Why you should watch the minor ERLs — Part 2: Greece & Cyprus and Portugal (featuring casters TheRock7 and Hackali)
[This is Part 2 of a hopefully 3 part series which covers the European Regional Leagues (ERLs) that are considered ‘minor regions’]
Oh hey, you’re still here. Brilliant.
As I ranted in the first part, the minor ERLs are interesting in their own ways and have talents not inferior to the bigger ones. This series aims to promote these smaller leagues and hope that you, the reader, will be interested by the time you finish reading through everything.
For the second part, we have the Greece & Cyprus (Greek Legends League) and Portugal (Liga Portuguesa LoL). Here we go!
Please introduce yourselves and tell us your role within your respective ERLs.
TheRock7: Hello agorines! My name is Vasilis “TheRock7” Voltis and I’m the main shoutcaster for the Greek Legends League (GLL). I am also an analyst and host. I’ve been into the esports industry since 2012 and LoL since its humble beta stages. In the past, I have worked as a coach and manager for Greek teams.
Hackali: Hello! I would like to thank you for this interview and I wish everyone has an amazing year…and not a DLC of 2020. Jokes aside, my name is Kevin “Hackali” Sousa, I’ve been in the Portuguese scene for around seven years with different roles. Competitively speaking, I played on several teams up until the point I felt I was not giving my best anymore and retired thereafter.
Regardless of the little success in my competitive career, my passion for esports remained and I knew I wanted to keep going. Before I stopped playing, I talked to some members of the Portuguese league’s broadcasting team, and told them I’d like to give a shot at casting and analysing games. Thanks to Rodolfo “5ynco” Santos, I’ve had the chance to do so and I couldn’t be happier. I’m mostly a colour caster in the Liga Portuguesa LoL (LPLOL), but I can do some play-by-play if required.
So, the million dollar question: If you were in an elevator with a curious fan, one who wanted to know why your ERL is worth watching, what would be your quick sell to him or her?
TheRock7: Hmmm…ok! So, can I just assume that we have 50 floors to pass so that I have enough time (laugh)? I’m kidding!
Firstly, I would ask them in what ERL would they see a blind Rammus pick or constantly see completely off-meta picks like Karma top, Shyvana or Xin Zhao jungle? Where would you see 25 minutes of back-to-back fights just because we love chaos? The best controlled chaos in Summoner’s Rift can only be found here! Greek Legends hype! I hope this diversity is enough for the GLL to be on someone’s radar.
Hackali: I’d say it has up-and-coming talent, and even if it’s not the best ERL or even close to it at this time, it does deliver and produce some really good players.
Sadly, we don’t have the recognition and the acceptance that esports has in some other countries, which is the reason why top tier Portuguese players leave so they can make a comfortable living by playing competitively.
However, we do have some very good teams and individuals that remain in the Portuguese scene. Some of them even return here, such as António “LeChase” Ramalho and João “Alternative” Parada who have been around for such a long time, so it is always worth a watch especially in regards to the top tier matches! For the mid to lower tier teams, it’s important for them to learn from the upper levels of competition so they can up their game for the future.
“I’m especially excited to see the return of LeChase and Alternative (both having previously played in the CBLOL) with the White Dragons. Those are names we can’t ignore and we do have to keep an eye on everyone else, but it’s definitely my highlight for the start of this year.” — Hackali
Give us a brief overview and history of your respective ERL. What were the very significant moments and big events that have happened from then till now?
TheRock7: One of the biggest events in our ERL was Greek Legends back in 2014 as it was organised in partnership with Riot. It was an unforgettable finals match!
Sadly, we couldn’t hold a big live event last year due to the pandemic. However, we did have two very memorable seasons in 2019. Want to know why? Both finals went to Game 5 and both had incredible moments. Base races, backdoors and much, much more that you don’t usually see in regular season games. The truth is, the GLL is not a league that you forget easily once you watch it.
Hackali: It started off as a project from people that really loved esports and wanted to the Portuguese scene together, and it was a magnificent move for everyone who dreamed of competing. We produced some really big names that are playing and coaching at the highest level, known names obviously being Vodafone Giants botlaner Amadeu “Attila” Carvalho and coach André “Guilhoto” Pereira Guilhoto, who is currently moving to the LCS to coach Immortals.
In regards to events, we’ve had some really interesting and crowded ones, but I hope the best is yet to come. We need to capture the attention of not only our generation, but also the previous one, especially if we want it to become bigger in Portugal. We are taking small steps year after year and if we get the right target audience and introduce what esports really is, I believe the Portuguese scene will explode in the future, with the acceptance and recognition that we are hoping to have.
Tell us some of the big or important narratives for 2021 that are carried over from 2020.
TheRock7: WLGaming Esports (WLG) as back-to-back champions! In 2020, they created a legacy for themselves, so it’s really important for them to strike back at 2021 as champions, since their Winter Season didn’t go as planned. But when it’s crunch time, such as European Masters (EUM) games, they always deliver. This is sure to be a story that catches on an ERL and EUM level!
Team Phantasma, new blood that arrived in winter but the people who ran the previous team (Game Changers) are still there. Game Changers were the dark horse in summer 2019 and placed third, after that they collaborated with Phantasma to be the next big thing. The first season for them as Phantasma went well, managing to reach the finals. In 2021, I believe they want more: to win the GLL and make a good EUM run.
Anorthosis Famagusta Esports (ANO) is my last pick, and their story is absolutely amazing. From several failed attempts in closed qualifiers, to finally reaching the GLL in summer and finishing sixth place, to GLL 2020 Winter Season champions! Since they’ve retained the same roster, I’m confident they will go to EUM and that’s the dream for them!
Hackali: The main one is if the kingdom of For The Win Esports (FTW) and EGN Esports remains standing in 2021. With the upcoming White Dragons lineup, I do believe there can be a shift in power and the competition will get more interesting at the highest level, making it much closer in playoffs.
We are so used to seeing FTW and most recently EGN in top 1 or 2 spots, and we’ve had some teams coming close to defeating them, such as OFFSET Esports and SAMCLAN Esports Club (who finished second in 2020), so everyone is definitely interested to check out what this year’s LPLOL has to offer.
Who are some of the big names from your ERLs and why should people watch them?
TheRock7: For teams, I’d first say WLG. They are three time Greek Legends champions and have consistently gone to EUM. Secondly, we have Team Phantasma, possibly the next big thing in the GLL. They had a great winter and will be the centre of attention. Last but definitely not least, we have winter champions ANO with their amazing story. They’ve learned, adapted and they’re rightfully the winners of last season’s cup.
For players, I‘ll start with Nikos “J0J0C” Terzoglou. He reminds me of Adam “LIDER” Ilyasov in the making. He’s a great mechanical player and is so exciting to watch every time. Another player that reminds me of LIDER is Konstantinos “Punisher” Katsikadakos. We may have missed him last season but he’s a player with great potential, and I personally await his comeback to the competitive scene.
Nikos “Bananito” Fakis has been the best botlaner for many seasons in our circuit, and I always believe that he’s a player to focus on in our ERL. He’s always committed and good in any situation or meta.
More info: Interview with WLG botlaner Bananito
Paris “Paris” Outsis-Dimitriadis is the best control mage in our ERL and he’s a player that performs great under pressure, and always gives his 100% whether it’s GLL or EUM. It’s no coincidence there are mentions of his name when his teams play outside our borders.
Thodoris “Bako” Bakogiannis and Dimitris “IceBreaker” Chatzitsobanis are, along with Christoforos “WouLou” Kliotis, is our holy trinity of the top lane. They are not your average top laner that will just chill on weak side: They always want something more and always get into incredible fights. WouLou was with the championship winning team last winter too!
Hackali: We do have a lot of big names, and I’m especially excited to see the return of LeChase and Alternative (both having previously played in the CBLOL) with the White Dragons. Those are names we can’t ignore and we do have to keep an eye on everyone else, but it’s definitely my highlight for the start of this year.
In the past, Alternative and LeChase both played for the old K1CK eSports Club [Now K1CK Neosurf] and their names are instantly recognised by everyone in the scene. They were champions, they were together in Brazil and they’ve gained a lot of experience outside of their comfort zones. Both now return to Portugal, and have become even bigger threats to their opponents. While some teams are completely rebuilding their rosters, some will have prior synergy but this one [White Dragons] cannot be ignored.
I am excited in getting to know the new and upcoming synergies that will be created this year!
Who are some of the up and coming talents that people should keep an eye on to make the bigger ERLs, and maybe even LEC?
TheRock7: Anastasios “Tsigas” Koltsidis will be my first pick. He grew so much last season and I believe that if he has another season like the previous one, we’ll see him in a bigger ERL soon.
Mertai “Mersa” Sari is my boy! He performed immaculately during the last two GLL finals and even earned an MVP award. He’s definitely capable of going even higher and I believe we’ll see him go global soon.
Stavros “Vaynedeta” Giannoulakis is another player that everyone should keep an eye out for. He still needs more work to raise his level, however season by season he keeps getting so much better. Keep an eye on him!
Last we have Panagiotis “JaxPlank” Tantis, who was introduced to us two seasons ago as a rookie. Back then he had an OK season and I expect so much more from him for spring. He has much more to show and he has Woulou as his idol, so that alone should say a lot!
Hackali: There a lot if interesting players that certainly reach a higher level, but even if I name them it doesn’t mean they will. They will have to work hard for it in all aspects from gameplay to mentality.
Francisco “Heroic” Ribeiro caught my attention when he showed up in the first couple of games representing EGN’s academy team. He has since fought his way to the first division and played with EGN’s main team after his time with the GTZ Bulls.
Bernardo “Sl4shD” Carvalho is a very young player who displayed a lot of potential for Boavista FC while performing remarkably against top, veteran players. And finally, a more common name in the scene since he first appeared with the old Hexagone Esports, is botlaner Pedro “Gotzy” Rego, who played from SAMCLAN Esports last season.
These are three names that I’ve picked and who I personally believe have high growth potential if they really want to pursue this path, but I’m pretty sure we will have other examples as well.
“Where would you see 25 minutes of back-to-back fights just because we love chaos? The best controlled chaos in Summoner’s Rift can only be found here! Greek Legends hype! I hope this diversity is enough for the GLL to be on someone’s radar.” — TheRock7
So before we end, EU Masters is the one thing people always talk about. How would you evaluate your ERL’s performances in EUM so far? Are they within expectations or do you think they are capable of much more?
TheRock7: There are not that many great performances, unfortunately. The GLL teams did not really catch my attention during EUM. However, I’m always positive that there will be a team of ours that will thrive in EUM -other than Panathinaikos AC eSports in 2018- and I will 200% support it.
For the time being, I want to see our teams be more competitive. I hope and believe that this will start to change in 2021, and that this year one of our teams will have a good run to the knockout stages once again! If we can achieve that, then why not aim higher?
Hackali: Portuguese teams had some low expectations throughout these past few EUM editions, especially with so many players leaving to different ERLs. I do believe we are capable of more and it will show in the future, and I think every team that had the chance to participate gave their best. Even though it was not enough, we are certainly reaching it at some point if we all work towards the same path of success.
Anything else you’d like to add?
TheRock7: Yes, I have a dream! I want to make #agorines and #agorinas a trademark! It started out for fun during one of my streams and when we went to the LEC studio and met Aaron “Medic” Chamberlain, he was kind enough to say it for a video of mine and the word ‘Agorina’ went viral since then! So, I want our ERL to make more agorines (cool guys) all around the globe!
Hackali: I would like to thank you once more for this interview and appreciate the initiative, it’s important to highlight what we are passionate about! If this wasn’t the case you wouldn’t be witting these articles, I wouldn’t be working for such a long time and people wouldn’t be wasting their time reading this interview. If you are interested and you love esports, let’s make it big! Have a good year, everyone!
