigantti’s rumored buyouts, and the pressure of constantly being in the public eye as a standout talent outside of the Overwatch League.
First, let’s start with your time with Team Gigantti. You’ve been with the team for upwards of two-years. Could you share some of your fondest memories? Perhaps share a funny story from such a legendary locker room? I think winning the first season of Contenders with the original squad will always be the best memory.  Your former team manager, Tanishq "Tanizhq" Sabharwal, mentioned in an impassioned TwitLonger that there was some misinformation spread about your buyouts? Could you shed some light on that? I’m not fully sure of who was doing it but some people were spreading info that our buyouts were crazy while in reality, they were nothing special. Your name is constantly brought up in discussion when it comes to players that deserve to be drafted into the Overwatch League. Does that pressure or attention bother you at all?  It does a little to be fair. It does bring some extra stress but at the same time, it’s nice to have a lot of people supporting you. Recently you announced that you’d be interested in doing a bit of coaching. Could you talk about your decision to venture into coaching? Is this something you’ve always wanted to do? Do you think it could ever replace the drive you have to compete in Overwatch? So basically at the moment, I am unable to play due to health reasons, so coaching is my only option to stay in the scene. I still have a lot of drive to compete as a player but I always thought I could make a good coach as it is something I’ve been doing more or less while playing at the same time. I do think I will return into playing later either in Overwatch or another title when I’m healthy enough to do it again unless I discover a new passion from coaching, which could happen. You’ve obviously had a number of coaches throughout your career, what has been some of the best advice you’ve received? Did that impact your decision to move into coaching at all? I don’t think I have a piece of single standout advice, but being coached by Seita taught me a lot about the game. You strike me as a very driven person. Someone who just doesn’t complain and just does what needs to be done. First, would you say that’s accurate? And secondly, is that focus apparent in your life outside of esports? I guess I would say that’s accurate, I think most people in my situation would have retired already. I’ve got to ask you about your thoughts about the new Contenders format. Is the tournament structure more interesting to you? Where do you think it benefits the players?  It looks quite interesting, looks most beneficial for tier 3 as they will have more opportunities to climb the ranks. To close out the interview, I want to ask you a fairly deep but simple question: why Overwatch? Not “why did you start playing Overwatch,” but what drove you to spend years and countless hours into this game? What about the game has kept you around to this day? It’s the first game that I actually took seriously and managed to become a professional at. The ultimate goal of the Overwatch League is what keeps people grinding.
Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLGs of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at @Volamel. Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.
 

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