Prime League veteran Finn-Lukas "Don Arts" Salomon is headed to a new chapter in his career. Joining LOUD GG for CBLoL in 2021, the German Jungler spoke to Inven Global’s Lara Lunardi about moving to a new continent, his expectations about the roster, the infamous pizza picture, and more.

Have you gotten a chance to meet your teammates yet?

I’m going to Brazil at the beginning of January, and then I’ll get to meet my teammates. For now, I am still at home in Germany for Christmas time and New Years'.

LOUD seems to have a pretty stacked up roster, what are your thoughts?

I wasn’t familiar with the Brazilian scene that much before. I talked to a lot of people that had worked and/or coached there, and they had told me this roster is looking really good, and has high ambitions to win the league, and possibly go to Worlds, which is ultimately the goal. I’m hyped to meet everyone and start playing.

What made you pick CBLoL as opposed to any other league?

I had offers from Europe for the upcoming year, but the offer LOUD made me was better in multiple aspects. They have a huge brand, it’s a big step and a crazy life experience either way, no matter how it goes. Going to Brazil is just going to teach me lessons for life. Even before I had been announced, the Brazilian community and the fans went so crazy, it was unbelievable how much support I’ve been getting.

Have you gotten to research the country yet? Are you excited to live over there?

I’ve been doing a lot of what it is like to live in Brazil, the important things and what I have to take care of. It will be different than living in Germany or probably anywhere in Europe, but it will be a good experience. I am excited about the weather, it’s Summer over there right now. Brazilian food is supposed to be really good as well.

What about getting around to learn Portuguese?

I’ve actually downloaded DuoLingo already and have been practicing some Portuguese, because apparently as a foreign player playing CBLoL you start picking up some of the language, and that’s good for you. I want to connect with the fans, so I’ll try to pick up some Portuguese, but I don’t think I’ll be able to become a fluent speaker with the time spent over there, but I will do my best.

I have seen a tweet that I wanted you to comment on. What’s going on in this photo…

To give you some background, this photo was taken back in 2019 after we winning ESLM Winter playoffs, which was the last tournament I played before Corona happened… We went for a victory dinner afterward, and they had those pizzas that were way too big for their plates. If I wanted to cut it into slices and eat it like that it would have taken a long time and a lot of logistics. Instead of putting so much effort, I just…

...Just ate it like an animal.

[laughs] Yeah, I ate it from the middle because it seemed to be the most efficient way for me at that moment. Unfortunately, my coach at the time took a picture of it…

Without knowing the context… it’s hard…

Yep. And now it’s gonna stay on the internet forever.

It will, but at least this story is out to prove you’re normal…

I went on Twitter and asked LOUD fans to contribute with questions for this interview. The first one is “are you familiar with CBLoL as a region and what do you think are going to be the biggest challenges in terms of game style?”

I’ve done some research on CBLoL, and watched some games during the play-in stage at Worlds 2020. The playstyle will probably be different from what I encountered here in the EU, but to fully get a grasp on it, I would need to start playing myself. It’s probably a more bloody playstyle which I welcome.

What about thoughts on the current meta, and how you will use it against the CBLoL junglers?

The current meta in the jungle is really nice. The pre-season patch has made a lot of champions viable, and a lot of carry junglers are really good at the moment, there’s a wide champion pool you can play in any role. Farming junglers are really good ever since Riot Games changed the respawn time around camps even before the pre-season. I will continue doing what I have been so far. I am a consistent jungler that is reliable, and I will try to implement that at LOUD in the team I will be playing next year.

How do you think CBLoL compares in playstyle and level with the ERLs?

Comparing the two, they are probably on the same level, maybe better. It will probably be harder to play in CBLoL than in the Prime League from my outside perspective, but then again, I would have to experience it first hand. I think they are comparable and maybe CBLoL is better than most regional leagues, not the LFL which is pretty stacked.

I saw you tweeted that 280 characters were not enough to talk about your experience over at BIG Clan. Could you take some time to share a few words about the team?

Surely. Thanks to Big and the fans for all the support. I’ve been with the team for the past two years, and it has been the best time of my life and in esports, so I am very grateful for that. There are so many people working at BIG that are great humans and do their best to help their team and players and really made it feel like a family. I’ll be forever grateful for that, and also for the trust you guys have put in me.

Now talking about the other fans you just recently acquired, what do you have to say?

To all the Brazilian fans, Ola, muito obrigado! Thank you for the support, it’s been crazy. A day after the announcement, I exploded, I never expected anything like it. I hope I can make you guys proud and start something nice over in Brazil, I’m hyped to play. Muito obrigado!