"Professional players don’t take Fortnite Ranked Mode seriously yet": Hen shares his thoughts and expectations from Red Bull Contested

Henrik "Hen" Mclean, 17 years old, is a professional Fortnite player hailing from England. He's steadily rising to become one of the most prominent faces in the Esports scene. From his early days of winning the Logitech G Cup in 2019 to placing first alongside Queasy in the Fortnite Champion Series: Chapter 3 Season 1 - Grand Finals, 2022, he's showing no signs of slowing down. He's currently signed to Guild Esports.

In the recent Red Bull Contested LAN tournament that was held on June 10, 2023, he bagged the 33 position and won £750 in winning. We at Sportskeeda, got a chance to have a few words with him prior to the event taking place in Scotland.

---

Henrik "Hen" Mclean talks about his career, Red Bull Contested, and shares his thoughts on Fortnite's Ranked Mode

Q. First and foremost, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Would you mind introducing yourself to people who might not know who you are and perhaps shed some light as to what got you into Fortnite in the first place?

Hen: Hey, my name is Henrik Brian Mclean - three times FNCS champion, 18 times Cash Cup winner. I started playing Fortnite because my friends in school did, and I was jealous that they weren’t talking to me as much. That’s the only reason.

---

Q. You've had an incredible career in the world of Fortnite so far. Would you mind sharing with us a few highlights and accolades earned thus far? Furthermore, where do you want to see yourself as an Esports athlete in the next few years?

Hen: I want to see myself making as much money and as much content as possible and staying rich.

---

Q. Coming back to the topic at hand, how do you feel about the upcoming UK's first major Fortnite LAN tournament? Surely playing in front of a live audience will be a different ball game altogether. What’s your take on it? Do you feel that it will be a distraction or add to the overall hype of the event?

Hen: I think everything will be fine. There are always some nerves coming around every tournament, even if you are experienced. So, all I can say is that I’m ready.

---

Q. I understand that Solo is a high-risk, high-reward format for any tournament, especially given that there will be eight opening rounds, with eliminations in the final four being worth double points.

What’s your take on this unique setup? Do you feel that Duos would have been better suited?

Hen: Of course, Duos would have been better suited, but I think we've had a Solo LAN tournament like this since the Fortnite World Cup, so it’s kind of exciting.

---

Q. Given the stiff competition from some of the best players in Europe, what’s going on in your mind right now? Walk us through the thought process that helps you concentrate on staying on top of things.

Hen: Food.

---

Q. If possible, share with us the strategy you implement during early-game versus late-game. Given how the addition of certain movement mechanics and the Reality Augment system has spruced up gameplay, will it affect your desired strategy’s outcome?

Hen: In early-game, I’ll try to be as aggressive as possible and get the best loot that I can. Mid-game, play safe. Late-game, play somewhat aggressively but also safely, and try to win the game.

---

Q. As a professional player in Fortnite, given the competition at hand, what are your predictions about the tournament? Do you have anyone in mind who you would like to go head-to-head with during the course of a match?

On that note, is there someone who would want to avoid it at all costs, and if yes, why?

Hen: I'm not really afraid of anyone, but if I had to choose one not to fight, It would be Veno. Maybe I’d like to go up against Queasy in a one-versus-one to win the tournament. That would be fun.

---

Q. Moving on from the Red Bull Contested Fortnite LAN tournament, what’s your take on the newly added Ranked Mode? Do you feel it has enough gusto to propel Fortnite into the limelight and help professional players be taken more seriously?

Given that the LAN tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark - FNCS Global Championship 2023, is due later this year, do you feel that the Ranked Mode will help shine a brighter light on things?

Hen: Not really, they added Ranked Mode, but they took away siphon, and that was like the main thing in the game. It’s been there for like four years. Don’t know why they changed it now, but we can only hope for the best. Professional players don’t take Fortnite Ranked Mode seriously yet.

---

Q. As a professional player, what are your expectations from the Ranked Mode moving forward? Although it’s still in its infancy, what more can Epic Games do to improve the experience and integrate things more seamlessly?

Hen: Add siphon and add a few tournaments every week. Put a little bit of a prize pool in there so people can try and take it seriously.

---

Q. Moving on from the Ranked Mode and the competitive side of things, what are your general thoughts about Chapter 4 Season 2 thus far? Are you enjoying the storyline and newly added collaborative items, or do you feel that the current season was a letdown?

Hen: Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 was a letdown. They never really added anything cool. The guns were quite stale, but I hope they fix it soon.

---

Q. Speaking of seasons, what’s your wishlist for Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3? With leakers/data-miners predicting a full-scale tropical/jungle biome, are you excited to play the role of Ace Ventura?

Hen: Of course, I was always a fan of his. Getting ready, you know? Excited.

---

Q. On that note, thank you once again for taking out the time to talk to us, but before you leave, what would be the one piece of advice you’d like to share for up-and-coming players? What’s that one thing that you would want them to know and focus on above everything else?

Hen: Just keep on grinding the game. Don’t waste your time doing stupid stuff. Just take it seriously 24x7.