It has been an (almost) perfect second half of the year for Team Dignitas' Heroes of the Storm team. An aced Western Clash and only one series lost in HGC EU league play are accomplishments only few would dream of. We sat down with Team Dignitas' Ranged Assassin, Vilhelm "POILK" Flennmark, and asked him about his year in Heroes of the Storm so far.

What a Phase 2 we’ve had! Team Dignitas has been steamrolling through everything, with a 13-1 win/loss ratio and the Western Clash that was taken without dropping a single game. What has worked so well for the team this Phase?

POILK: I’m not really sure why we are doing so good compared to everyone else, maybe the other EU teams have struggled a bit and we kept up our consistency. We did lose our best of five set against Leftovers, but it’s was just us not showing up more than them showing up. If you are not prepared for Leftovers, you will surely be taken out by their flanks. That’s what I think happened. We have been doing the same as we usually do - practicing for two scrim blocks (2x 3 hours) every day, the whole year.

Do you think the meta has been in your favour?

POILK: I think one of our greatest advantages is that we can play everything, so meta doesn’t really matter much for us. I even think the current meta hurt us a little bit, with the slower games due to tower changes. If the meta should go into hyper-aggressive, then I think it would benefit us more.

We heard Zaelia say that it’s been a crazy year, both stressful and fantastic. How has the year been for you personally so far?

POILK: It’s been pretty amazing overall, winning is always amazing. It’s been a lot of pressure, which is a situation that I’ve never really had before from playing Heroes of the Storm. We are expected to win every match, or more like... We have to not lose, instead of winning against every HGC team. I don’t really like that feeling. It’s been fun so far, but there are still negatives like that feeling. I guess that’s just something that comes with being so dominant.

We were sad that we didn’t get to hear you sing Wonderwall after not going undefeated in the Phase. How was the situation around this whole singing thing for you?

POILK: I never really promised I would sing, but I would definitely have played it on the guitar. People started to hype up the singing, but I never really promised I would sing. I’m not sure anyone would like to hear me sing if they want to keep their ears. My teammates who say I’m a good singer are all liars!

A hero that we see you on, Chromie, is getting a few tweaks and changes these days. Do you think she will be stronger than before, going into BlizzCon?

POILK: I don’t think she will be stronger, or as strong, as she was before the rework. I don’t think she is in as bad a spot, right now, after her recent buffs. I do think her playstyle is a lot more boring. Right now, it’s all about hitting your Bronze Talon attacks. She is probably going to be okay at BlizzCon, but I don’t think she will reach the same peak that she was at in the past.

The build is pretty much going to stay the same, except for the Q talent on level 1 (Mounting Sand) instead of vision (Timewalker’s Pursuit) now. Of course, there is the buff to Bronze Talons at level 4 (Draconic Barrage), the only way I see a change in the build is if you want to go hard against a Sgt. Hammer, then you can maybe go full W-build.

We are also seeing Sgt. Hammer get some changes. This hero has had a great impact on the success of Team Dignitas this year. Will she fade out of the meta now?

POILK: No, I don’t think the Hammer changes will matter that much. She will still be obnoxious and OP. I think the changes are a step in the right direction, but she is still very strong with all the good Supports in the current meta.

What are your thoughts on the new hero, Mephisto? He seemed a bit underwhelming during his first HGC games?

POILK: I’m not really sure how good Mephisto is. He seems to be pretty good in Hero League because a lot of people stack. He seems pretty lackluster in competitive right now, though the Q-build seems interesting. His abilities are unreliable. If you don’t hit your W you won’t do any damage. He doesn’t have any lockdown and he can’t threaten a frontline.

Who looks like the hardest competitor coming into BlizzCon? Is it still Gen.G?

POILK: It’s still Gen.G for sure, they are pretty dominant in Korea though they last two series in this Phase. They also went through the Eastern Clash without dropping a single game. Other than that, maybe HHE, but it’s hard to compare them internationally since NA looks like a pretty weak region overall. The other two Korean teams (Tempest and Ballistix) seems to be struggling like Gen.G did a bit. As for now, Gen.G seems like the Korean overlords and the only real competition.

You have arguably had a better Phase 2 than your competition from Korea. Is this going to be the year where Team Dignitas takes the BlizzCon trophy?

POILK: I really hope so. It’s my first year at the top level and taking BlizzCon in my first year would be amazing. I don’t really expect us to win, but it would be crazy. The chances are pretty good, but we won’t know before we play against Gen.G. I’m really looking forward to playing against them again. Overall though, I would say that anything but top 2 would be a disappointment.

Thank you for your time, do you have any shoutouts?

POILK: Shoutout to my teammates, Team Dignitas, and our sponsors (Champion, HyperX, Mountain Dew, Raynor Gaming, Twitch, WD, Buffalo Wild Wings). It’s been a fantastic year so far, meeting all the Heroes fans around the world. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again at Blizzcon! Also, a shoutout to my viewers keeping me company during my streams, and especially my little sub squad. And, of course, a big shoutout to all you guys in the DIGscord WOWEE!