From semi-elite to Dignitas – with flexibility, a will to grow and dreams of winning a major, Ludvig “HEAP” Alonso takes a big step towards the top.

Legendary Swedish players GeT_RiGhT, Xizt, Friberg, Fifflaren and f0rest were recruited by Dignitas nine months ago, with Fifflaren as coach and Norwegian Hallzerk manning the AWP.

Ever since the start, the project has been questioned and jokingly nicknamed “retirement home”. But Dignitas have insisted they are genuinely aiming for the top, and in September they showed that they meant business when Xizt and GeT_RiGhT were benched.

But this story is not about the team’s veterans, it is about the new generation of players now getting their chance. Sweden’s HEAP and Norwegian HARR3 are new Dignitas players, and I caught up with the former for an interview.

How the dream grew

Swedish 20-year-old HEAP, whose real life name is Ludvig Alonso, has a background in ice hockey and lives in Lidingö outside the Swedish capital of Stockholm. He studied social science in high school and planned to continue with his studies, but when he was around seventeen, Counter Strike became more important.
– In the beginning I played mostly for fun, but after a while I started doing some qualifiers, HEAP tells SVT.

His drive to compete brought him to a tournament at Inferno Online (a well known gaming center/internet café in Stockholm). This event was to play an important role in his career, since this was where he met David ”Jayzwalkingz” Kempner.

HEAP, his older brother Victor ”Alonso” Alonso and Jayzwalkingz have stuck together until now. Playing for Begrip Gaming and EsportsAdviser, they have won almost all of Sweden’s grassroots tournaments, such as Elitserien, King of Nordic and Fragleague.
– I would have liked to succeed alongside them – we had a lot of fun together. But an offer from Dignitas is hard to refuse. A large organization like that, with major names attached to it, really is a step up, says HEAP.

How does it feel to take that step?
– It means that this is for real. My parents are beginning to understand, my friends get it… Everyone is starting to understand that you can make a living this way, which is great.

As HEAP joins Dignitas he also takes on a different role. After previously playing on the front line as the second player charging in, he will now become a lurker.
– I wouldn’t say that I’m trying to fill GeT_RiGhT’s shoes, mainly because I suspect it would cause hatred among fanboys who would rather have him on the team. But on some maps I will take the same positions.

What are your thoughts on being recruited for a role that you haven’t previously focused on that much?
– When you get a chance like this, it doesn’t matter whatsoever. Playing the role of lurker shouldn’t be a problem. I have learned to play new roles before, and I know that I’ll get into it quickly. I just have to adapt and do my best to improve.

This flexible attitude may be the result of HEAP being a middle child. His older brother, former team member Victor, has always been supportive, but their parents have not always been quite as understanding.
– I would say that they have always been supportive of me playing, but they have also encouraged me to study or work. But now that I’ve signed this contract, that was the end of that.

Were they especially happy about anything in particular? I assume it pays all right, and that might be important to them?
– Yeah, their main concern is that I make money, but they also want to see me succeed. They don’t really watch many of my matches, except Elitserien.

Your brother must have been understanding of your decision. Has he been supportive?
– He was really happy for me. I think everyone would take this opportunity if they got it.

Thinking five years ahead, what are your goals and dreams when it comes to CS:GO?
– I’m like everyone else, I want to win a major. That would be awesome.

What is it like to play with f0rest and Friberg?
– I have so much to learn from them. They are so experienced and have played professionally for ages. I just need to listen to their critique and grow from it.

On Tuesday HEAP debuts with the new Dignitas lineup. Their first match will be against the finns of HAVU in Elisa Invitational 2.

The coach’s take

I also reached out to Dignitas coach Halvor ”vENdetta” Gulestøl for some more insight on how they landed HEAP.

How did you first hear about HEAP?
– Outside of having heard and seen his name occasionally through the Swedish Elitserien, he mainly came onto our radar as someone worth looking into through people (e.g. slap from Team Acer) reaching out and putting in a good word for him. We didn’t want to go exclude people we weren’t fully familiar with just off the basis of them not being a recognised name, because everyone starts out as an unknown to people – so we didn’t really see any downside to playing a bit with him to see how it all felt.

What were your initial thoughts about him?
– To start, our impression was limited as friberg and I had watched demos of his past officials and some pick-up games. We could tell he was obviously mechanically solid and well thought-out in his approach to playing, but it wasn’t until we played a couple of games with him we got a better idea of what kind of player he was. Already in the first pick-up game we played together we were surprised by how well he was able to communicate, relaying information and adapting to chaotic situations – something inexperienced players usually have a tough time with. As we played more we saw that he was just overall very good at the finer details in-game in addition to the individual skill we already knew he possessed.

When it comes to examples of the finer details, vENdetta mentions quick information processing and an ability to be proactive rather than reactive.
– HEAP is a very calm player. In CS-terms, he’s very Swedish (shocking, I know). He’s a very strong mechanical player with excellent aim, but additionally very methodical about how he plays the game. It’s rather refreshing to see how far along he is with all the nitty-gritty stuff that usually hampers young players. He’s great at communicating, not getting flustered, while being able to slot into multiple different roles if needed. The overall attitude he’s shown in-game has been wonderful. Willingness to take charge in scenarios where it’s needed, being an active player within the team, not someone who needs direction at every turn. As well as that, he’s eager to learn and develop. Looking at demos of players, often asking on how to improve his decision-making, how he should’ve played out rounds. Unafraid of trying things out and making mistakes so he can do better next time aroun

HEAP told me that lurking is a bit of a new role for him. How come you recruited him for that position?
– As of now, HEAP is playing a role that is usually aimed at players with more experience than what he has, but given the players we had and the roles they were suited for, we felt that he would be able to tackle that challenge well. In some instances the inexperience can be an issue, but he’s also more inclined to learn how to play a new role more easily as he doesn’t have existing hang-ups from having played a different roles for many years at a high level. Given his mindset and willingness to learn, we felt confident he could take on the role and develop nicely into it.

The new Dignitas lineup is debuting today in the Elisa Invitational 2. You can find all the info here.