MDK Supa: "There's always at least one Western team in quarters, we’ll be that team"
The Spanish team opens Worlds 2024 with a victory in the Play-In Stage. An exclusive interview with Supa after the match.
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David "Supa" Garcia at Worlds 2024, playing for MAD Lions KOI
"I really want to win. I'm always focused on winning, even though I know it will be hard. My goal is to improve, but winning is my priority."
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Having defeated the 2nd seed representatives of Vietnam, Supa and MAD Lions KOI are now preparing for a formidable opponent in PSG Talon. With hope in their eyes, the European representatives continue their Worlds 2024 journey. Following the victory, the Spanish AD Carry gives an exclusive interview to discuss his goals, expectations, and the team's improvements since the LEC 2024 Season Finals.
You just secured a 2-0 victory against Vikings Esports on the first day of League of Legends Worlds 2024 Play-Ins. How are you feeling after the win?
David "Supa" Garcia : I’m pretty happy because, in the end, this will always be my first match at Worlds. It feels so nice to start with a win. I think I’ll have good memories from this moment, so I’m happy.
Vikings Esports gave you a tough time in game one. Were you surprised by their level? Did you feel confident throughout the match?
Supa: I think we were the better team overall, especially in team fighting and map movement. But they really surprised me. They weren't afraid of making mistakes, but even when they took Nashor or got a lead, I think they could have done more. Still, they impressed me by playing without fear, even when people expected them to lose. I really respect them for that.
Your game today seemed more controlled compared to previous ones, but Myrwn had a bit of a "fun" series. There was somewhat of a top gap, what happened there?
Supa: [Laughing]Myrwn loves to skill check a lot, so we let him play those 1v3 or 1v2 situations to have some fun. He was like the kid of the team today—if he outplays, he's the happiest, and if he misplays, he just says, "Ah... it’s fine guys." I think he enjoyed today's match a lot, but he definitely needs to improve from here. I believe Bwipo will help him with that.
How do you feel about facing South Korean and Chinese ADCs at Worlds? Do you feel ready to take them on?
Supa: Unfortunately, Korean and Chinese teams haven’t arrived to scrim yet. I’m really hyped to scrim them, play Solo Queue, Champions Queue—everything. And hopefully, I’ll face them in an official match too. I don't have a definite answer yet because I haven't played against them, but I'm super hyped. As I said before, it’s a completely different level compared to what we have in Europe.
You’ll be facing PSG Talon next, and many see them as a strong team that could beat you. What are your thoughts on PSG? Have you scouted them?
Supa: My staff and probably some of my teammates have scouted them. I didn’t because I prefer to focus day by day, match to match, and I was really focused on what Shogun and the enemy team would do. I’ll start scouting them now. I think they are a strong team and could compete to win in our league as well. It’ll be an insane match. When the teams are tougher, MDK steps up and plays much better, so I think it’ll be great for the fans and everything.
You seem confident about making it to the main event, right?
Supa: Yeah, I think PSG, MDK, and I hope Movistar Rainbow7 because they are super nice guys, along with 100 Thieves, are the four teams that will go to the main stage.
With the recent changes in patch 14.18, how do you feel about the new meta? Are you confident with the new picks?
Supa: I think the Worlds meta is super similar to the meta of Season Finals. They just added Jinx and nerfed a few picks. We need to adapt from the G2 series when they did a lot of swaps and beat us. Today, we were the team swapping, so we’re taking revenge. I’m pretty happy with the meta because you can play kind of everything. We saw Ezreal and Jinx today, and I really love those champions, so I’m pretty confident with this meta.
Before Worlds, you had a bootcamp and were known for having mid-game issues. What have you worked on in the past few weeks to improve and show your best at Worlds?
Supa: Before the season finals, and even during, we were really good at team fighting. I think we’re the best team in Europe when it comes to that. But we were missing a lot when it came to swaps and managing mid-game waves. We worked a lot on those areas. It’s something China and Korea do very well, and you can see it in their games, so you have to learn from that. G2 started doing it a bit, and that was enough to beat us. So we’ve put in a lot of work on that.
The Worlds song features rookie ADC Massu from FlyQuest, who had a similar story as you did. Do you hope to be featured in something like that next year? Is it a goal for you to reach this level of recognition?
Supa: I hope so. It would be a pleasure for me. I know I need to do really well at Worlds, so it's my time to fight for that spot.
Are you confident you'll be at the top level as an ADC in Europe by next year?
Supa: I think I'm at a really good level, and this is the perfect experience to improve against the best ADCs in the world. Even in the middle of the tournament, if I adapt and the team adapts well and learns a lot, maybe we have a chance. If not, I'm sure next year we will have the chance to beat them.
How does it feel to play the Worlds Swiss Stage and Play-Ins in Berlin, where you've played all year? Does it lack something special, or are you still happy to be playing at Worlds?
Supa: When you come here, you obviously have the motivation of playing Worlds. You see a lot of hype videos, and it’s still motivating. But it's true that you play in the same location, so it kind of feels like an LEC match. The experience of being in the hotel and playing against different teams every day in scrims is the same. I don't feel like I'm at home; it's pretty similar than if we went outside of Europe.
As a rookie, how are you feeling going into Worlds? Are you experiencing any stress from expectations, or do you feel calm?
Supa: By default, I'm a person that tries to overthink a lot. But since I learned a lot this year and from our Fnatic match that we lost 2-3, I’ve learned how to understand myself and do whatever I need. I'm not going to lie, when I got on stage, I was super calm. That didn’t happen in my whole career, and now I’m enjoying playing so much. I'm really hyped about Worlds and playing best of three; that is my favorite part when you're not in a best of one. So I'm really happy.
You've mentioned confidence in making it to the main stage, but what is your personal goal for this event? Do you share Fresskowy's mindset of focusing on learning, or do you have different aspirations?
Supa: Everyone in the team, as a team, we put the goal to just learn as much as possible because if we learn here, next year we will have a chance for sure. It depends on us. It's true that we need to improve a lot, and you never know if you will adapt well or how it will feel when you lose. For me, I really want to win. You know, I'm always thinking about winning, but I know it will be hard. So I will have my goal to improve, but I want to win no matter what. And if it's like a kind of dream, if we have the level to fight face to face with the Korean teams and do something in Worlds, I will be the happiest person.
How special would it be for you to make it to Paris or London?
Supa: I really want to go to Paris no matter what. I believe we can do it because there’s always at least one Western team in the quarterfinals, and I think we’ll be that team.
It's a bit sad there's no stops in Spain though. Maybe next year!
Supa: I hope so.
Do you have any final thoughts for MDK fans and your Spanish supporters?
Supa: Thank you very much for cheering for us. I hope you enjoyed our win today. We had a lot of fiesta, a lot of good League of Legends, and a lot of bad League of Legends, so our fans will be really happy. This is MAD Lions KOI, and I hope you cheer for us in the PSG or paiN Gaming match next.
Armand Luque is an interviewer and journalist with deep roots in the EMEA League of Legends scene. A veteran of the esports world, they hail from France and are best known for their work on Leaguepedi...
