Coming off a 2-1 finish in the 2024 LEC Winter Split Week 1, Razork took some time to talk with Armand about the team's entrance into the league. While Fnatic seems to be one of the most dominant rosters in the league, they fell short against SK Gaming on Monday, 15th of January. In this exclusive interview, Razork ponders upon his goals and reflections after his first three official matches.
Razork, competing at the 2023 World Championship.
| How are you feeling after facing-off against SK Gaming?
Razork: “I don't feel the best right now, but I don't feel too bad. I think we had a decent week. I would have loved to be ending the week on a 3-0, but it is what it is, today we didn't play too good and SK played well.”
| ISMA is maybe one of the biggest surprises of this split. What are your thoughts after facing him?
Razork: “I didn't expect him to play like this right from the start of the split. I felt like he, coming in as a rookie, would have been a bit more afraid to make plays, but overall, I think he has been very decisive. ISMA has been making plays and really on point mechanically, and I think his debut was very nice. I mean, I'm happy for him, but I hope to beat them next time.”
| What would you attribute your loss against SK Gaming to?
Razork: “I think they had a really solid early game. They dove top, Oscarinin was put behind in a match-up that's very snowbally, and I think the Jax pick was very strong there. SK transitioned their lead from top to other parts of the map, and then in team fights they just were better today. So, yeah, I think we didn't play too good today while they did.”
| How do you feel with the team overall? Has the atmosphere been good these past few weeks?
Razork: “Yeah, the atmosphere in the team has been very good, I love my team and I think this is just the beginning. We'll still need to learn and improve a lot during the year though. The season is very long, there are three splits, this one is maybe not the most important one though. Of course, I would like to win and be the best, but we are focused more on making sure that we get to our peak level as soon as possible and maintain that level for the rest of the year.”
| It would be safe to say that you are one of the best players in Europe to have never won a title in the LEC. Do you think that this year is going to be different? Are you hungry to earn your first title?
Razork: “Yeah, I hope that this will be the year. I would like to win the season finals in summer, but one split would be nice too. As you said, I never won LEC and, even if I was very close last year, I feel like every year I'm getting closer and closer.”
Razork, interviewed in the LEC studio.
| What do you think of the rise of rivalries between Spanish and French audiences? Have you been liking the hype around the LEC?
Razork: “I think that the LEC is mega hype this year honestly. I felt more nervous for the MDK vs KCorp game than for ours [laughs]. I hope that the split keeps being like this, because if it's this hype right now, I don't know what's going to be in like playoffs, season finals... If these big teams are there, I think it's going to be really, really crazy.”
| Are you a believer of the MAD KOI roster?
Razork: “Not if they play against us [laughs]. Against any other team, I would probably say yes though.”
| Where would you rank yourself in the league? Do you see yourself as one of the bests? Who are you trying to beat?
Razork: “I often get this question. Right now, as a jungler, it's so hard to be like 'oh this one is the clear top one'. I consider myself to be in the top three-four right now, but I think this list can shift very quickly depending on every week, taking into account the meta or if someone has a bad day.“
“For example, I got surprised by ISMA today. I think he played very well this week, but maybe next week he'll be a bit weaker. Who knows, right? It's a very subjective matter.“
“I don't consider myself as the best jungler at the moment, but for sure one of the best.“
| What can we expect for next week's games? Are you confident?
Razork: “I'm not sure who we will play against. I know about BDS and GX but don't remember the third. I think it could be another 2-1 week or 3-0 if we play it well.“
| You are facing Team BDS, GIANTX and Rogue.
Razork: “Yeah, I think it could be 3-0 week. if we keep the level of our first two matches and not this one [against SK].“
| Earlier I interviewed [RGE] Markoon, and I asked him about the jungle champion pool. He told me that he thought the meta was very limited and didn't allow much room for experimentation. Do you agree with this statement? Do you think there's still some junglers we haven't seen?
Razork: “Let's see what the LPL and LCK does first. There are some items that they are really overpowered and champions that abuse those at the moment. We didn't play on the hotfixed patch this week either, let's see how next week is gonna go. I think the meta will shift with the hotfix personally. I'm pretty sure we will see more champions.“
| On a scale of 1 to 10, how fun is it to drive the Rift Herald?
Razork: “It's probably a solid 6 out of 10, I don't think it's too fun. It's kinda slow at the moment, if you were going faster like Sion when you accelerate, maybe more, but I think 6 for now [laughs].“
What's next?
With a strong start to the split, Fnatic is now aiming to continue their strong ongoing performances as they enter Week 2 of the LEC on January 20th. With BDS, GX, and RGE in their way, the team aims to assert itself as a contender for the league's championship and hopes to sweep the competition.
Week 2 FNC LEC Schedule:
- Saturday 20th, 20:00 CET - FNC vs BDS
- Sunday 21st, 21:00 CET - FNC vs GX
- Monday 22nd, 19:00 CET - FNC vs RGE
