Interview with MaddeLisk: I don’t practice to be the best girl but to be the best player

escene.de: Hey MaddeLisk, thanks for taking the time. You’re one of the very few female players in StarCraft 2 who can actually compete in huge tournaments. Do you prefer playing in regular tournaments or would you like to have more events for female players only? Would that help to motivate more girls to play competitive?

Madeleine ‚MaddeLisk‘ Leander: I prefer to play in mixed tournaments. I don’t practice to be the best girl but to be the best player. I do however think female cups can be a good thing. When I first started to play I was informed about some female cups and that is actually how I got into competitive gaming. I can only speak for myself but since it helped me I think it can also help others.

„When I started playing I knew nothing about esports“

When you’re attending an offline event, you get a lot of attention compared to most of the other players. Do you like that or does it make it harder to focus on the tournament?

I don’t agree with your statement. I actually (rightfully) get a lot less attention than a lot off players. I do however agree that I get more attention than most male players of my level. Most people that comes to talk to me are really nice so I’m happy to talk to them when I have the time.

You’re currently a part of Millenium and you also stayed at the gaming house in France. How was the experience and how do you like living in a gaming house in general?

It was really amazing. I love the team house and I hope to go back there again. It was a great environment to practice and it was nice to live that close to other gamers. I gained a lot of motivation. The millenium gaming house is a bit different from other gaming houses with a lot of people working there for the organization. It was really nice to work so close to them. Ye, basically I just loved all of it (:

How does your training schedule look like and on what do you concentrate the most?

Most of my practice consists of ladder. I do however play some custom games. My teammates are really helpful and helps me out when I need to practice something specific. I try to watch replays to optimize my build orders and I also get a lot of help from Snute and Nerchio when it comes to ideas and I usually talk to them when I have a problem with some build. So big thanks to them, my teammates and everyone else who is helping me out!

Is there any player you prefer to watch to improve your own game?

The player I watch the most is Snute. Replays from other players that I look up to are very important to me. It gives me ideas and helps me notice small things that can improve my play.

In your very first interview after joining eSahara you said, that StarCraft 2 has been your first pc game ever. Did you knew that there is something like a professional competitive scene when you started to play? And what was the main reason for you to start practicing for tournaments?

Yes, SC2 is my first pc game. When I started playing I knew nothing about esports. And like I said before, the female cups back then was what got me in to play competitively. The level was not as high as in the big mixed tournaments and it was easier in a way to make goals. When I started playing it was only casual and mostly 4v4 with friends. They started telling me about the female cups and started to support me and practice with me to do better and better in them. When I first started playing female cups I was in platinum 🙂

Are you currently playing any other games beside StarCraft 2?

No, not a single one! I do want to try some others at some point but I really can’t find the time right now, I want to use it for SC2.

You’ve once appeared in an advertisement for Coca-Cola. Whats the story behind this?

There is no story really. I was asked if I wanted to do it and I accepted the offer. I am just really happy to see big companies like Coca-cola make things like this in esports. I just happened to be a part of it 🙂

What are your goals for the rest of the year and what will be the next events you are going to attend?

I don’t have a particular goal but I will practice and do my best to become as good as I can. IeSF are organizing a female cup and I hope to qualify and play in the cup in Romania that will be in November I think.

Thanks a lot for the interview, Madeleine. The last words are yours. Any Shoutouts?

Big shoutout to my team and my teammates. They make me more motivated and makes it even more fun to play. I am very happy to be a part of Millenium and big thanks for them for giving me the opportunity to practice in the gaming house. I would also like to thank everyone who supports me! ~Keep Smiling~