The Polish community in World of Tanks is growing at a phenomenal rate and the number of PL competitive teams in the ESL is rising every week. I caught up with Devil, the ESL’s head admin for the Polish section, to talk about the growth of World of Tanks in his country and a little bit about what motivates him to help out at the ESL.
Hey Devil how’s it going? Thanks for taking the time away from your day to chat with us!
Great, thanks and no problem!
So let’s start simple, why the name Devil? You seem like a nice guy!
*Laughs* I’m not always nice! It’s been my in game name for 15 years. In fact it’s kind of become my out of game name as well. Even my mother calls me Devil!
Seriously though, I got the name from school playing games of Quake in the computer room with my friends. I always won and killed everyone so they called me Devil.
Have you been playing games for a long time?
Yes for a very long time. I got my first PC (Commodore 64) over 20 years ago. I’m old for a gamer. *sad face*
What initially attracted you to World of Tanks?
I played a massive amount of a game called Navy Field for a very long time and even traveled to Korea as a pro player. It was an awesome time and when I found World of Tanks I got that same feeling about the game so I started playing right away with my friends.
World of Tanks is such a great game because it’s easy to pick up and play but once you get into it it’s very hard to master. The amount of dedication you need to get past the “Pro Wall” is astonishing and I have a massive amount of respect for every player that makes that transition.
Do you play for any teams at a pro level yourself?
I am currently playing for the 1SBP Panzer Fist in all the tournaments I participate in.
How did you start working with the ESL?
I started working with the EU ESL out of interest and wanting to give some time back to the community but I soon asked Turtle Entertainment to let me run the Polish section of the site (in Polish) as the head admin. We grew so fast there that I quickly recruited Carmon and then another 2 admins just for the PL section.
You mentioned the growth of the Polish World of Tanks competitive scene. Did you expect it to grow this fast?
Well yes. *laughs* We knew that there was already a massive uptake on PL teams in the EU ESL and around half of the current teams in the Go4WoT series include Polish players or are exclusively Polish. The players over here love good games and I love to give them good tournaments!
Polish players are dedicated and driven in most eSports, so when we found World of Tanks, a game where we can combine eSports and tanks it was natural to want to play it. The dedication that the Polish gamers put into World of Tanks is really starting to show, and the Russian teams had better watch out for us!
One of the Polish community sent in a question for you so I think now is a good time for it: "What are your criteria for picking maps in the ESL?"
It’s very simple actually. I select maps that are balanced. The most balanced maps make for the best and fairest games of World of Tanks and this is my only criteria.
In your games, what tank do you play?
I am an AMX 13 90 player. I love the fact you can be a scout but also dish out a lot of damage! The key to the AMX 13 90 is to “think and run”. As the game goes on your role changes from scout to sniper and with the AMX 13 90 the gun is a monster. I do play very offensively but my team know me well so when I say GO, we GO! *laughs*
The 7 vs 7 format in professional games is perfect for me and for my tank. However, in public games I tend to use medium tanks more as I love the “all-round” style that they can bring to the battle.
Devil’s weapon of choice: the AMX 13 90
You said earlier that the “Russians better watch out!” Do you think we will start to see their dominance decreasing soon?
In the EU there is only one dominant Russian clan, but they are very good players. Because of the time they get to play together, they have a big advantage but they are by no means unbeatable. The EPS win in Go4WoT 52 last weekend just shows how much the rest of the EU is progressing in general.
Well it has been a great pleasure to meet you Devil and to hear about the power of the Polish teams! Do you have any messages before you go?
I have two main messages. The first is to say thank you to all of the people who play in the tournaments we arrange at the ESL. I love my job most when people are having fun in a tournament that I am running.
And the second is…. The Polish are coming and we are here to kick some ass!
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Devil!
For anyone looking to support the Polish might or to challenge them, stay tuned for news of all forthcoming World of Tanks ESL events!
