Natus Vincere received a tough welcome to the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) on Saturday, as Karmine Corp made an example of them, demonstrating the power of the Blue Wall. With a very short group stage and only three matches remaining, the new squad must learn quickly and use their time wisely if they hope to advance to the next stage. In an exclusive interview, rookie jungler Francisco "Thayger" Mazo Sánchez sits down with Sheep Esports to discuss his LEC debut, his situation with Rhilech, and his goals for the league.

Today was your LEC debut, though it ended in a tough 0-2 loss against KC. What do you think you'll take away from this match, what could have been done differently, and what was the mindset going in?

Francisco "Thayger" Mazo Sánchez: "We’ll definitely take a lot of lessons from this loss. It’s our first one with this roster—we’re still a rather new squad. There’s a lot of things we need to learn. We’re very far from the level of the LEC’s top teams. We will really need to step up a lot if we want to show a better face in our next match. We cannot compete if we play at this level; it’s a pretty hard group. Personally, in this match, I feel like I could have tried more things, played a little more unpredictably. If we play normally into Karmine Corp, we’ll just get destroyed. The games were pretty hard.

What’s the team's main goal for the split? How do you feel about the expectations fans have for you?

Thayger: I understand why most people see us as ending 9th or 10th. We’re a new team, we have a roleswapped support, and I’m a rookie jungler coming in, so I can see why they have these expectations. Still, I’ve seen what this team can do. I’ve played against most of the LEC teams in scrims, and we’ve taken games off all of them. I’m pretty confident—I think we can beat any team here. We need to bring that same energy to the stage. We can definitely make it to playoffs, even if we got stomped 0-2 against Karmine Corp today. It’s just one match; we need to focus on the next one now.

Given the short group stage with only three matches left, which team do you see as the most crucial to beat to secure a playoff spot?

Thayger: From what I’ve seen so far, Team Vitality would be the ones. They are the more beatable out of the bunch. We need to win against them, for sure. Still, of course, we will try to beat any and all opponents we face, but Vitality would be my pick if I have to designate the weaker team of our group.

With the LEC format giving you a two-week break before your next match, how do you plan to use that time? Do you think the break will be beneficial for your new roster to catch up?

Thayger: It’ll for sure help us. Having those two weeks to reflect and fix our mistakes will be really useful. As you said, this format is really short. We have four matches, and if we lose them, we’re out for the rest of the year. We’re making a lot of mistakes, especially today against Karmine Corp. We have a lot to work on.

When you signed with Natus Vincere, did you already know Enes "Rhilech" Uçan was expected to start next year? How has this situation impacted you?

Thayger: I wasn’t told about the Rhilech situation when I signed with NAVI. As far as I know, he’ll be taking my spot next year regardless, so it’s a bit of a weird situation to be in now. Still, I’m going to seize this chance to prove that I have the level to be here, to play in the LEC. I’m confident that I’ll have a spot of my own in the LEC next year. It’s a good chance to show what I’m capable of, and I don’t regret taking the offer, even if I didn’t know about the Rhilech situation.

As a new player in the LEC, what are your long-term goals and where do you see yourself in one or two years?

Thayger: I fully expect to be in the LEC next year, and I will work hard to make it happen. I want to be the best jungler here. I’m part of a new generation, and I’m working as hard as I can to prove that I have what it takes to be the next best jungler in Europe. That’s my current goal, and after that, well, I also want to compete against Eastern teams and win Worlds, which is everyone’s final goal, right?

Are there players from your former Barça eSports roster who you believe deserve a chance in the LEC in the future?

Thayger: Some of them could definitely reach the LEC. I’ve worked with them for a year and I know they have the potential. There are some things they need to improve, but they should be given a shot at least. Some LEC teams have very weird scouting sometimes, and they don’t give chances to some really promising players. All of that Barça roster deserves at minimum tryouts.

Do you feel stressed about the pressure to succeed, knowing that many rookies only get one shot at the LEC and don’t get a second chance? Is this something you've thought about?

Thayger: It’s definitely a possibility. I know it’s something that can happen—getting one shot, not being able to make it work for one reason or another, and then never getting that shot again. Still, as I said, I am confident that I’ll be in the LEC next year no matter what. I’m taking this chance to learn as much as I can and get that experience of competing against the best teams in Europe. I’m really enjoying the process so far, and I’m really happy with the day-to-day experience of scrims and everything. This is my dream at the end of the day.

How is the overall mood in NAVI, considering the recent struggles as Rogue and the new roster additions? Is the atmosphere positive?

Thayger: This loss against KC won’t mentally break us or anything. We knew that it could happen; it was likely. We’ll learn from it. It’s been a few weeks together now, and I feel like the mood in the team is not bad—it’s pretty good. Everyone in the team is motivated to make it to playoffs. Everyone here believes we can make it. We know what we have in our arsenal and how we’ve played in scrims. We know our ceiling and what we can show as a team. We only need to bring that to officials and prove it to everyone.

Do you have any final words?

Thayger: I’m sorry for this performance we showed. Getting stomped twice like that was pretty embarrassing. We know Karmine Corp is a really strong team, but we could have done much better. You can expect more from us in our next match."