Liam "Mangachu" Campbell has been on the Overwatch grind since 2015 and graced the likes of Tempo Storm, Northern Gaming and Renegades. Now, he finds himself playing alongside some of the best players from around the world under the New York Excelsior’s academy team, XL2 Academy. Just barely missing top four during the last season of Contenders, XL2 roared back during Season 2 of Overwatch Contenders North America with an undefeated regular season and a strong playoffs run. Not only have they eclipsed their previous season, they now stand toe-to-toe with Fusion University in the live Grand Finals held at the Los Angeles Qualifier for the Overwatch World Cup 2018. Mangachu sat down with Esports Heaven to discuss the new additions to his team, player mentality, and his take on a Canadian slot in Season 2 of the Overwatch League. _____ It has been a while since the last time we spoke, so we’ve got a bit of housekeeping to do. Talk to me about Overwatch Heroes Rumble. How was the event for you overall? The event was amazing. It was my first time traveling that far, and I had an amazing time. The fans were amazing and the city was beautiful. I would go back in a heartbeat if I had the chance to. Shortly after that, the XL2 Academy roster was announced. During Overwatch Contenders Season 1, the XL2 had a rough time in the quarterfinals. What has changed in not only your mentality but the team's mentality in season two? Our overall mentality has definitely improved since last season. Things were a little rough with having Nenne in Korea. When we played on East coast servers, both nanohana and I had to play and since neither of us could play Tracer, it was a little difficult, considering the meta. Personally, things have been a lot better. I struggled last season due to my hero pool not really working in the meta (other than Junkrat), so when I had to play heroes like Genji or Sombra I consistently underperformed. But with this patch, I have Hanzo, Pharah, Brigitte, Junkrat, a little bit of Mei and Doomfist. I was able to shine on the heroes I could actually play at a top level. Speaking of XL2, you recently added some players. What has been your take on the former London Spitfire players and your current teammates, TiZi and WooHyaL so far? They are both amazing teammates; it's awesome to have players with Overwatch League experience on the team. WooHyaL is someone that cares a lot about the team environment, so he is always positive and has a smile on his face. TiZi is the best main tank I've played with. His tank play, especially his Winston, is phenomenal and despite the language barrier, our communication has only improved. The Overwatch League is the summit of the mountain you’ve been climbing since 2015. What would it mean for you to finally reach the top and play in the Overwatch League? It's a dream finally come true. I've been working very hard to get into this league and I don't plan on stopping once I get there. In an interview at the Overwatch Heroes Rumble, you mention that the mental game for players is often overlooked. How do you keep your own mental game strong? What are a few tips to avoid emotional play and tilt? In all honesty, it's still something that I struggle with from time to time, making mistakes in game like bad ultimates or bad calls [still] has a slight effect on me. But I have some breathing exercises that I use to help me get out of that state of mind. Another great thing about my team is how much fun we have, so when things start to tilt me I usually get out of it pretty easily thanks to a quick joke by Adam or Goliath, or some supportive comments from Nenne or Cloneman. In our previous interview, I asked you about players who had an influence on you and you mentioned Talespin. What is it like to be able to now have the opportunity to be able to play against him once again? What have you thought about Talespin’s return to Envy? It felt a little nostalgic. The last time I practiced against him was when Fnatic was still in Overwatch and I haven't played him in a tournament since before the first season of APEX. He was an amazing player back in the day and he's only improved since then. I hope to see him in the Overwatch League next season! This question was posed to me recently and I figured you’d have a different take on this: Do you think the Overwatch World Cup is a better version of Overwatch Contenders in terms of showcasing amateur talent? For the teams that should be considered top 8-10, no. I think most of the players on those teams are either in the Overwatch League or Contenders, so they've been shown in the spotlight already. Everyone else probably has 2-3 people not in of those leagues, so for them I would agree. Now I am going to ask you for a bit of speculation - how likely do you think it is that one of the Overwatch League expansion slots is based in Canada? I would hope there is at least one team in Canada next season. There are some rumors going around with the Toronto team so my fingers are crossed. _____ 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 and MLG.