BDS Adam: "Losing [against G2] will help us improve even more."

Despite taking a loss in the playoffs against G2 Esports, Team BDS and Adam are more determined than ever to upset the odds and conquer their demons in the upcoming LEC Finals.

🇬🇧English

Adam "Adam" Maanane, competing for Team BDS in the 2024 LEC Spring Playoffs.

"I could even say that we were better than G2 today."

While Team BDS fell against G2 Esports in the LEC 2024 Spring Playoffs Upper Bracket, Adam and his team seem more convinced than ever that they will be ready to rematch against and take down their nemesis next week. In this exclusive interview, the top laner delves into what happened in last week's best-of-five and discusses his hopes for the future.

| Unfortunately, BDS just fell to the lower bracket after losing to G2 1-3. Adam, what are your immediate thoughts after this match?

Adam: "I'm really happy with our performance today. We showed up really strong, able to go face-to-face against G2. I could even say that we were better than G2 today. Even though the results in the end didn't show it, I think we were overall a better team today. Their preparation surprised us a little bit because we did not really expect this style of play from them."

"However, without that edge they had, I believe we would have won if we had played normal games. It's also good to see that they're able to beat us by playing these weird strategies because it requires a lot of preparation and courage to pull off, so props to G2."

"The fact that we lost today will make us improve even more, which is promising because we're really close to winning this Best of 5. Overall, I'm just glad about the performance we had, even though we lost. I think that our future odds are looking good."

| It definitely felt like you guys had game 1 in the bag for some time. Something that piqued my curiosity was your response to G2's level 1 though; could you clarify if you had predicted their movements or if the early fight was more due to some luck on your part?

Adam: "No, it was more of an adaptation because we knew that a meta of lane swapping existed from watching LPL games. In the first game, since they picked Sion, we anticipated what was about to happen, but our reaction was based on instinct. As for games 3 and 4, the early game was a bit rough, but it's fine."

| We don't talk about game 3; we'll call it the incident...

Adam: "It didn't exist, yeah."

| It would probably have been a remake in scrims.

Adam: "Yeah, it would."

| Do you expect to rematch against G2 in the finals next week?

Adam: "Yeah, I truly believe we will. This is what we play for, right? I have immense confidence in our chances of winning the entire split."

"So naturally, we'll get back to work as fast as possible and come back even stronger for our rematch against G2. Whoever faces us between Fnatic and Vitality, I believe we'll crush them."

| Do you believe that BDS in its current form has what it takes to face off against international teams at MSI?

Adam: "Well, realistically speaking, if there are currently two teams that can face up against Asian teams, it would be G2 and us, right? We'll have to see because we can't really tell the differences between us and these teams before playing against them at MSI."

"Our main goal right now is to keep improving because we don't believe we've reached our peak yet. We still have so much to learn and work on, and so much to review as well... But overall, yeah, we have really good odds."

| We've mostly known you for playing the G.O.D.S before (Garen, Olaf, Darius, Sett) but, this split, we've seen you play a wider variety of champions like Gragas, Rumble, and even Twisted Fate. Has improving your champion pool been a focus in your practices recently?

Adam: "Of course, yeah. My main goal was to expand my champion pool. I've put in a lot of work; I've played many champions that I wasn't really using in the past. Being able to showcase them against G2 at this level makes me really proud. However, I still have a lot to work on individually as a player. I believe I can be even better than I am now."

| How do you see yourself compared to other tops in the LEC currently? Do you see yourself as the best or, do you believe that players like BrokenBlade for example could still be above you?

Adam: "I've always believed that BrokenBlade and I, since 2023 actually, have consistently been the best-performing top laners in the league. There's also Photon, who is a really strong player individually though. I've always spoken highly of him because he's truly exceptional as a player. If you really want my opinion, I think BrokenBlade, Photon, and I have probably been the best-performing top laners in Europe for quite a while now. As for the rest, I would say it's a bit whatever."

| How does the team atmosphere feel right now? We saw that despite having a terrible game 3, the team still seemed light-hearted to some extent and able to re-focus for the last game, despite the loss. Do you believe the overall climate in the team is better now?

Adam: "Yeah, I mean, probably our biggest weakness from the beginning of the year was our mental state when things were going wrong. Right now, I believe we've reached a point where the entire team, including the coaching staff and the entire BDS organization, makes us feel safe and confident. You know, everything around us enables us to perform as we are right now."

"So, I don't really have anything negative to say, to be honest, about anyone or anything in the organization. The team atmosphere is good, everyone enjoys each other's company, and everyone enjoys playing together, right? There's nothing really to complain about."

| Do you have any message for the fans of BDS and your own supporters?

Adam: "Hello and thanks to everyone who supports either me or Team BDS. We'd like to express our gratitude because your support means a lot to us, and we're working really hard to achieve our goals. Right now, our aim is to win the split and qualify for MSI. We hope to make you proud and show a strong performance at MSI."

Header Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games