Today at Sheep Esports, we have the pleasure of talking with David "Supa" Martínez García, the marksman for MAD Lions KOI, who will tell us how was his debut in the LEC, his feelings, how the players have experienced this new challenge, and a bit about his expectations.
| Eros: Hello Supa, thank you very much for accepting the interview and we are delighted to have you here.
Supa: Hello everyone, thank you for the invitation.
| Eros: How are you coping with the new life in Berlin?
Supa: I'm coping quite well, I'm happy. I lead my normal life, I can be with my girlfriend, work well, to be honest, the cold doesn't affect me -laughs-.
| Eros: Are you satisfied with the result of these two weeks or were you expecting a slightly different start?
Supa: Honestly, I'm not satisfied. Obviously, I'm happy with some things but in terms of what we can deliver, we fell short. Against SK, we are the better team and we didn't show it, we didn't come out to play against BDS either. Against G2, we lost because they punished us for things we need to improve, but it's a defeat that doesn't feel so bad because I think we were playing better and if we had improved a couple of things by training better, we would have been better prepared. For me, it should have been a 5-1 but, oh well.
| Eros: Going a bit more towards your personal side, have you felt something different playing on stage?
Supa: I'm not going to lie, I came with fear of how I would perform on stage, it's the LEC, there's more pressure and all that, combined with the fact that throughout my career, I've "choked" a lot on stage. I've had panic attacks, suffered a lot, and lost control, and I had a little bit of that fear in the first game but I chose to adopt a new mentality and to be honest, it's going quite well for me, it's the first year that I feel confident in myself. That confidence escalates to a feeling where some days I wake up and think, "Today I'm unbeatable," so I'm enjoying the LEC a lot as if I were a newbie in his first in-person event.
| Eros: Your first game in the LEC against a rival you know very well like Heretics, anything special or just another day at work?
Supa: We've always thought we're a much better team than Heretics, despite people's opinion about them, we were very confident. It's also a nice memory because veterans are highly respected due to this narrative that they have a lot of experience and it's difficult to rise to the LEC so there's no better introduction than that game.
| Eros: Also, the reunion and comparison against Flakked, do you consider that the game serves a bit to resolve that debate of who is better between the two?
Supa: Well, people always have their own opinion, I'm not going to lie, I not only think I'm the best in Spain but I think I'm the best in Europe, and I'm confident I'll prove it and compete to be the best in the world. Arguing over a single game is pointless, the best will be the one who wins the split and demonstrates more consistency.
| Eros: Internationally, the team's debut caught a bit by surprise, how did you experience that wait and criticism until your debut?
Supa: Honestly, I don't really care, our people have supported us a lot and it's cool, and they've also have thrown hate at us, and that's cool too, honestly. I like reading tierlists and seeing how they flame us. It's not something I use as motivation, but if I'm having a bad day, I say, "This son of a b**** is not going to beat me" -laughs-. I have some tier lists saved from some ADC that will eventually come out -laughs-.
| Eros: Talking a bit about the block of players that you already know, what are some of the advantages of sticking with this long-lasting block you have?
Supa: I would say the biggest advantage is the way we work and see things. You get a block that works in a certain way with people like Elyoya who has already worked with Melzhet and we know each other. Then you add Myrwn, who is a person who adapts very well, and that gives us a great advantage. I'll also tell you that not everything is good because knowing each other and being friends can bring you bad things but well, everything has its good and bad sides.
| Eros: Since you mentioned it, I wanted to ask you a bit about Myrwn, how have you seen him and if he has surprised you in any way.
Supa: He surprised me, I thought he would have more trouble adapting because he had never worked with Melzhet and he didn't know how we see things and work. From the second day, I saw him very plugged in, I think he's the one who has surprised me the most and has given much more than I expected. As of today, I believe he can compete with any toplaner in the LEC.
| Eros: Moving a bit towards the coach's side, let's talk a bit about Melzhet, you take away the names of the teams and you still know that MDK is playing, that team that plays games to finish them in 15 minutes, do you think this is a bit of the "Melzhet DNA"?
Supa: We work together day by day and they explain LoL to us in a certain way, it's normal for all Melzhet teams to end up playing the same way, they teach us LoL in a certain way and there's no other way to see it than playing LoL well, playing as a team. Sometimes our consistency as a team fails a bit but when we play well, you can feel that "Melzhet DNA" a bit -laughs-.
| Eros: You're the only team in the LEC that has a clause for winning Worlds, if this achievement is not achieved, would you say it has been a mediocre year?
Supa: It depends on many factors and how the work goes, obviously, we put the clause because obviously, we're going for that.
| Eros: If you win Worlds and retire, with the clause, would it be enough for you to retire Supa?
Supa: No, obviously not -laughs-, I would have to win Worlds and then compete for a couple more years.
| Eros: Let's talk a bit about your duo, Álvaro, you always seek to dominate the opponent, is this a philosophy you both share or has it been difficult to develop this type of synergy with a support?
Supa: It's been difficult, I remember when I met Álvaro and Melzhet told me we were going to change the support, I laughed and I remember telling him, "I'm also thinking about Álvaro," so I liked him from the beginning. When I first met Álvaro It was love at first sight, we like to play aggressively, we always like to push beyond the limits and it's always been very natural.
| Eros: Let's talk about a specific defeat of yours, which is none other than against your former teammate, Isma, did you expect this debut from Isma?
Supa: -laughs-, Honestly, I thought he would have more difficulties to adapt based on my experience with him, but he surprised me for the better and I'm very happy for him. I think in the end, you can see the work we did at Movistar Riders because all the players we brought up are doing reasonably well. It's also a little message to other teams that when you work well, you can bring out talent from people who nobody has hopes for, because at first, nobody thought we could perform well in the EMEA.
| Eros: And you played the final, in front of more than 10,000 French fans whistling. You lose and you, personally Supa, seem quite affected, revenge and Pentakill against the player you consider to be the best marksman in Europe historically. What's the first thing that comes to your mind after the game?
Supa: -laughs-. Let me tell you a bit about how the day went, I woke up in the morning with a feeling that that day was going to be a big day, I remember telling my girlfriend. Melzhet gave me a talk worried about how I was -laughs- and I was telling him, "Melzhet today I'm gonna go crazy." He was giving me a talk about playing against Upset and all that, and I was laughing and I said, "Melzhet, it doesn't matter, I'm going to beat him" -laughs-.
| Eros: Does this close your wound from the EMEA finals, Supa, or do you need that exact same scenario against Caliste?
Supa: Well, obviously, I would like to beat KC in a playoff and send them home. Clearly, I would like it to be against Caliste and be able to show him that my hand doesn't shake playing on stage anymore -laughs-, but I would like it to be in a BO3 or a BO5. Honestly, it would mean a lot to me if KC qualifies, they come up, and we play against them in the quarters or semis.
| Eros: Speaking a bit about the playoffs, which teams do you think won't make it to the playoffs?
Supa: Honestly, I think KC and Rogue, I think they are the teams playing the worst. When it comes to Giantx, I think they are choking in officials because I have played against them in scrims and they are a much better team, I put them as a revelation team and I have been surprised that they are doing so badly.
| Eros: Quick questions before we finish, which players have surprised you for better and for worse so far?
Supa: For the better, I would say the G2 botlane, it's the first time I feel like I can't make mistakes in lane or they'll really punish me and that's a feeling I didn't have, for example, last year in Superliga, that makes me want to improve and take one more step. For the worse, I would say Rogue, I didn't expect them to play as badly as a team, I had the feeling that the players were unrecognizable.
| Eros: Any final message for the fans who support you daily or someone special?
Supa: Thank you very much for supporting us, we feel very supported by the public whether we win or lose and we will continue working to show what we're worth. Thank you very much to everyone.
