Tom Matthiesen

Esports journalist

Netherlands

Esports journalist since 2015.

I've traveled from Los Angeles to Shanghai to cover esports. I've broken news, covered the most important stories, and interviewed industry legends.

I ran my own site, Em Dash Esports, for a while. Also seen at: Inven Global, Upcomer, Hotspawn, Cybersport, GosuGamers, and several genre sites.

Contact: [email protected]

Portfolio

Author's Choice

Inven Global
04/15/2022
Player contracts and poaching: A long discussion with G2 Esports CEO Carlos Rodriguez

Carlos open-heartedly spoke with Inven Global's Tom Matthiesen about player contracts and the topic of poaching. Carlos discussed the tough business choices he had to make selling some of the most popular players and how it impacted him. He also made one thing crystal clear. The landscape of roster moves isn't just hectic. It's a warzone where many organizations try to steal land by any means possible.

Inven Global
11/15/2019
Dash on how acting shaped his childhood, turning him into the passionate host he is today

For years, the League of Legends analyst desk has been welcomed by the same face. James "Dash" Patterson, host to the LCS and the knockout stage of the League of Legends World Championships, is the first to greet the viewers at the start of the broadcast and the last to say goodbye when the curtain falls. But who is Dash, and how did his early years guide him to the path of esports glory?

Features

Inven Global
04/08/2022
[Editorial] Eight years later, Odoamne is still hunting for validation

18 champion tiles hang on the wall in the LEC studio in Berlin. At the very start, Fnatic, who toppled Lemondogs in 2013 to become inaugural EU LCS champions. At the end of the wall, MAD Lions: the team that broke the cycle of G2 and Fnatic domination, and in 2021 became the third-ever team to win back-to-back titles.

Inven Global
03/02/2022
[Editorial] Who is the best mid laner in the LEC?

Many have declared Vetheo as the best mid laner in the LEC due to his standout performance. Is that a fair award to hand out, especially since Larssen has been incredibly consistent in the LEC spring split too? Is he being snubbed?

Hotspawn
12/02/2020
[Editorial] The Luxury Problem of Talent Gambling in the LEC

LEC teams are in the luxurious position to have a thriving European scene from which they can pluck new talent. But teams are disappointingly reckless with this position. Rookies are cast aside after barely playing a Split.

Hotspawn
02/26/2021
[Editorial] LCS Team Owners are Behaving like Spoiled Children

After years of collectively neglecting to develop local talent, owners of teams in the LCS are suddenly asking Riot Games to change the rules for them. Under the guise of wanting to "help North America prosper", they're seeking new ways to solve problems by spending money.

Hotspawn
07/07/2020
[Editorial] The Magic of MAD Lions

MAD Lions are writing their name in the League of Legends history books. The rookie squad surprised everyone this year as they fearlessly took on the best teams Europe has to offer, quickly making a name for themselves. But why is this squad so captivating, stealing everyone's hearts?

Inven Global
10/06/2019
[Scoop] Hong Kong player Blitzchung calls for liberation of his country in post-game interview

An unexpected turn of events during the last weekend of Hearthstone Grandmasters' regular season. After finishing his match, Hong Kong player Ng "blitzchung" Wai Chung appeared on the official Taiwanese Hearthstone stream for his post-game interview wearing a gas mask. After lifting the mouthpiece, Blitzchung shouted, in Chinese: "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!"

Inven Global
06/17/2018
[Analysis] A bumpy road to glory - evaluating the HCT Tour Stops so far

Ambitious, fresh, but most of all: a big step in the right direction. When Blizzard announced its plans for the 2018/2019 Hearthstone Championship Tour in December last year, it was lauded from about every angle imaginable. An increase in prize money and a system designed to reward consistency had slowly been approached over the years, but with the introduction of the Masters System finally seemed to be conceptualized.

Written Interviews

Hotspawn
08/09/2020
Bwipo speaks candidly about Fnatic’s rough path in the Summer Split

On the eve of what may be the defining match day of Fnatic in 2020, we spoke to the team’s top laner, Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau. Open-heartedly, Bwipo spoke about the difficulties Fnatic faced during the Summer Split. He opened up about how he stayed mentally strong throughout the weeks, and what the team dynamics on Fnatic are like in trying times.

Hotspawn
08/06/2020
Lifting Up Legends - How G2 Analysts Make Their Players Soar

While it is G2's players who shine bright on-stage, they don’t carry all the weight. When preparing for opponents and polishing their gameplay they heavily rely on the information gathered by their scouts and number-crushers: G2’s analyst team.

Hotspawn
06/14/2020
Caps on how his time as AD Carry helped him and G2 improve

Caps is back in his mid lane kingdom. After a brief but successful stint in the bot lane during the LEC's Spring Split, the prodigal son returns, free to roam and gank whomever he pleases. With this formation, G2 Esports will fight for the one big achievement which they so nearly reached last year: the World Championship title.

Inven Global
03/18/2020
A day in the life of LEC referee Yuli

Behind every great production stands a team of hard-working people. Quite literally so, in the case of Yulia "Yuli" Morozova. The Russian-born referee has been standing guard behind Europe's greatest League of Legends players for years. But what else does a referee at the League of Legends European Championship do?

Inven Global
04/16/2019
Laure Valée: "My goal is not to shine. My goal is to make the players shine."

There were upsets, stomps and surprise picks - last weekend LEC crowned its Spring Split king: G2 Esports. After all was said and done, we sat down with interviewer Laure Valée to talk about falling in love with games, esports and the hard work required to claim a place among the best in the industry.

Hearthstone Top Decks
07/31/2018
Behind the Art of the Card - An Interview With Matt Dixon

With more than four hundred new cards being added to the game each year, it's safe to say that card art is one of the most hour-intensive parts of Hearthstone design. And while Team 5 has some amazing in-house artists like Jomaro Kindred and Charlene Le Scanff, even they can't handle fully designing more than [...]

Inven Global
03/22/2018
Talking to Hunterace, rising prince of Hearthstone

Hunterace has had an exceptionally good HCT year thus far, being the first player to break the 45 HCT point threshold. But who is the man behind the golden curls and twinkling eyes? And how did he get this good? We sat down with him to find out.

Video Interviews

Upcomer
10/11/2021
Abbedagge shares how moving to Los Angeles got him out of his shell

Abbedagge discussed how he has changed as a player ever since joining the LCS in the summer split. He pointed to 100 Thieves founder, co-owner and CEO Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag as key influence as to why he’s bantering more and can be spotted wearing high fashion clothing.

YouTube
01/18/2021
Sjokz reflects on her rollercoaster 2020 and looks ahead at this year's LEC

Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere looks back at an eventful 2020: a year in which she was fortunate enough to be able to host LEC and Worlds, but still felt the impact of the pandemic. She also touches on the effects the LEC's NEOM sponsorship had, and she looks ahead at what's to come for the LEC in 2021.

YouTube
10/08/2020
Jensen talks about Team Liquid's elimination from Worlds

The League of Legends World Championship 2020 run of Team Liquid is over, stranding in the Group Stage. After it became clear that his team would not advance, mid laner Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen joined for an interview talking about his team's preparation heading into the day and how the matches played out for them.