In the second BIG SPOTLIGHT episode, our League of Legends head coach Outlandisch talks about the upcoming year in the Prime League, the competition, and his very personal goals.
From the past to the present: How did you get into esports?
In 2012, I was in Hannover with my class and saw Moscow Five play at IEM. Moscow Five was considered the best League team in the world at the time. That sparked my desire to become a jungle main and, ultimately, a pro player.
Before I could fully focus on a pro career, I finished school and university first so I had that safety net. At 24, I started in the Prime League and played professionally for four years. In May, I returned to BIG as an assistant coach, and since the last Winter Cup I've been BIG's head coach.
How would you describe your personal ambitions?
As a player, I always wanted to be among the best. My ambitions as a coach aren't any different: I wanted—and still want—to be the best at what I do. That's what drives me!
Right now, my goal is to become the best coach in the Prime League and do everything I can to bring BIG to EU Masters.
What changed for you when you moved into a coaching role?
As a player, you're primarily responsible for yourself. As a coach, you're responsible for five players you have to constantly look after. The daily routine is completely different: as a coach, I watch VODs, work through individual issues with my players, and analyze scrims. So my day-to-day is much more driven by structural topics. As a coach, I take an outside view of the game—it's less about my personal performance in the game itself. For me personally, the switch to coaching has been incredibly rewarding. I enjoy coaching much more than playing.
Let's talk about the upcoming Prime League season: How are we set up?
BIG's ambition—and mine—is and remains the same: we want to reach EU Masters and win it if possible. I'm very confident we can achieve that with our team. When rebuilding the roster, we placed a lot of emphasis on players who truly fit our system and our principles: healthy lifestyle, motivation, title ambitions. Even though we have very talented players on the roster, I have to say: talent alone isn't enough nowadays. That's why it was really important to us to create a positive working environment where our players can fully unlock their talent and skill.
The Prime League is in a very strong place right now. I think anything is possible, especially in the top 6. Even though SK are currently considered favorites, I don't think it'll be that clear-cut.
With Harpoon and Kaymin, we have two incredibly strong competitors on the team and a clear advantage through their mentality. Harpoon already put in a very strong performance at the Winter Cup. Kaymin, who comes from the talent pipeline at EWI, can now fully focus on reaching his potential in our environment. With Rulfchen, we have a player who can take on a lot of responsibility, has an incredibly positive mindset, and already brings plenty of competitive experience. Vzicsacsi brings several years of LEC experience and will be the rock in our team. Leon is also a super strong and very hungry player. So we have the perfect mix of individual talent, experience, and will to win.
How important is teams' media presence in the league alongside the competitive side?
Very important! I think the Prime League already has many strong players and a large talent pool from a competitive standpoint. But when you look at storylines and media presence, we're still clearly behind France and Spain. EINS brought a big media push to the league, which developed rivalries between teams that offer huge value for viewers. For casual fans, rivalries are sometimes more important than the competitive aspect. The content that builds around teams is therefore a very important part of interest in the league. You could really see at the finals how great it is when fans cheer on site and you can literally feel the fire in the arena. That's what makes esports, in my opinion. At BIG, we'll build on that and push it forward!
What are you most looking forward to in the new year?
Generally speaking, I'm just fired up about my job as head coach. After my trial run at the Winter Cup, I'm excited to take full responsibility for the team. I want to show that I can coach the team to EU Masters! I'm especially looking forward to the grind in the new year!
Of course I'm also hyped for the derby against EINS. Maybe we'll get a chance to play it offline! That would be a huge boost for the players and fans.
Final words?
I want to thank BIG and everyone who has supported me for so long and was happy about my promotion to head coach. Now it's time to give something back to the fans—above all our Roaring Bears! You can all look forward to cool content, strong games, and above all one thing: the team's absolute will to win and qualify for EU Masters!