Los chicos de RealSport han podido hablar con Ocelote después de la sexta jornada de LCS y ha hablado sobre G2 y el MSI, traduzco alguna pregunta interesante y dejo la original a continuación.
RealSport: Los subcampeones de Occidente del MSI parecen maldecidos y rinden mucho peor en la temporada siguiente. Este fue el caso de CLG y le ha pasado lo mismo a G2. ¿Es cuestión de calendario del torneo o el formato que hace que sea particularmente difícil volver?
Carlos Rodríguez: Es irresponsable culpar a circunstancias externas que no están bajo nuestro control. Los momentos como este nos ayudan a crecer mucho. No los cambiaríamos por nada porque nos hacemos mejor equipo cada vez que fallamos. Sin embargo, ignorando el hecho de que el MSI ocurre en el momento en que debe haber un descanso, no ayuda a los equipos que compiten en el MSI.
Hay una fina línea que separa conseguir un nivel óptimo competitivo y estar en la pomada, desgasta mucho. La configuración actual, la escala y la naturaleza del MSI hacen probable que los equipos que participan en el torneo se quemen en los siguientes meses. Esto definitivamente puede ser un factor importante al volver a competir en tu liga regional. Requiere niveles increíbles de liderazgo y madurez para superarlo. Estamos en esa situación exactamente.
RS: Como pregunta de seguimiento, ¿hubo alguna estrategia de NA o táctica en el juego que te pilló desprevenido?
CR: Todo lo relacionado con el meta, la selección de pick y ban de campeones y la comprensión general del juego nos cogieron desprevenidos. No sentimos que tuviéramos el control del juego y nos llevó a creer que nos quedamos atrapados en la meta del MSI demasiado tiempo.
RS: La comunidad del LoL tiende a preferir culpar al equipo perdedor en vez de elogiar a los ganadores. ¿Crees que esto es lo que le está sucediendo a G2? ¿El equipo recibe mucha mierda cuando todo el mundo en Europa simplemente ha mejorado?
CR: Es la naturaleza del deporte y estamos contentos con ello. Sentir la presión de tener que ganar es motivación extra y te dispone a ser un mejor equipo.
RS: El Rift Rivals reveló un marcado contraste entre los metas europeos y norteamericanos. Ahora es fácil decir que NA es superior ya que han ganado el torneo, pero ¿crees que todavía hay cosas que Europa hace mejor?
CR: No creo que NA sea necesariamente superior. El parche y el meta en el que se jugó el Rift Rivals difiere mucho de los parches y el meta visto sólo semanas antes. Por esta razón, no considero al Rift Rivals como indicativo de la fortaleza de ninguna región. Nadie debería verlo así, exceptuando el drama, entretenimiento e historias de ese tipo. Con esto dicho, Europa está lista para patear el culo de NA en el Mundial.
RS: Durante un podcast con Thorin, expresaste tu deseo de ver una LCS EU más competitiva. ¿Crees que ese deseo se hizo realidad con la forma en la que otros equipos han desafiado a G2 esta season?
CR: Sí, y me alegro de que haya medidas tomadas en esa dirección. Es justo menciar a la mayoría de nuestros competidores en Europa, sin embargo, siguen siendo decepcionantemente aburridos.
Ever since its entrance to the European League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS), G2 Esports has been a key competitor in the region. With three domestic split wins to its name and a recent 2nd place finish at the Mid-Season Invitational, the team has already gone down in history as one of the most successful European orgs of all time.
RealSport sat down with G2’s founding CEO Carlos “ocelote” Rodriguez after Week 6 of the EU LCS to discuss MSI, G2’s recent performance, and the EU vs NA rivalry.
RealSport: Western MSI runner-ups seem cursed to perform much worse in the following season. This was the case with CLG, and now the same thing has happened with G2. Is there something about the tournament timing or format that makes it particularly hard to come back from?
Carlos Rodriguez: It is irresponsible to blame the circumstances that are not in our power. The moments like this one help us grow a lot. We wouldn’t trade them for anything because we become a better team every time we fail. However, ignoring the fact that MSI occurs in the time when there should be a break, does not help the teams that compete in MSI.
There is a fine line that separates getting better competitively and being in the zone, and burning out. The current setup, scale and nature of MSI makes it likely that the teams that take part in the tournament burn out in the following months. This can definitely be a major factor when coming back to compete in your regional league. It requires incredible levels of leadership and maturity to overcome it. We are in that exact process.
RS: The League of Legends community tends to prefer blaming the losing team in favor of commending the winners. Do you think this is what’s happening to G2? Does the team get too much flak when everyone in Europe simply got better?
CR: It’s the nature of sports and we are happy with it. Feeling the pressure of having to win adds some extra motivation and willingness to become a better team.
RS: Rift Rivals revealed a stark contrast between the European and North American metas. Now it’s easy to say that NA is superior since they’ve won the tournament, but do you think there are still things that Europe does better?
CR: I don’t think that NA is necessarily superior. The patch and meta game that Rift Rivals was played on far differs from the patches and meta games seen just weeks before. For this reason I don’t consider Rift Rivals as an indicator of any region’s strength. I don’t think anyone should, except for the sake of drama, entertainment and storylines. With this said, Europe is ready to kick NA’s ass at Worlds
RS: As a follow-up question, were there any NA strategies or in-game tactics that caught you off guard?
CR: The whole meta game, picks and bans and overall understanding of the game caught us off-guard. We didn’t feel like we were in control of any game which led us to believe that we’ve got stuck in the MSI meta for too long.
RS: During a podcast with Thorin, you expressed wishes for the EU LCS to get more competitive. Do you think that wish came true with how other teams have challenged G2 this split?CR: Yes, and I’m glad that there are steps taken in that direction. It’s fair to mention that most of our competitors in Europe, however, are still disappointingly boring.
RS: In other interviews, certain G2 players expressed their opinion that the team isn’t in the best shape right now. How does this affect the team atmosphere? Do you think this type of honesty can act as additional motivation for players?CR: We like to be very realistic with our level of play. We speak highly of ourselves when we’re the best in the region, the same way we will bash ourselves when we are playing subpar. There’s nothing wrong with being honest and it’s in sync with the values of our brand.
RS: The mascot battle was one of the highlights of the 2017 EU LCS Spring Split finals. Are you planning to bring G2’s samurai warrior back at some point? Maybe to challenge UOL’s Romain Bigeard again?CR: It’s clear for everyone now that samurai outperform unicorns. In terms of muscle size, handsomeness and competitive gameplay. It will be an honor to keep having face-offs with our friends from UOL.
RS: Finally, is there anything you’d like to add that I haven’t asked you about?
CR: This period of time, in which our League of Legends team is not performing up to everyone’s expectations, has shown us that we have one of the most loyal, committed and fantastic fan bases in esports. We’re grateful for having you as our comrades and a part of our army. We love you.
