Tiky: "Caps is still the GOAT of Europe. It has to be acknowledged, it must be respected"

Dylan "Tiky" Sorrentino at the Red Bull League Of Its Own 2024

“Age doesn't mean anything, when you're passionate, work hard and have goals, anything is possible”

Having defeated Caps in a 1v1 during the League of Legends Red Bull League of Its Own event, Dylan "Tiky" Sorrentino sits down with Sheep Esports to give a quick recap of his 2024 year and discuss his future as a professional player and content creator in an exclusive interview.

Today, you participated in the Red Bull League of Its Own and beat Caps, the European GOAT. How do you feel after this victory?

Dylan "Tiky" Sorrentino: "I feel good, a lot less tense. I won’t lie, before the 1v1, I was kind of expecting to lose. But I was actually in a better position: I had everything to gain, and he had everything to lose, even though it was just for fun and a showmatch.

In your Twitter video, you mentioned that Caps was 'mid'. Are you a little disappointed that you didn’t face Faker? Do you think they underestimated you?

Tiky: Faker, Chovy, Zeka, players like that, that would’ve been something else. But Caps is still the GOAT of Europe. That’s something you have to acknowledge and respect. Beating him is already a big deal.

You were quite successful in the Nexus Tour with Nameless this year, however, we heard that the team would not continue in the LFL Division 2. How is everything looking for you next year? Do you have any expectations for the future?

Tiky: So, we finished the split, we won the Open Tour, we played the promotion tournament against a Division 2 team, and we won that too. So, we potentially had the slot to play in Division 2 next year.

But, well, some were motivated, others less so, and it kind of dragged on. And after dragging too much, unfortunately, the slot slipped away, it got bought out, and all that. So for next year, I’m not sure. Honestly, I wouldn’t feel like going through another Open Tour year, but we’ll see. Never say never.

Tiky during his 1v1 against Caps. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren / Red Bull Content Pool

You’re 29 years old, but this year has been really good for you, especially with the Nexus Tour. Do you still think it’s possible to start a pro career despite the stigma around age?

Tiky: Yeah, age and all that... For me, it means nothing. When you’re passionate, when you work hard and you have goals, it’s still possible. Look at Faker, he’s 28 and just won Worlds again. Sure, he’s the GOAT of the game, but it proves that when you’re passionate and tryhard, age doesn’t mean anything. Well, up to a certain limit, of course.

My problem is I should’ve gotten more involved on the pro side earlier on. I should’ve taken a coach, tried to join a team, improved, and all that. But in the end, I just played solo queue with blinders on, like racehorses. I didn’t really focus on the pro scene.

Nisqy mentioned you in June. He said you’re a good player, but you need to improve your mindset and champion pool. He even suggested you should stick to Minecraft or other games. Do you have a response to that?

Tiky: Well, first of all, I don’t agree about the champion pool because, honestly, I play everything—let’s be real. And as for Minecraft, if we look at the current situation, it’s actually Nisqy who’s playing Minecraft. So yeah!

You mentioned on stream that if you didn’t hit Challenger, you’d have to do an ARAM rush of 100 games. You’re Master 260 LP, so when is the rush happening?

Tiky: I haven’t played much these past few days... The thing is, people think a marathon means 24 hours non-stop. I think 24 hours of ARAM is impossible, I can’t do that many ARAMs in a row. But I’ll do a little ARAM night where I’ll play with viewers, or even set up some customs between me and them. We'll see, I’ll organize that.

You’re known for your Gwen cosplay. When’s the next one coming?

Tiky: Yeah, the Gwen cosplay went really well, we had a good laugh that night. Plus, it was Halloween, I played a horror game and all. Well, I just won on Yone. Why not, for fun, do a little Yone cosplay? I just need to muscle up a bit. Maybe with a sub-goal or channel points, like I did with Gwen. One guy paid me 8 million points. He told me he’d been saving up for 6-7 months and spent it all on the Gwen cosplay...

Thanks for the interview, and congrats again on your victory against Caps. Tiky, the new European GOAT!

Tiky: That's true, the GOAT without a team."

Header Photo Credit: Stephanie Lindgren / Red Bull Content Pool