Sean “eraa” Knutsson is an EPIC.LAN debutante with Alliance, he is not, however, a stranger to UK LAN events. Winning UKIC Season 1 with The Neighbours, he knows what it’s like to taste victory on UK soil.
As eraa moves into the lower bracket final, he finds himself facing names like Tom “arTisT” Clark and Mason “Vacancy” Haines. Players that he came up against in that season last year. Now, eraa finds himself in the top four of EPIC.LAN 45 and a few steps away from the coveted EPIC.LAN trophy.
Sitting down with UKCSGO, eraa compares EPIC.LAN to Swedish LAN events, talks about his preferences for LAN events, and remains confident for his rematch against NXT in the lower bracket.
eraa celebrating after beating FUT in the group stage
How are you finding EPIC.LAN 45 so far?
Surprisingly good, there haven’t been any major tech issues that usually appear at small LANs like this.
How does it compare to Swedish LANs?
The vibe for sure is similar. The alcohol and that kind of thing. You can tell that people know each other. It’s a positive vibe.
You’ve won UKIC Season 1 in 2024. How does it feel to be back at a UK LAN?
The guys I played with usually joked around that I should come to an EPIC.LAN. I never thought the day would come, but here we are.
You did a lot of shouting at Jackz. Do you enjoy this kind of environment?
I think that’s the whole point of LAN. I think that it’s something that’s becoming more and more, default. You see, at like ESL Pro League, all the Tier-1 pros, they’re screaming at each other, should be the same here. It’s all fun and good.
Do you enjoy coming to BYOC LANs as opposed to grinding out online VRS events?
I don’t fully understand the system, and I think it’s a bit weird. The LAN points are just too important now to not attend LANs like this. Personally, I just love LANs overall, I enjoy being around people, kind of guy.
It was a long battle versus FUT on that ancient, what propelled you over the finish line?
I think that we kept our calm. We knew that it was going to be a messy LAN. They could hear us, we could hear them, screaming at each other. We just have to keep the energy and the mood there, and that’s pointed out to each other after every overtime.
You came into this event with a really strong run of form, winning that best-of-five on the Thursday. Do you think that the tournament win gave you confidence and helped you at this event?
I think that comes into everything, coming into an event knowing you on good form just brings that confidence and momentum. It was really important to us to have good results before coming here.
eraa embracing the UK spirit after beating FUT in a tense quad overtime
Recently, you made a roster change adding poiii. How does poii fit into the team?
He’s been put into some roles where he has to take responsibility, and he’s quite a young and upcoming guy. I think he’s done a great job. Together with our coach Hawk and our IGL twist, who’s very experienced. He’s been fitting in very well, learning every day and is getting better every day.
You’re rematching NXT, who beat you online a while ago, whilst you beat them here in the upper bracket. How are you feeling coming into that rematch?
We feel very confident. Online is another thing, I could make a lot of excuses, but it doesn’t matter, here at LAN, we beat them, quite comfortably as well. We’re looking to do the same.
