Dignitas, the perennial underdog of NA
LoL, has had a unique year. In-game, their struggles have continued, but out of game, much focus has newly centered around the team’s roster. In particular, jungler
Jade “Sheiden” Libut has found himself repeatedly thrust into the spotlight. After a
behavioral apology in Split 1, Sheiden’s Split 2 was marked by a
blunt interview with LTA Caster Isaac “Azael” Cummings, which went viral for showcasing his unique personality.
Now, Split 3 has begun, and Dignitas is once again in a difficult position, having just finished the LTA North’s first stage 0-3, following their close Sunday loss to Disguised. Right after their series finished, Sheep Esports spoke to Sheiden in an exclusive interview to get the jungler’s take on the loss, DIG’s roster change in the toplane, his own reputation, and more.
In Game 2, you dominated on Olaf, grabbing first blood with the pick, and snowballing to a quick victory. This is your second clutch Olaf win on Dignitas this year. What can you tell us about the choice to play Olaf?
Jade “Sheiden” Libut: “I think it was just very good into their comp. But to be honest, it wasn’t my idea. It was their [the coaches’] idea again, once again, like the last time. I didn’t even think about the champ, to be honest. They just told me to pick it.”
Disguised picked up their first series win of the year. What do you think allowed them to swing the game 3 in their favor?
Sheiden: We were just playing poorly, and we didn’t know how to start fights, or see angles to fight. And eventually, we just lost and gave them everything. So it’s kind of hard to play. I think we’re just playing too scared.
Since Dignitas re-entered the league in 2020, the team has never finished higher than fifth. What’s your plan to finally make DIG good this split?
Sheiden: We just have to play better next week. I think we’re just playing poorly right now, and we just need to improve for playoffs to not end fifth place again.
In the offseason, when Jett Michael “Srtty” Joye’s benching was announced, many were really surprised. Can you give any context as to his departure?
Sheiden: They’re both good players, but it didn’t seem like it was working with Srtty, I guess. And we thought we needed the change, so I think that’s what happened.
Last split, your interview with Azael went viral. But in the end, that interview got a lot more attention than any other NA LoL interview in a long time. What did you think of that situation, getting all that focus?
Sheiden: It was pretty funny. I was just reading all the comments on the video, and was kind of joking about it. I didn’t really care. I thought it was funny. I just suck at answering stuff, I guess.
Over the last few years, you’ve become known as a top soloqueue player on picks like Graves and Kindred. Do you think the pure carry style has a chance of coming back soon?
Sheiden: I hope so. I think those champs are just not very good right now, because Sunderer champs are just OP right now. I hope it changes in the future, since I kind of like playing those champs a lot.
[Note: The item Divine Sunderer was removed from the game nearly two years ago, but Sheiden is likely referring to the kind of bruiser junglers that used to build it, like Wukong, Vi, and Trundle, all picked in the DIG vs. DSG series]
You’ve been banned from competitive play over behavior a few times before, and this year, you had to apologize for chat comments on behalf of Dignitas. Are you reformed?
Sheiden: I would say so. I haven’t typed in nine months once. So that’s reformed, I guess?
Header Image Credit: Photo by Robert Paul/Riot Games
