From riding with Movistars Alberto "neptuNo" Gonzalez now finds himself on Cloud 9. I spoke with Cloud 9 EU’s support player shortly after the defeat of GamersOrigin at the hands of 123. Cloud 9 EU’s fate were out of their hands , this match qualified Cloud 9 for the Overwatch Contenders Season 1 playoffs. We had a brief chat about his past in esports, playing for team Spain in the Overwatch World Cup, and what some of his thoughts are on how the Contenders playoffs could pan out.

First of all thanks for sitting down and talking with me neptuNo. Secondly, you guys made it to the Overwatch Contenders Season 1 playoffs, how does that feel?

It feels pretty good. It was so close and I think we could have performed better but now that we are qualified. I am definitely thankful for Finnsi’s McCree. Now, we can just focus on improving as a team as much as we can for playoffs. We can't wait to be in L.A. and show our skill in LAN.

Take me back to the final moments of the 123 vs. GamersOrigin game. 123 has just won. You and your team are now qualified for playoffs and are going to California, what do you do next? What is the atmosphere like?

The atmosphere is really good right now. We all know our situation and we really want to be in the OWL so our goal is to do our best because our performance on playoffs is gonna matter. Right now we are just taking day off and scheduling the next days before flying to L.A.

Bright and sunny L.A! Will this be your first time in the US? Is there anything you're excited about outside of Overwatch? Any sights you want to see?

Not really! I've been in America at least 5 times. I attended WCG 2007 Counter-Strike 1.6 at Seattle, also played the 2016 World Cup in L.A. and I have visited my cousin on Washington DC ... but I am kinda excited for this travel, you don't go to America every day and I really want to perform on LAN. I don't really care right now about the sights or anything outside Overwatch. [laughs]

Like you mentioned, you’ve been around esports for a long time, where do you think you’ve grown the most as a player?

It's a really hard question. Probably on my CS 1.6 career, which was really exciting. It's unfortunate that the game died and I had to move to League of Legends because I really think that was my game and also I enjoyed it a lot. But both LoL and CS1.6 experiences made me a really good OW player since this game requires aim and decision-making during fights.

That is a fun fact people might not know about you,  that you were formerly a League of Legends professional player. How was it transitioning from Mid lane in League to Support in Overwatch? People like to say that Overwatch has some ‘MOBA’ aspects to it, as a professional in both, do you agree with that thought?

I think it's an advantage. I started to play OW after its release, and after one month playing the game I got a smurf and got Rank 81 with an 85% win ratio playing solo. So yeah, I think the transition was really good and I learned the game really fast. This ‘MOBA’ aspect helps you in fights because you have in your mind the cooldowns that might affect your decisions and enemy's position and what not. Probably a Counter-Strike player doesn't have this thing in their minds and they are just shooting people.

neptuNo and Team Spain converse backstage during the Overwatch World Cup.

Could you talk a little about the Singularity game? Did you guys find it difficult to handle them at all? Were you surprised to see them run triple tank? Do you think that composition is becoming more meta at the moment?

I think it was everything in our hands. They were already disqualified and we still had a chance to make it to playoffs. We lost the first 2 games and I was feeling that we were better as a team just making mistakes we are not used to. Don't get me wrong, they are good but they barely played together. So after losing the first two games, we all had in our minds that we could do it. We knew our Volskaya was better than theirs because of Grey’s Sombra, and we just needed to win it and then Gibraltar.

I never felt we could lose and I think we did not give up. They did not surprise us at all; we know they are good players and their triple tank composition ... we didn’t expect it at all but I think it's so easy to counter in some maps. By running this comp they give up the control of the map and you can spam them from everywhere. If you are smart and patient, then triple tank comp should be a fail in my humble opinion. But you can run tanks in other maps like KingsRow and make it work.

Speaking of Grey and Sombra, will we ever see you return to her as a hero? You’ve been someone who has been a big fan of Sombra. Do you think the upcoming changes will affect her in a positive light or a negative light?

There are few scenarios where I can play Sombra. I really love the hero but most of the time you run a Sombra, you want a Lucio as a solo healer. I hope Mercy changes are slightly reverted and I think Sombra will still be a must on some 2CP maps. Maps where Sombra is really good IMO: KingsRow, Hollywood, Eichenwalde, Gibraltar, Lijiang (Control Center), and Oasis(University)

Now, you were chosen to play for team Spain this year at the Overwatch World Cup. Could you talk a little bit about your experience at the Sydney qualifiers? Would you be interested in doing something like that again?

It was amazing. The Sydney event was crazy and we enjoyed it a lot. Of course, I am interested to represent my country in a World Cup. I hope I get selected again for next World Cup, I think Spain has really good players and we can have a good show next year

Contenders playoffs are just around the corner, what are some of your expectations going into these semi-finals? Cloud 9 EU plays Misfits straight away, could you talk a little about the preparation you guys are going through?

We are just gonna prepare it like any other match. We are gonna focus on ourselves and what we can improve as a team. Nothing special or different. It's gonna be a hard match and we will try our best, we want to win the Contenders and this is just the first step.

Another interesting note is that quite a few of your old teammates from Movistar Riders are doing quite well for themselves now. Think back for me, how strongly do you think that team was? Where do you think the old Movistar Riders roster would have placed in Contenders Season 1?

I think the old roster of Movistar Riders would be in the playoffs for sure. I am really happy that 4 of us are playing contenders and we all made it to playoffs. We are gonna have a good time in L.A. and I really want to see them again. I am really glad for all we achieved on Movistar Riders and how we improved everyone as players. That team made us better inside and outside the game.

We will end this on a high note with this last question; you are stranded on an island with another Cloud 9 EU player. Who would you take and why?

I would take Mowzassa. He is the perfect Winston player and ‘the wisdom’ itself. He represents all of wisdom. He is the daddy. Look at my picture on Discord, it's him because I want to learn! He leads the offensive calls on C9 so I trust him.

Fair enough! Thanks for taking some time out to talk with me today. Let the people know where they can find you on social media! Is there anyone you want to thank and perhaps a message for your fans?

Here is my social media Twitter: @neptuNoOW. That's basically it. Also, Thanks for the support to all fans and C9 for giving me the chance of playing  Contenders with them.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLG’s of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at @Volamel.

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.