MKOI 13: “I’d have more visibility in the LFL, but I’d rather be in MKOI, where I know how much I can improve.”

are off to a strong start in the 2026 Spring Split of the Liga Española de League of Legends (LES), sitting at 2–0 after a hard-fought win against Barça Esports. After a disappointing EMEA Masters run, the team appears to have regained form, showing steady improvement week by week and positioning themselves as one of the favorites to take the title.

In an interview, AD carry Zayan “13” Taeau reflects on the team’s struggles transitioning to online play, their current level heading into upcoming matches, and his personal ambitions of reaching the LEC. He also shares his thoughts on the level of ADCs in EMEA, the benefits of playing under , and his long-term goals within the competitive scene.

Zayan “13” Taeau: “From the EMEA Masters run, the main thing I learned—and we learned as a team—was about working from home. The main difference between Kickoff and EMEA Masters was that during Kickoff we were all in Madrid, playing offline together from the start of the year. Then we moved out and started playing online.

That was the biggest difference in our way of working, and even in our level. That’s why our performance, both individually and as a team, dropped that much.

Now we’re doing much better working online individually. I think we’ve come back to our best level, like the level we had when we won Kickoff, maybe even better now. So that’s the main thing we learned from EMEA.

And of course, it was really good to play against better teams. I don’t think the LES teams are that good compared to EMEA Masters teams. When I go to EMEA, most likely want to compare myself to top LFL teams and top European teams, so it was good to be able to play against them.

13: For the upcoming match against LUA, I feel really confident. Our level, our way of working, and what we’re showing right now is way better than before the series against Barça.

I think at that time we weren’t yet in a good spot, we were still trying to figure things out: playing online, our way of working, everything. But now I think we’re in really good shape. We’re working well, every scrim is really productive, and we can see ourselves improving day by day. I think it will be an easy game tomorrow.

13: I think we are definitely favorites—big favorites—to win the Spring Split. I think tomorrow we should win, and I think we should have a relatively easy path to playoffs during the regular split.

So yeah, I definitely think we are able to win this split, and we should win it if we keep doing what’s working for us.

Actually, for me, it’s UCAM Esports. For Team Heretics, I don’t know their jungle situation yet, and it can change a lot. Also, changing jungle in the middle of the split isn’t usually good for performance. They also changed top from last split, I’m not sure if that’s an upgrade or downgrade, but in terms of playstyle, I think Team Heretics isn’t a team that scares me much, considering our strengths and weaknesses. I think we struggle more against a team like UCAM Esports. You can see that from Kickoff, they were the only team we lost to. And on the last day against Team Heretics, we 2–0’d them. Barça could be a contender as well.

13: I think what makes us a strong team—and strong individuals with a chance to reach the LEC—is our work ethic and everything we do every day to improve as professional players and as people.

Right now, I don’t think anyone, if you look at it today, has the level to compete in the LEC and actually do well. When I say “compete,” I mean not just being there, but performing well and not being on a bottom team.

But I think by the end of the year, if we keep working the way we are now, I’ll definitely have a chance to get LEC tryouts. That’s my main goal for this year: to reach the LEC next year.

13: The level of ADCs in EMEA is for sure really stacked. Like you said, it’s one of the most competitive roles.

But I don’t see myself that far from the best ADCs. I still have things to improve, but I’m not that far. I don’t know exactly where I would rank myself because I don’t have all the names in mind.

But players like HARP00N (Franciszek Gryszkiewicz) or Hype (Byeon Jeong-hyeon) are really strong. I don’t think that Aetinoth (Berat Tıknazoğlu), who just won EMEA Masters, is that strong individually, but I think players like HARP00N or Hype are better.

13: I think for sure, yes. If I were playing in the LFL, especially on a good team, I would probably have more visibility myself as a French player.

But I don’t really mind visibility. First off, I’m really grateful to have the chance to play in Movistar KOI, especially in the LEC Academy environment. It’s a great opportunity for us as players.

I’d much rather be in a team where I know how much I can improve and understand the opportunity I have, rather than being in an LFL team just for visibility without knowing how much I’ll improve. So I definitely prefer playing here in Spain with Movistar KOI over any other team in Europe.

13: The best thing about the club is that they give you everything you need to be in good conditions to perform and develop. They are very helpful and understanding. We also have a great staff—managers, coaching staff, and psychologists—who put a lot of work into our growth.

We’re also very close to the LEC roster, so we can learn from them, take ideas, and improve our way of working thanks to them.

13: There’s nothing special behind it. In solo queue, my name included my birthday: 13/08/06. When I started playing competitively with friends, everyone called me “13” because it was the first number in my name.

I didn’t know what nickname to choose, so I just went with that. It felt natural because everyone was already calling me that way.

13: It’s pretty funny. Every time we play against each other, we joke about it in chat. Our teammates always ask if I’m his little brother and things like that. It’s funny to share the same nickname, even though he wasn’t an inspiration for mine, like some people think.

13: To be honest, I think it’s clear that I have no chance of being on the French roster this year. I’d like to be a contender for the spot next year, although even then it might be difficult if I’ve only just reached the LEC.

But I hope that in the coming years I’ll have the level to be a contender and represent my country. Right now, though, it’s not possible.

13: I’m really grateful to be playing for KOI and have this community. It really helps to feel that people support you, that you have a purpose when playing.

You’re not just playing games; you have people believing in you, and that feels really good. It helps a lot with the pressure we put on ourselves.

It’s a big motivation for us to keep believing in ourselves and keep working hard to make the people who support us proud.”