“You have started the LEC – European Championship League of Legends – Despite high expectations on your team, with three defeats in as many matches. What do you want to remember this first weekend?
Rafael “Targamas” Crabbe (Carmine Corp): It’s really tough, because we had two very close matches against Fnatic and G2, which were in our hands if we played a little bit better. So we were confident about the future, we told ourselves that we would be able to bounce back. But Monday’s defeat (MAD Lions vs. KOI), it’s a big blow to morale. It is an accumulation. Going 0-3, losing to a team you can’t afford to lose to, makes it all hard to swallow. But it was a week to refocus.
What went wrong with the game? We were under the impression that your start to the game was generally proficient, but once you got into the game you failed midgame.
I think, already, we are cruelly lacking in confidence. There is a huge difference in the way we play Screams (training games) And on stage. Unfortunately, in the top league, against the best teams in Europe, we have to be able to play to our full potential, to raise our level, if we want to hope to win. We weren’t comfortable enough to do what we normally do and it disrupted our whole way of playing.
Did you really feel any difference from the face you showed in training all week?
Yes, but that is often the case in many teams. But I feel especially here, because we cannot play with confidence and aggression. Screams And that allows us to play very big matches. On stage, what we produce is a bit empty, there is a real contrast.
How do you explain it? Did stress play a role early in the season?
It’s hard to say, I think everyone should answer individually. Personally, I felt good over the three days, even if there was a bit more pressure on Monday, because this match is not to be lost. But not unlocking the meter on weigh-in days is above the fact. Even if there are encouraging things, even if there are good things Early Games, you still end up losing and the season moves on. I’ve found myself in this situation before with Excel, I know it goes very fast in this format. Unlocking the first victory is the most important thing for confidence, otherwise you will sink deeper and deeper.
You still don’t have an easy schedule, with two of the best teams in the league early on. This week it will be even cheaper with GiantX, Vitality and Team Heretics on the program. Are you optimistic about getting your head above water?
Of course. Either way, we’re not going to give up after a week! We have a good group, we get along very well, we have a very present staff… It is certain that we did not have an easy schedule, but the matches were within our reach and Rogue managed well to beat G2. We aim for the highest, so we have no right to complain about the schedule, even if it doesn’t help build confidence.
On a more personal level, how did you feel about your first steps with your duet with Elias “Upset” Lipp? You deployed a very aggressive gameplay…
It’s been good with him from the start, we’re making good things in training. That translates into matches, we’ve managed to build things around the boat in every game and that’s been our aim from the start, to be a force for the team that they can count on. In the first minutes, we did our job well, trying to dominate as much as possible, so I’m very happy and that’s one of the positives I take away.
Last week’s matches were watched with unprecedented enthusiasm, especially with record audiences. You have already played several LEC seasons, how did you experience it?
We have the impression that it is not the same league anymore. There are KCorp and enemies of KCorp. It’s funny to see other teams come together to live up to what our supporters are doing. We have always appreciated this role of being in front of everyone, it will only make the moment more beautiful when we win.
Did you manage to get power from it? We know this entry into the league was clearly a moment eagerly awaited by fans.
I think everyone in the team has experience, even Cabochard (Lucas Simon-Meslet) or saken (Lucas Fayard) People who have been on the team with me for a very long time or others who have a few LEC matches under their belt. Everyone felt good. But we didn’t want to disappoint, many people have been waiting for this moment since the club was formed… There were still many people who made the trip to Berlin, even on a Monday when it wasn’t. Easy, so it hurts me not to give them a small win. We will do everything to make it better this week. »
