Interview with Zapman: "I’m very confident in our performance at LAN"

With the SPL all wrapped up. I caught up with our Smite team's hunter Steven 'Zapman' Zapas about his experience with the SPL and what the future holds. Team Dignitas finished 4th overall in the SPL and have secured their spot at the Regional LAN tournament in November, where they will compete against the other top North American teams for their spot in the World Championship in January.

The SPL has finished and Team Dignitas have secured the fourth spot going into Regionals. How was playing in the Pro League overall and do you feel like the league was a success?

Zapman: Playing in the Pro League was great. Playing games throughout the week was much better than playing many games on a single day. This allowed teams to prepare for each specific match and put on a great show for each game. The league was definitely a success and hopefully it will continue to grow next season.

 

Are you happy with how DiG has performed over the course of the SPL?

Zapman: I’m disappointed in how we performed in the SPL. We started off 0-4 and were having a lot of trouble finding ways to win. After that abysmal start we went on a 9 game win streak, however, I wasn’t impressed with our performance. Most of our wins were against the bottom teams and two wins against top teams were from a DQ and a lucky all-in play. The only win I was really proud of was our first win against COG Red. We played really well that game and pulled out a tough fought victory.

 

How do you feel you performed personally throughout the course of the SPL? What are you happy about and what are you going to look to improve?

Zapman: I was very upset with myself in the first week of SPL. I played poorly and made many noobish mistakes. I self reflected after the first week and was really honest with myself in what I was doing wrong and in the coming days of practice before week two, I made sure to be very conscious of my play and fixed my mistakes. After that I played at a top level and was proud of my performance. Some things I will be looking to improve as we move along to the November LAN is to remain very diligent and smart in my play. Make sure I take advantage of every opportunity given to me as well as create opportunities for my team.

 

The regional LAN is coming up next and this will grant the top two teams a spot in the Smite World Championship in January. How confident are you about the Regionals and how are you going to prepare?

Zapman: We have always been a LAN team. I’m very confident in our performance at LAN and our preparations leading up to it. We will be scrimming and theory crafting every day.

The Smite World Championship prize pool has peaked 1 million dollars, that’s a mighty chunk of change. Did you expect it to get to that kind of money and how do you think this will affect the Smite competitive scene in future events?

Zapman: I did not expect to reach this kind of prize pool. I believe it is top 4 right now in terms of prize pool ever to be had in any eSport event. It makes me very proud as a long time player of Smite for the game to reach such a milestone. I’d like to thank Hi-Rez for their gracious contribution to the prize pool as well as the always amazing Smite community who continue to add to that number.

 

Of the Challenger Cup teams, are there any that you can see competing on the same level as the top teams of the SPL?

Zapman: For sure. The top two at the moment, The Rambrozos and Five Angry Men are both capable of competing at the top level. I have watched many of their games and have scrimmed against both teams and they are really impressive.

 

Looking at the other teams that topped the SPL, who do you consider the major threat and who of the other hunters are you keeping an eye on?

Zapman: Both COG teams are always a major threat. Also the resurgence of Snipe who had an amazing second half of the SPL are something to be feared. They have played impressively and are a team to watch for sure. I love playing against Allied, Snoopy and Barraccudda. It is something I most look forward to. I thrive on the competition these players provide and always look to prove my skills against them.

 

Looking back over the course of the SPL. What are your highlights of the season?

Zapman: My favorite highlight of the season would have to be our very first win against COG Red where I played Rama. I have never been so accurate with my Rama ultimate snipes and hit so many that game. It seemed like me and everyone else on my team played so well to win that game.

 

Of the other regions who are you most looking forward to facing against if you make it out of Regionals?

Zapman: I would love to face the Latin American and Chinese teams just to see how we stack up against them. From EU, who else would it be than TSM. It would be a great story line to have a rematch of the Launch Tournament Finals at Worlds.

The Smite competitive scene is still very young compared to other MOBAs. What do you want to see from the competitive scene in the coming months? Whether it be from Hi-Rez or the community?

Zapman: Continued growth and support from both the community and Hi-Rez of the eSports scene as well as the development of the SPL.

 

Do you have anyone you want to give a shoutout to?

Zapman: I’d like to give a shoutout to my team who never gave up even after our terrible week 1. The loyal fans who stuck it out with us through our rough times. Last but not least I’d like to thank Team Dignitas for being awesome and Hi-Rez for their hard work and dedication to Smite and Smite esports. And as always shoutout to our sponsors Alienware, Intel, Western Digital, SCAN, 3DSystems, iiyama, be quiet!, HyperX, Twitch, Creative, Qpad and Multiplay!

 

Thank you to Zapman for taking the time to answer these questions. You can keep up to date with the Zapulator himself by following his Twitter: @dignitasZap as well as his Twitch Stream here.