Last weekend, [LION]Lions eSportsKlubb secured the fourth and final spot in the HoN Tour Grand Finals in Las Vegas by defeating [357]QsQuad in a thrilling 3:2 victory. This might have been a surprise to some, but with their consistent good play over several cycles now and overall improved gameplay, they certainly deserved it. I sat down with Handsken to talk a little about their past, how they got to be so good, who they are and what they are hoping to accomplish.

Cubs growing fangs

In the beginning there was Krebsen and Handsken who were thinking of creating a new team together. They had been playing in a team called "s00ntour" for a while, and although they had some moderate success, they wanted to get better and start a new team. Handsken had also been playing with a team called "15", who had Flensmeister, Sweetpro, Sealkid and Bassets in their lineup -- that is how they managed to get Sealkid into their ranks. Later they talked to one of the old Lions -- their star player, Superkge, about him and Aellgi joining them, and thus the new Lions eSportsKlubb was forged.

It did not start out too well; their results were rather mediocre at first and even though they placed themselves in the middle of the Diamond Division and won a few bucks in It's Gosu invitationals, they were not quite happy with their performance. Both Superkge and Aellgi were awesome in their respective roles, but as carry players they seemed to be a little lacking. Handsken recommended Flensmeister to the team, and after a short tryout period, Flensmeister joined Lions with great success. Indeed, it turned out to be a huge improvement for the team, as they easily beat [coL]compLexityGaming that cycle much to everyone's surprise. This was not just an one time thing, however, and ever since they have consistently refined their play, defeating one great team after another. Now, they are about to go to Las Vegas for the HoNTour Grand Finals to try and claim the title of #1 team in Newerth!

Here be Lions

(From left to right: Sealkid, Flensmeister, Handsken, Superkge, Krebsen)

Handsken
Simon Haag, 19 years old, from Göteborg, Sweden
Handsken is the designated Drafter and Jungler for the team. He is the captain of the team and calls the shots. And when he is not prowling in the jungle, he makes big plays happen with his amazing Tempest and Keeper of the Forest.

Superkge
Emil Karlsson, 20 years old, from Ljungby, Sweden
Handsken described Superkge as the veteran and core of the team. He's a humble player who just loves to play the game in his role as Initiator and Semi Carry. He was also part of the old Lions and is probably their most experienced player. His Devourer plays have been the reason for many of the matches won in recent history, even causing teams to fear his Devourer so much that they blind ban it right away.

Flensmeister
Dennis Brofalk, 18 years old, from Stockholm, Sweden
He is the latest addition to the team and their designated carry player. His consistent great performance and teamwork have been criticial to the success of Lions. Judging on the results, his pickup was probably the best one in all of HoNTour Season 1! His signature hero is Wretched Hag.

Sealkid
Elias Merta, 20 years old, from Stockholm, Sweden
Sealkid never has it easy as the hard support of the team, but even with almost nothing he manages to make and help with big plays. His supporting skills are not just limited to the game, however, as Handsken has pointed out that he keeps the team laughing in Skype and through this contributes strongly to the positive morale of the team. His consistent play even in the most dire of situations has caused him to raise in the ranks and be regarded by many as one of the strongest support players in the scene.

Krebsen
Patrick Krebs, 20 years old, from Stockholm, Sweden
Krebsen plays the suicide role for his team. Initially, he was not a dedicated off-lane player, but he was able to adjust to the needs of his team and now excels in this role. He prefers to play Bubbles but also makes due with whatever hero Handsken picks for him, showing a great deal of versatility. His powerful reserve and acute judgement in map presence have been key to success of the Lions squad!

The HoN Tour Experience

HoN Tour has been a great success for Lions. After their initial less than desirable results, they managed to vastly improve and beat several top notch teams like complexity and QsQ repeatedly, and even defeated [sG]Stay Green in a match. Here is a list of their rankings for each cycle of Season 1:

Cycle 1: 5/6th
Cycle 2: 9/10th
Cycle 3: 5/6th
Cycle 4: 3rd
Cycle 5: 4th
Cycle 6: 4th
Cycle 7: 5/6th
Cycle 8: 7/8th

Of course, Lions worked hard for their success. They practiced and scrimmed as much as possible every week, up to 5 days per week. It was only possible for them to go out and have fun with friends on the weekends on Fridays, as they always had Diamond Division games on both Saturdays and Sundays. However, that is the price you have to pay if you want to be a top tier and professional team, and Lions paid it happily.

One more thing that might be responsible for their improvement is their friendship with QsQ. They are good friends with each other, practiced a lot together, and were created in their current form around the same time. But, there was also always a friendly rivalry: Who would be more successful, who could improve more? At first it looked like QsQ was way ahead of them, but steadily Lions improved and now they are at a point where they are even stronger than their friends - at least for now. Even though it must be a little depressing for QsQ, I am sure they are also happy for their comrades over in Lions, seeing their "little brothers" grow up to become a powerhouse in HoN. They do not feel bad or sorry or angry, as they are happy for the success of others and use it as motivation to get even better themselves. A good motivation indeed.

Overall, Lions has had a blast playing in HoN Tour. Not only did they win a lot of money, they improved as players, as a team, and had plenty of fun together. Before HoN Tour, they rarely practiced at all and only played a few tournaments, but the tourney made them take their gaming more seriously and they realized they had to work hard if they wanted to achieve something. Lions gained so much more than just some prize money and a few moments in the spotlight from it, and they hope that the next Season will be just as fruitful.

Lions in Vegas

Everyone in the team is super excited about going to Las Vegas for the grand finals. When they won the last game in the qualifier, they were rather happy about it -- to quote Handsken:

"I guess we screamed in skype for a couple of hours."

This will be the perfect chance to see how far they can go, and how well they will fare in a LAN situation overseas. After all, for several members of the team it will be the first trip across the ocean when they fly there on the 15th of April.

Asked about their chances, Handsken told me that they certainly have the potential. Being the underdog is not a bad thing, as they are one of the only teams to defeat the modern Stay Green lineup in an even series. Anything can happen, but even if things do not work as they hope - just to be able to travel to the amazing city of Las Vegas, for a game they love, and be surrounded by all the other shining personalities of HoN will be an amazing event and experience.

Lions are now preparing for the Grand Finals after a few days off of HoN, to get some rest and recuperation. Even though Handsken did not want to share any details, he assured me that they are working on strategies how to conquer Las Vegas. I, for one, am sure that we will all be surprised when the big day comes.

If you can't wait to see Lions in action, follow them on facebook or check out their twitch.tv streams:
Facebook for Krebsen, Facebook for Superkge, Facebook for Sealkid.
Twitch.tv for Krebsen, Twitch.tv for Handsken, Twitch.tv for Flensmeister, Twitch.tv for Sealkid

- Blaze