I love me some local eSport, and no pressure, but you should too! Every now and then we do a feature on a local clan. Today we have a look at MaD Hatters, a team that plays a ton of League of Legends, and plan on expanding into other games too.
Members
These are the two members who kicked things off for MaD Hatters:
Name: Anneke ‘MaDZania’ Le Roux
Team: MaDJabberwocky – League of Legends
Bio: This is the girl you will have a good laugh with. Gamer, Music addict, Chocolate Lover and the founder, leader and owner of MaD Hatters.
Name: Raphael ‘MaD Afro’ van Rensburg
Team: MaDJabberwocky – League of Legends
Bio: This is the guy you want in your life… honest and motivated by his motto, “a true jungler should be able to jungle anything.” He is the founder, co-leader and visionary officer of MaD Hatters.
Q&A
Could you give us some background information on MaD Hatters?
We met in late October of 2012. MaD Afro attended rAge and approached me. He asked about playing League of Legends competitively. At first I was unsure about the whole competitive scene, but after much convincing, I agreed to join his clan. We were in separate teams, but as time went by, we merged the two to create one. This is where the madness started.
We performed well in Leg 1 of the Telkom Do Gaming League (DGL), but unfortunately did not qualify for the playoffs. As Leg 2 started, MaD Afro and I left to join one of my friend’s clan, Unleash Llama, where I created our own team, Leash.Thresh. Things were going well for us. We got into 1st division and were invited to the Telkom Do Gaming Championship (DGC) in the year 2013. After the championships, MaD Afro and I decided to create our own clan, MaD Hatters.
Could you tell us about some of your accomplishments?
- 1st place in Open Division – Group F (June 2013)
- 1st place in Breakthrough Playoffs – Group B (August 2013)
- 3rd place in Do Gaming Championships – Group B (October 2013)
- 5th place in Premier Division, Summer Leg (April 2014)
- 1st place in ICC, DGL, (April 2014)
- 5th place in Premier Division, Winter Leg (July 2014)
What was your motivation for starting the clan?
The clan started small, with only one team having a goal of simply competing in the DGL. We wanted to expand our skill level while maintaining a jubilant attitude towards the game and its rivals at the same time. This attitude has captivated many aspiring players, and it is the reason why the clan MaD Hatters was formed.
We’ve always seen ourselves as the Mad hatter’s tea party from the book, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Caroll, published way back in 1865. We are a bunch of crazy, random and fun players in one team. Soon after the creation of MaD Hatters, our clan name started spreading all over social media platforms. Players we met in the past, old teams, and friends decided to join us. The clan was created on the 3rd of January 2013 with only 9 members. Today we stand on 100 members. We are growing and we intend to continue doing so.
What are your goals moving forward?
We would like to have at least 2 teams qualify for the Telkom Do Gaming Championships (DGC) at rAge this year. We are currently expanding into other competitive titles such as CS:GO, COD and DOTA. By the end of this year we would like to have at least one team in each competitive title named above. That being said, we are actively recruiting for new members for these competitive titles and potential members can contact us via our website
What games are you currently playing?
Quite a variety…League of Legends, Dota, Hearthstone, CSGO, Diablo, Tera, Nosgoth… the list goes on!
Who or what do you see as the biggest hurdle to professional eSports in South Africa?
There’s not really a who, but there is a lack of awareness when it comes to eSports in South Africa.
Anything else?
We just want to thank Lazygamer for taking the time to write up this clan focus. Also, a special thanks to our sponsors, Velocity Tech and FTI, for their amazing support! If anyone would like to check us out, we can be found on our Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the DGL Website!
Clan Focus
Think your clan or organisation have achieved enough to warrant a spotlight similar to the above? Let me know! Send a mail through to Matthew@lazygamer.net. If you send me spam, I will find you, and I will… ok fine, I probably won’t find you, but please don’t send me unrelated stuff!
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Last Updated: September 3, 2014
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 3, 2014 at 10:01
[Pity comment]
DISCLAIMER:
Please note, this pity comment is for Martha, and in no way reflects my feelings towards the clan
Anneke Le Roux
September 3, 2014 at 10:02
Lel
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 3, 2014 at 10:12
XD
Surely you are aware of the rule when Martha posts an article?
Anneke Le Roux
September 3, 2014 at 10:50
Ofcuz 😛
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 3, 2014 at 10:56
Wonderful, spread the news!
hairyknees
September 3, 2014 at 10:22
YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PITY COMMENT AND @#%$!
Jk <3 xoxoxoxoxoxo
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 3, 2014 at 10:28
BE THANKFUL YOUNG CABBAGE!
Anneke Le Roux
September 3, 2014 at 10:02
Woohhoo 😀
Weanerdog
September 3, 2014 at 10:36
The question is what shall I sign Martha up for using that email address. Wonder if there are any cabbage newsletters out there.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 3, 2014 at 10:37
Farmers Weekly!
Weanerdog
September 3, 2014 at 11:04
http://www.farmersweekly.co.za/content.aspx?id=26346&h=Subscribe-to-our-newsletter you mean this
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 3, 2014 at 11:15
Yessir, please subscribe
Weanerdog
September 3, 2014 at 11:44
No I am not that mean, again. But I cannot be held responsible for what others do with this info.
hairyknees
September 3, 2014 at 11:22
:'(
Weanerdog
September 3, 2014 at 11:37
Yeah the Admiral’s mean I was going to sign you up the Real Ukrainian Stripper’s mothers Weekly.