For the second consecutive week,
Disguised had to play all three games of their
League of Legends Championship Series (
LCS) series, this time against a young and hungry
FlyQuest. In contrast to their match-up against Sentinels, the batch of bakers,
unfortunately for them, fell 1-2 in an extremely close match against the defending LCS Champions
For Week 3, DSG will be able to field their starting roster, as Christian “
KryRa” Rahaian triumphed
over his visa issues. Shortly after dropping to the 1-1 series bracket,
Sheep Esports conversed with support Pedro Luis “
Lyonz” Peralta over his fellow Latin American brethren, the mantle of best Bard in North America, and the mysterious disappearance of his ultimate with Nautilus, while also thanking James “
Kisno” Woo for stepping up in a time of need.
How is your relationship with Sajed "Sajed" Ziade?
Pedro Luis "Lyonz" Peralta: "I had a smooth transition adapting to Sajed. He might be a rookie, but it’s really simple to talk about what happens in the botlane. He can approach and share anything, like, “I think this was wrong. We should have done this.” I know I can do the same. On a personal level, our friendship is developing, which will be reflected in our future synergy. As a player, he is incredibly talented, and his potential is tremendous.
Why did you decide to stay in North America?
Lyonz: I had left a lot to be desired during my time in LYON. Individually, I hadn’t played poorly, but the results were not acceptable, and I didn’t want to leave the LCS with this performance. I was eager to return, and thank God I had the opportunity of coming back. I’m really happy, but I’m still working every day. [Playing for Disguised] is different than playing for LYON last year, where I had Oddie (Sebastián Alonso), Khynm (Gabriel Roussy), Pointless (Tobías Riscica), and other Spanish speakers. I am the only one, and everything is in English, so I’m struggling slightly with my adaptation, but I’m staying relaxed.
Can you distinguish the differences between your coaches at LYON and your current coach?
Lyonz: As coaches, both have similar qualities. The main difference is my close relationship with both Pointless and Khynm, whom I’ve known for many years. Our bond is so tightly knit, and our communication smoothly flows. I knew I could ask anything, and they could rely on me, too. I have an excellent relationship with Ido (Ian McCormick), and he is a great coach, but we are not as close. It’s a matter of time before our partnership develops.
Alan "Busio" Cwalina left the LCS this offseason, and the mantle as the best Bard in NA is up for grabs. You had a good game with Bard during game 2. Is this your official application?
Lyonz: I believe that my Bard is decent. I won’t say I am the best in the region, especially when we have great Bard players. I feel really comfortable piloting Bard, and during the second game, there was a great angle to pick him. It was a good answer to the enemy composition, plus a decent laning phase. As a team, we like having a proactive support who can move [around the map] so it was an obvious pick. I like playing the champion, and I can perform adequately. Maybe in the future I can be. Why not?
Both series Disguised played have required three games. Why are your series going the distance?
Lyonz: We have some positives and negatives. On the positive side, we can build advantages, as we did during the third game. On the negative side, due to the team’s inexperience, we sometimes allow the opponent to come back. It happened during the third game when we fought at the Dragon’s pit. If I had engaged quicker, we would have won the fight, and the game state would have been in our favor. The positive outweighs the negative, and we’re a team that refuses to give up. If we’re given a lead, we’re going to run away with the game. We’re an inconsistent team when we have an advantage, but we’re going to leverage the opponent’s mistakes. When situations like these occur in-game, matches are decided by the finest margins.
Let’s talk about the team fight you mentioned during game 3. What happened with Nautilus’ ultimate?
Lyonz: It was an odd situation because I used the hook, then I used my ultimate. When I glanced at the HUD, I noticed the spell was on cooldown. I thought, “Okay, the spell went through.” Two seconds later, the spell was available again, and I couldn’t understand what occurred. I tried, but couldn’t use it again. My brain bugged because I thought Ambessa had avoided it. I peeked just in case, expecting my cooldown to refresh, but it didn’t happen. It was eventually refreshed, but it was too late. I was puzzled.
Do you know if the spell bugged out or if it’s on Riot’s bug list?
Lyonz: Maybe, I’m not sure. It was on cooldown for such a short time, I’m not sure it was a bug. Maybe I could have paused, but it didn’t cross my mind. I’m sure the fight would have been different if I had hooked quickly, but I didn’t pay much attention to the cooldown’s situation.
Lyonz: We were aware that most tier lists placed us last. As a team, we knew this was not true. We scrimmed for around three or four weeks, and we made massive improvements. It’s great motivation knowing Kisno has only had three scrim games all year, and we have delivered good performances. When KryRa, the player we have actually scrimmed with, arrives, we’re going to keep evolving. I don’t care about the current level of our performance; what matters is keeping this progression during scrims and when playing stage games. When KryRa arrives, we will show our full potential. I want to thank Kisno for getting us out of a tight spot. Both weeks, he performed at such a high level.
What differences can you see between Kisno and KryRa?
Lyonz: Both have great mechanics, but the difference lies in their champion pool. Kisno played Diana today, for example. Some picks we practiced in scrims with KryRa, and we haven’t played because Kisno isn’t as comfortable. If we talk playstyle, I think they’re similar. Both are young rookie players with a bright future ahead of them.
We share a defunct region. Are you motivated to prove our region can produce competitive players?
Lyonz: Of course, it’s not something you can leave aside. There are only two Latino players in the LCS, and seven or eight players, plus two or three coaches, in CBLOL. We have the responsibility of proving that Latinamericans are good League of Legends players. Delivering [to the fans] an appearance and returning to Worlds is unfinished business I have. Josedeodo (Brandon Villegas) has been killing it here. Ackerman (Gabriel Aparicio) and Leviatán have been winning several matches in Brazil. I’m proud and happy that Latin American teams are performing to such a high level.
What should players and the media do to keep the fire burning?
Lyonz: It’s a complicated affair, which I don’t know how to answer at the moment. We lost our league, and this decision has made it more complicated. We have the opportunity to show our value by performing to a high standard. If I am given the chance, proving my worth will pave the way for anyone who wishes to follow in my steps as a pro. That’s one of the goals I work for."