Following Rogue’s win over Team BDS we had the opportunity to speak to Comp, the bottom laner of the currently undefeated LEC team.
Rogue are one of only two undefeated teams in the LEC right now. Why do you think your team has had such a strong start?
Comp: I think we pretty much know the meta right now and we’re good at adapting. I feel like we draft very well every game and are very flexible. For example, week one we were mostly those ‘protect-the-Jinx’ compositions but we showed, even last week during our game against Astralis, that we have this flexibility. We can pick compositions geared toward specific lanes or draft three full winning lanes, like we did today against BDS.
I just think overall we are really flexible and good at acknowledging teams’ weaknesses. For example, today we just felt like BDS’ botlane has been performing pretty poorly, so picking a lane like Lucien and Nami could be really hard for them. It could also give us a huge lead, which it did. I mean, later on I did misplay some combos pretty bad but that’s okay, it’s on me. More practice will fix it, no worries.
Your game today against BDS was potentially the most one-sided match of the split so far. Is the morale in the Rogue camp pretty high right now?
Comp: Not really, we just take it step by step. We know what we are capable of, so we don’t really put pressure on ourselves. I think everyone just knows what we can do, so we just take it as a process and make sure that we are professional in what we do. We just take practice seriously.
What team which you haven’t faced do you think could pose as Rogue’s biggest challenge?
Comp: In theory, I guess next week will probably be the best week for us. I think we play Vitality and Fnatic if I’m not mistaken, so that should be the week that we can really prove that we are one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the LEC. Considering we’re playing those two teams, it should be our week to show that we are on top of the league.
As you said next week you’re playing against Team Vitality, the organization where you spent a significant portion of your career. Do you have any thoughts about this matchup specifically?
Comp: Not really, it’s whatever for me. I don’t really think about it to be honest. It’s just another opponent, I don’t really care if it’s Vitality or if it’s whoever else. It would be fun to win, I still play with my ex-support, Labrov. We used to hang out a lot since we are from the same country so I think it will be fun.
Of course you are one of two new additions to Rogue. How has the onboarding process been so far?
Comp: When I was in Greece, I didn’t feel like I had the best conditions for playing. Not necessarily because of the ping but because I look to enjoy my offseason and look to do way more things than just play 24/7. I really feel like it makes me happier and allows me to perform better. It basically makes me feel way better about myself, and also allows me to avoid this burnout thing everyone is talking about lately.
Coming here and meeting all of these guys, not just the players, has been really nice. Everyone is so friendly and so nice to hangout and work with. I’m actually really proud to be here.
Speaking of your teammates, this split you’re laning with Trymbi who has a fairly aggressive playstyle. How would you describe playing alongside him in the first two weeks of the LEC?
Comp: Trymbi is really aggressive. He also doesn’t care who he plays against, Trymbi knows what he’s capable of. Basically whatever champion he plays, he knows exactly what he has to do. For example, today his lane dominance and yesterday with Blitzcrank he omega-smurfed the game. Trymbi made it so easy for everyone. So, he just seems really confident in himself and that’s how you build trust and can rely on each other.
Since week one of the LEC, I just knew that I could rely on Trymbi because he can just do what he has to do. He knows how to do his job, so the only thing after that is for everyone else to do their job.
How would you rank yourself among ADCs in the LEC currently?
Comp: I saw that I have really good stats still, I mean in this game I died twice though. In my mind though, I don’t really think about it. I never really think about these things but at least from my performance right now I could at least rate myself in the top three among ADCs, I suppose. Like I would probably put alongside with me Upset and Unforgiven.
Currently it seems that Jinx and Aphelios has emerged as the premier picks for bottom laners right now. What do you think of the current state of the meta in your role?
Comp:Well, I feel like those are probably the champions that most people play but I don’t necessarily agree that these are the only two champions that are viable. Like it isn’t that it’s onlyJinx and Aphelios and then the rest.
Usually, when one champion is really a meta pick older champions come back. Maybe those champions aren’t top tier on their own, but they can actually be good against the meta picks. So basically what makes Jinx or Aphelios really strong is that you can pick them as a blind pick every game, but also if you get them as a counter pick the champions are still really strong. I feel like we really know how the meta is right now, and what the best counters are so I’m really confident from both sides, either playing them or playing against them.
Touching on the game against BDS, the match had a pretty slow early game until that explosive initial fight in the bottom lane. Can you tell me about the early phases of this game from your perspective?
Comp: On one hand I think it was pretty slow but honestly how the match ups work most of the time, especially the Lucien and Nami, after the first base you can look to punish a lot. In the early game though there might not be a lot of opportunity for explosive plays or early game kills, but I feel like the moment Jinx lost their plates level three, we knew that the lane was completely over for them.
We already had a good CS lead and then we took plates very early in the game. So, it might not have been fast paced kill-wise, but I feel like the moment we got those plates, it felt like the whole map was open to us to do whatever we wanted. The first few levels might not have been bloody but it was kind of game over early on, because the other lanes had built up a pretty big CS gap as well.
Yesterday you guys defeated MAD Lions, a team that Rogue has historically struggled against. Obviously you are new to the roster, but did this win mean anything special to the team?
Comp: For the team it must have felt special for sure. For me it felt special because every win feels special to me, since I have been missing from competitive for almost the whole of 2021. It has been nice to get as many wins as possible. For me it as just another day on the job, I guess.
Well thank you again for the interview, Comp, and good luck in week three!
Also read:
- G2 Esports Targamas: “Winning Worlds has now also become my own personal goal, just like winning LEC”
- Nemesis shows how much the damage levels have changed in League – calls Season 12 “crazy” high-damage meta
- All changes coming with League of Legends Season 12
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