p

 

Bosse Stormgate: “I always knew that I had some talent and if I applied myself I could go quite far as a competitive player.”

Volamel 2024-02-22 05:09:43
Bo Valdemar "Bosse" Norgren is quickly becoming a name to follow in the earliest days of competitive Stromgate. After advancing quickly up the ladder and competing against the likes of Won "PartinG" Lee-sak and Davey "Highdra" Smeekens, Bosse has established himself as one of the best players in Stormgate today. Bosse spoke to Esports Heaven about his journey with RTS games, how he prepared for the EGC Stormgate Open, and more! Author's Note: This interview was conducted before the conclusion of the EGC Stormgate Open.
Also Read Stormgate Build Order: Infernal 1 Vault/3 Conclave All-in
Bosse, you're among the top competitors not just on the ladder but in some of the earliest tournaments in Stormgate. How does that feel? It feels great! I actually got access to the game in the second alpha stage but did not play much back then.  I have mostly been playing without any competitive expectations since the December patch, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could compete with the top players. Think back to when you were just starting to play games, did you ever think you'd be able to reach the heights you are now? What piece of advice would you give that child? I was born in the 90’s just in time for the first PCs to become affordable.  One of my first memories was playing a “The Little Mermaid”game at my kindergarten.  My parents, and my father especially, introduced me to a range of RTS games which I grew up playing. For example, I remember Ultralisk rushing my mother in Starcraft: Brood War around the age of 11 or so. When Starcraft 2 was coming out I preordered it and reached the Grandmaster League a week after my 15th birthday. I always knew that I had some talent and if I applied myself I could go quite far as a competitive player. My advice for anyone striving to be a professional player would be to stick to your preferred game, playing it consistently, and not hopping between too many games, a mistake I did myself.  Skills compound over the years and consistency is as important as talent.
Also Read: Stormgate Build Order: Infernal 2 Base Spriggans
If you had to pick one word to describe your style, what would you pick and why? How did your style differ from transitioning from StarCraft 2 to Stormgate? When I was most active, back in Wings of Liberty, I was a very aggressive player with a heavy micro focus. I liked to go for timing attacks, ending games earlier due to superior unit control. In Stormgate I have a slightly more cerebral playstyle, not putting all my eggs in one basket as much. I like to mix it up, and when the game allows, play more macro-oriented.  You seemed to be quite happy with your performance at the EGC Stormgate Open Qualifiers. What does making it so deep in the tournament mean to you? Making it to the playoffs of a major tournament means a lot to me. It is something I never accomplished back in my Starcraft 2 days, and I’m very glad to have one more opportunity to compete against the best. The playoffs will be extremely difficult, but depending on which player I will be facing, I believe an upset is possible.
Also Read: A Beginner’s Guide on how to play Stormgate by a Noob
Who do you expect to advance in the Katowice Qualifiers? Anyone names fans of Stormgate should keep their eyes on? I know Mikołaj "Elazer" Ogonowski and Sean "Probe" Kempen are exceptionally good players, having faced them myself. I expect them to clearly move on, likely as the top 2 seeds. Nikita "SKillous" Gurevich used to be very good but has likely practised less Stormgate due to the Starcraft 2 preparations for IEM, however I expect him to move on as well. As for the rest, I have no insider knowledge of their level in Stormgate, and it will be very exciting to see them play. How are you preparing for the playoffs for EGC? Does the fact that the field is mostly Infernal make it harder or easier in your mind? I’m currently in the middle of my master’s thesis, so I have not been able to prepare as much as I would have liked. I have however played some custom games with other top players like Lorimbo, and TOP, as well as some ladder under a seafood-related alias that is quite high on the leaderboards MMR-wise. Me and Lorimbo have been theory-crafting some builds, and some of them I used to great success in the qualifiers. The fact that the field is mostly Infernal players is a boon to me, as it is likely my strongest matchup. The matchup has not yet been completely figured out, and there is room for clever strategies and mind games to shine.  Probe had some strong words for EGC around their recent qualifiers for the Stormgate Open. Can you describe your experience with the event?  There were some poor decisions made by the admins, such as using a new system for generating brackets without testing it prior to the tournament start. This resulted in long delays and some players ending up in multiple brackets, and in the case of Probe, not ending up in any bracket. I think I played more Wordle-esque games than Stormgate during the first day of qualifiers. Once the qualifiers got going, I did not experience any larger issues, and I believe these issues to have been a one-time thing. Lastly, do you think Stormgate has a future has a competitive esport and why? I believe Stormgate has the best shot at sustaining a new competitive RTS scene out of the latest announced games. The game feels extremely responsive and satisfying to play, however, its future will depend on the yet-to-be-made design and balanced decisions. There is much to be done before the game is fully export-ready, but it looks very promising.
Images via Frost Giant Studios.
 

Latest Poll

first poll

Which race in Stormgate are you more excited for right now?
Vote

Breaking News