Team Liquid Santorin: “This feels like a very winnable group and we’re just going to take it one game at a time”

Hi, Santorin, thanks for the interview and congratulations on getting your first win of Worlds 2021! The last time we saw Team Liquid was in the LCS 2021 finals where unfortunately you guys fell short. You guys showed some clear improvement on stage today. Can you tell me how the team has improved or progressed since landing in Iceland?

Santorin: I’ve said this before, but we played the finals very poorly. We really spiraled our mistakes because we were pretty mentally unfit during that time. It was just a bad vibe. Ever since then we’ve just wanted to make sure that never happens again. Most of us took a couple days off and we arrived in the airport ready to play again. I think that having that mental reset helped us improve a lot.

Group D seems like the most ‘open’ group in Worlds. What do you think about the strength of the teams in your group?

Santorin: When I saw the group originally, I thought that it was definitely one of the easiest groups to get out of but at the same time it could be the hardest group to get a win in. I feel like every single team, though I wouldn’t say they’re on even footing, is really good. We don’t have a clear favorite like a Damwon or EDG in there so it seems really open and anyone can take it.

I wouldn’t be surprised if MAD Lions start winning a lot after today. In group D, it just kind of depends on who shows up on the day.

This is your second straight Worlds appearance. Of course you’re with an entirely new team, but is there anything else that is different this time around?

Santorin: I mean, the biggest setback for me are the health issues I’ve been facing this year. That has been hard on me, but being back and Europe and having players like this around me has been really helpful. Whenever we were back in America and playing the finals, solo queue made me feel really off so that has helped me a lot.

Besides that, we’re back at Worlds. It still sucks that there are no fans. That’s the biggest thing that has bummed me out. I didn’t make it to Worlds for so long and all I wanted to do was get back and play for the fans.

This iteration of Team Liquid had a pretty trying regular season. What does it mean to the team to get to Worlds and find this first win?

Santorin: The morale has been really good on the team. We went through so many hard times that it just made us grow closer together. We are all really comfortable and fine with calling each other out. I think that level of comfort with each other has made us much better.

Going into the game now, Team Liquid traded well every time MAD Lions went toplane. Were you guys expecting them to focus on the topside or did you just respond well to situations?

Santorin: After the draft we knew it was going to be a topside focused game. They always tend to pick a sidelane to hover around and since the toplane seemed more volatile we were predicting this. We weren’t expecting a Jax pick though, so that was a pretty good idea from them. Alphari always plays very well in these types of matchups though, so we weren’t worried.

MAD Lions managed to close the gap somewhat in the midgame after some favorable team fights. Can you talk me through some of these decisive team fights that you largely led?

Santorin: I think every single fight we took should have been a victory. I think that we lost from some really small, silly errors. I feel like a lot of the time the way that MAD Lions were engaging was them overstepping and waiting for us to make a mistake. Their initial engagements showed that they were very desperate, but I respect that they kept going.

The last fight felt like an overextension that suddenly turned into a game-winning fight. Can you tell me a bit about the last few minutes of this game?

Santorin: Yeah, so they got the initial poke and stuns onto CoreJJ, but then Jax overextended. If I were in their shoes, I would have just pushed up and taken the trade, but even after we chased them they decided to contest it.

This game felt very roam heavy from everyone, but as a jungler does it help to have a support like CoreJJ who is so willing and adept at roaming?

Santorin: I love playing with CoreJJ, I’ll always admit to that. He is one of the best supports in the world. There’s really not much to say about him that hasn’t already been said. He has a great mindset and perception of the game.

Has CoreJJ said anything about facing off against his former team and organization which he won the World Championship with?

Santorin: Yeah, he’s definitely talked about it, like it’s the matchup he is really excited to play and wants to win. I get it, it’s like whenever I play against TSM I really want to beat them given my history on the team. We’re going to try and do everything we can as his team mates to make sure that he can beat his old team.

Before your game today, your other two group mates LNG and Gen.G had their first matches. Did you catch this game, and if so do you have any thoughts on your other opponents?

Santorin: Yeah, we watched it together. Gen.G just snowballed out of control. Bdd specifically really had Icon’s number. After he got ahead the game already seemed kind of over. It gave us a lot to think about before we face off against either team.

You guys are still in the early stages of Worlds, but after today’s first win are you any more confident that Team Liquid can escape groups?

Santorin: Yeah, I mean this was definitely the first step in the right direction. I mean, we secured the first win for North America, so at least we won’t end 0-6 like TSM did last year. But like I said, this feels like a very winnable group and we’re just going to take it one game at a time.

Thanks again, Santorin, and good luck in the group stage!

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