SK Swiffer: "Losing sight of Worlds would be short-sighted. Not aiming for it is kind of pathetic"

Simon "Swiffer" Papamarkos, Head Coach of SK Gaming, during the LEC 2024 Summer Playoffs.

"We need to double down, be much more disciplined, and stay incredibly focused."

Down but not out, SK Gaming is now locked into the LEC 2024 Season Finals lower bracket after a tough loss to Karmine Corp. Despite the defeat, Swiffer (Simon Papamarkos) explores the reasons behind his team's recent loss in the LEC 2024 Summer Playoffs and outlines the way forward for SK Gaming in an exclusive League of Legends interview.

How do you feel after SK Gaming's loss to Karmine Corp and being eliminated from the LEC Summer playoffs?

Simon "Swiffer" Papamarkos: I think it was small things, or big things, however you want to quantify it, that let us down. Honestly, I also felt like there were very big moments in Game 3 where we were in control as well. Shit happens. I think we are a better team than what we showed. Everyone says that after a loss like this, but I do think the moments that let us down were things we could have probably practiced a lot more. So that’s on us. That’s on me.

In all three games, we had pretty good positions, but unfortunately, we messed up twice. The positive, though, is that BDS were more consistent than us, so they secured our spot in the season finals. It would have been nice to earn it ourselves, but we know we have another chance to turn this around. Hopefully, this is the wake-up call we needed.

What are your plans for the next few weeks to prevent a similar outcome in the future, given that you’ve qualified for the season finals?

Swiffer: We’ll take a moment off and really focus on honing in on specific areas that could give us an edge. We won’t explore the next patch immediately but will concentrate on refining key aspects. It was mainly small moments that let us down. In terms of overall vision, we’ll continue on the path we’re on and adjust based on today’s series. I think we just lost sight of our discipline.

It felt like a mix of overexcitement and fear of making mistakes. How do you think the team's mindset affected their performance in the series?

Swiffer: I wouldn’t say they were scared. I think they were still very confident in communication. They were more misreading the situation than being scared. I actually thought they were quite confident. The issue was more about the variables not being correct, without giving too much away.

Swiffer, on-stage during the LEC 2024 Summer Playoffs. Michal Konkol/Riot Games

Most people are quick to attribute losses to their own underperformance, but how did you feel playing against Karmine Corp, and did they surprise you with their performance?

Swiffer: I think, based on their trajectory, the last time we scrimmed them, I noticed they were on an upward trajectory. They’ve found a playstyle that works for them and have really committed to it. It suits them well. They play a very straightforward game, which isn't too complicated. They may lack in macro, but their teamfighting and execution are really good. Props to them for focusing on their strengths and addressing their weaknesses. They look better than BDS at the moment, so we’ll see how far they can go.

Do you think SK should consider adopting simpler game plans, similarly to how KC played?

Swiffer: I wouldn't say their team comps were easy to play or anything. The vision they have and the way they draft and pick is very solid. It’s not simple because it takes a lot of work to reach that point. For example, in the match they won with Jayce, Lucian, and Zeri, it’s a front-to-back composition, but it effectively uses each player’s strengths in lane. They don’t sacrifice the game just to get champions they’re comfortable with; everything fits together cohesively.

As for us, we could have simplified the draft in Game 3 a bit more, but I think we had the edge in the other two games. I wouldn’t change the first two drafts. Of course, you can always tweak things after a loss. If we hadn’t been overexcited in-game, we might be having a different conversation about how we executed our more snowbally draft. So, I try not to base the analysis solely on results. It suited us well in scrims, so sometimes things just happen.

Given that SK was expected to compete for the third World spot for EU, how will the team adjust to this setback and starting from the Season Finals' Lower Bracket?

Swiffer: We only have one chance from now on. It’ll be a whole different patch. Maybe we were trending in a way that didn’t really suit us. It happens. What we need to do is double down, be much more disciplined, and stay incredibly focused on figuring out the next patch. From my understanding, the way Riot is tweaking it might suit us quite well. It’s like a reversion to an earlier meta, which I think was better for us. Hopefully, it trends that way; if not, we’ll have to stick with our current approach. I don’t think we need to tweak too much. It’s more about making sure the players feel really good on the day and being more disciplined.

Swiffer and Nisqy, talking outside the LEC Studio after a tough loss. Credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games

Given your results, do you think you’ll need to adjust your goals and take things more slowly on a match-by-match basis, instead of directly aiming for the World Championship?

Swiffer: No, I think that would be taking it one step too far. For a team that’s aiming to achieve something, I hesitate to say it, but not keeping sight of our goal of making the top three and securing a Worlds spot would be really short-sighted. Honestly, if you’re not aiming for that, it’s kind of pathetic. So no, I wouldn’t say we need to lower our sights. We should keep the goal in mind and rise to meet it.

Before we wrap up, do you have any final comments for SK fans and your supporters?

Swiffer: Yeah, I’m sorry about the series. I know we fell short and it’s reinforcing the narrative that we perform well in the regular season but struggle in the playoffs. I’m sorry we couldn’t prove otherwise. I hope we don’t let you down again.

Header Photo Credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games