La "Frappe de Seattle" has beaten the Heretics, giving Karmine Corp Blue its first EMEA Masters title as an academy team. With the offseason now in full swing, most—if not all—of the team’s talents must bid farewell to their teammates, as offers from the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the League Championship Series (LCS), and other leagues pour in for the champions of Paris Games Week. In an exclusive interview, jungler Johnny “Yukino” Dang sat down with Sheep Esports to reflect on his growth, his time at Karmine Corp, and the state of North America compared to Europe.

You were teamless at the start of the year and even thought about retiring before joining Karmine Corp. Did winning the EMEA Masters today feel cathartic, and what’s going through your mind?

Johnny “Yukino” Dang: “It's crazy that I even had thoughts about retiring, especially now after the performance I delivered this split. What can I really say? I feel like KC took a massive risk on me. My credentials before were mostly just success in solo queue, and the teams I’d been on didn’t really do well. I didn’t make it far. It’s hard to find the right words right now. I’m just really thankful they took a chance on me, and I’m really glad I was able to develop into the player I am today. It’s all thanks to our staff, my teammates, everyone in KC—the environment is insane.

How different do you think you are now compared to eight months ago?

Yukino: I feel like eight months ago, I didn’t really have a brain—I was all hands, no brain. It took me a lot of time to learn everything and build the confidence to say things like, “hey, I want this,” or “for sure, we can fight this.” I didn’t expect to have that dog in me on stage—to be confident in my gameplay and shotcall the way I did in finals. Especially after what happened last time, I was really scared I might choke. I’m glad I didn’t.

You mentioned before that you used to get really stressed and that you’ve grown a lot since then. How do you think you’ve changed outside the game?

Yukino: My routine before joining KCB was terrible. I’d just sleep whenever, wake up whenever, and spam solo queue because I was addicted. Now, I’ve been able to build a good routine. I started going to the gym, waking up a lot earlier, and thinking things like, “maybe it’s 1 a.m., maybe I should go home.” Eight months ago, I wouldn’t have cared—I’d be sleeping at 6 a.m. Mentality played a huge role in my development. I’ve started to become more of an adult instead of a kid. Going to the gym and having a good routine are probably the two biggest factors in why I’ve gotten so good.

How much impact did the Karmine Corp staff and environment have on you? Compared to your time in NACL, which wasn’t as professional, do you feel that being surrounded by people who helped your development made a big difference?

Yukino: I’ve only ever been on one team where I had to play in person, and it was 100 Thieves. I only played for one split there, but I feel like I was really immature back then, and I wasn’t really being put in check. None of the staff were helping me become the best player I could be, and my routine was awful.

I feel like KC—and Europe in general—is way more professional. If I do something wrong, they’ll tell me I’m doing wrong. If I take a shower at like 2 a.m., I’ll get flamed for it the next day. They’re really serious about professionalism, and that’s a really nice thing for me to have. I’m not really social in real life—I just play League—so I feel like this is what I was missing. This was the last piece of the puzzle for me to become the best player I can be.

Depending on how the offseason goes, would you feel at peace closing this chapter of your career today after this win?

Yukino: At peace? [Pauses] I’m happy that we won. I’m sad that it’s the last game with our roster. They helped me a lot, so… maybe that’s why I’m sad I can’t play with them more, because I feel like I can still do a lot better. They could still teach me a lot of things, but I’m happy with what they taught me. There hasn’t really been a time when I missed my teammates this much and wanted to play with them more. I’m happy for them if some of them go to LEC—I feel like they really deserve the chance. They all stepped up today.

Given your growth, would you feel ready to play in a Tier 1 league today?

Yukino: I feel like nothing can be more stressful than playing in KC. If you play badly, the fans will let you know. It already happened to me, and it was a new experience. I knew I had to step up my game because if I kept playing badly, my career was over. But it’s also a bonus—if I play well, everyone will let me know I play well. I never really think about my own gameplay; I kind of have to see what other people think about me.

Even at my third EMEA Masters, there were people who thought I was bad. I saw someone make a list like “Make your roster with €15,” and I was put at €1. No way I’m being put at €1 after what I did to Gallions in the final—I had to prove them wrong. Maybe in LFL people knew I was good, but in other ERLs, people were saying Closer (Can Çelik) is the best, 113 (Doğukan Balcı) is the best, Velja (Veljko Čamdžić) is the best—and I beat them all. I hope I can prove enough that I am him—I really am him.

How would you describe your experience in Europe? How did you handle cultural differences, and would you be open to staying in Europe in the future?

Yukino: I’d rather stay in Europe than go back to North America. If I were to ever play back in an NA team—I’m not sure if I will—there’s definitely a lot I could bring back. A lot of things about mentality are something I could bring to my team.

I have a good routine now, but things get harder when you’re not playing in the LCS, as most teams operate fully online. It’s hard to know when people are keeping a good routine—most of the time, they’re not. Also, NA solo queue is disgusting. I guess EU right now is also kind of disgusting because it’s offseason and no pros are playing, but I really like it way more in EU. Aside from that... I mean, G2 made it out of Swiss and FLY got stomped, right?

Sheep Esports: EU > NA right now, it’s facts.

Yukino: I guess so. FLY did get stomped, but I think the top LCS and top EU teams are comparable. Anything below that, I feel like EU is way better. I would recommend anyone struggling in NACL who thinks they have what it takes to give EU a shot.

A lot of people bootcamp in Korea because it’s “the best region,” but bootcamping in EU feels similar. You have way more opportunities. Scouts actually look at your solo queue and say, “Dang, this guy has potential, we should hit him up.” When I bootcamped in EU, I wasn’t even expecting offers; I just wanted to see if it was a place where I could play and see how it goes. I was watching EU solo queue from NA and didn’t think it was that different.

But in EU, there are a lot more leagues, and they care more about the game. The game is way bigger in EU, while NA is kind of dying. In terms of viewership, in NA I can get rank one and have like 10 viewers. In EU, if I get rank one as a new guy, I get instantly 500 viewers—everyone wants to know who I am. You don’t get that in NA. So yeah, if you have what it takes, I would recommend going to EU. In my experience, it worked out pretty well.

Do you have any final words for Karmine Corp fans?

Yukino: Thank you for the support, and if I’m here next year, we’ll deliver even better performances.”