Esport – League of Legends – Eika: “I banged my fist on the table”

“After having started the season badly, you remain on five wins in a row, which is a record this year in the French League of League of Legends. How do you explain this revival?
“It is true that we have come a long way. I think each player on the team individually put their ego aside and we looked for solutions to move in the same direction. This is the most egregious change we’ve made that worked and keep working.

You struggled as much in training as in official matches?
Before, our practice games were like our second game against GO (defeat in 24 minutes without doing the slightest kill, February 23) : we could not play, not move forward, not even train in the end! It was really a vicious circle, which we managed to get out of thanks to everyone’s efforts. I think we will be able to solve our problems quickly now, because we saw very well that we could do it in a healthy way.

Does your progress also come from a better understanding of the meta (the most optimal playstyle of the moment) since a few weeks ?
I think so, of course. We are one step ahead of the flex picks (champions can be played in several roles). We’re one of the only teams in the LFL that can play Gragas and Annie and use them the way they should be. It’s a big strength draftbecause the other teams have to adapt, whereas for us it’s relatively easy.

With one week left in the regular season, how do you currently measure up in the league? Nine teams stand in three wins and can still qualify for the play-offs, but you’re on the best momentum.
For now, in the top, I see us and GO… The others are a little irregular. Currently, we can really beat everyone. By definition, that would mean that I see us first, but I know that we still have a lot to work on. We are really on an upward slope, but only against Solary for example, we could have been more aggressive, played more quickly on the map. That we manage to do this kind of competitive matches is already a big victory, but I think we can do better, really.

You were the first player to join Aegis, which is making its debut on League of Legends This year, and you contributed to the selection of your teammates. It must be a satisfaction to see that your choices pay off…
Clearly. When you choose players, there is always an element of randomness, so when you see that the risk pays, that you trusted yourself rightly, it is rewarding. It reassures me about my abilities and my choices.

Are there any players that you have particularly taken under your wing this year?
Inevitably, the two rookies, Eren “Lot” Yildiz and Rudy “Skewmond” Semaan. Above all, I make sure that they hold on mentally. This is the most important: if they are confident, they will be able to create more play. This is what Skewmond lacked at the start of the season and now that he is starting to be much more comfortable, that really feels.

With Aegis, are you even more at the heart of your projects than in your previous clubs?
I was the first player to join the team, so it’s hard to say otherwise. I had to explore a new side of my role as captain this year to sort out our online issues, because it’s the first time in my career that my teammates have been at a distance. It was clearly not easy. In the idea, I try to be the pillar for the team, to never appear too frustrated and too sad in front of others. But it’s also my role to say when we’re doing shit. When we lost all our games, when we were destroyed by GO, I banged my fist on the table to say that it was not possible for us to play like that, that we had to change something because otherwise we were going straight into the wall. It’s a “thankful” role, but that’s what I find incredible with this team: they took it well and we found solutions together.

You are coming out of an exceptional year 2022 with LDLC OL, punctuated two French championship titles. Is there a form of disappointment in not having had your chance in the LEC, at the highest European level?
On the spot, when you see three of your teammates (Martin “Yike” Sundelin, Thomas “Exakick” Foucou and Mads “Doss” Schwartz) leave for the LEC and you stay at the dock, you wonder what you did wrong, what you can do better. Afterwards, I still relativized. I think very few people know the impact I had on LDLC last year. I was really the pillar of the team and it’s a pride that I want to keep. So I said to myself that it was not the end of the world and I chose the best project for me in LFL.

Is this still a medium-term objective for you?
I think about it in the back of my head. I know the recipes for winning, so if I were to join a project, I would like it to be a project where I can choose my players, like the seasons I had success with LDLC last year or this year with Aegis, since it seems to be shaping up well. I don’t want to join the LEC to join the LEC. And for now, I’m very happy where I am, I want to win the LFL, and the EMEA Masters. I move forward day by day. »