Caught up in a predicament of its own making,
Team BDS finds itself with its back against the wall after a 1-2 loss to Team Vitality in Week 5 of the
League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Spring Season. Now sitting at a cumulative 3-4 record, the team must refocus for its final two crucial matches against Fnatic and GIANTX next week. In an exclusive interview, toplaner
Joel "Irrelevant" Scharoll sits down with Sheep Esports to discuss his performance, the team’s struggles, upcoming matchups, and their playoff hopes.
Your match against Team Vitality had big playoffs implications. What's the first thing on your mind after the loss? You'll only have two more matches to try and clinch playoffs, both of which will be played next week.
Joel "Irrelevant" Scharoll: "I just think I played bad. That’s what I'm upset about. I'm not necessarily mad about losing, but rather about how I played. Regarding playoffs, I can't speak for the whole team, but I'd say we are still confident we can make it. I think Fnatic are beatable for sure. Knowing us, we'll probably lose to GIANTX and then beat Fnatic somehow.
Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
Last week, you beat G2 Esports 2–0, but now lost to Vitality in games that looked winnable. Why do you think BDS is still struggling with inconsistency?
Irrelevant: I'm not sure, to be honest. Last week, G2 was playing quite bad to be fair. We didn't do anything special. And today, I just played really bad. If I had played better, it could have easily been a 2–0. The first game in particular would have been free if I showed up better. Maybe we choked because of the series' importance.
Last year, you were praised for your strong laning and consistency, but this year your impact seems lower. How do you feel about your performance so far? What do you identify as the reason for your current form?
Irrelevant: No, I'm not happy with my performance at all. I've been playing way worse than last year. I'm not sure what the reason is. In scrims, I'd say I've been playing better than in the winter split for sure, and now I have to translate it to stage performance.
Have your scrim results looked better than what your current LEC record suggests?
Irrelevant: There's been some up and down. There hasn't been any real patterns. Sometimes we're losing a lot, and sometimes we win everything. It just feels kind of random at the moment.
Nuc (Ilias Bizriken) recently said the team feels like it's in a fog right now, with a lot of uncertainty, and that fifth or sixth place might be the best BDS can do this split. Do you agree, or do you think there's still potential for better results?
Irrelevant: For sure, we can achieve better results. We just have to step up—all of us. I definitely have to step up a lot. If we do, then we can for sure go higher. But if we keep playing this bad, then I guess we’re lucky to even get sixth.
You spent two years with SK, but now you're on BDS with a completely new roster. How has it been adjusting to this new environment? Do you think the adaptation process has affected your performance, and is it something you believe will improve over time?
Irrelevant: It's only a matter of time until I play better again. I'm certain of that. The level of play in the LEC this year has been higher than before. My teammates are all on a higher level too. I feel like I lost some confidence in myself because they’re more knowledgeable about the game than I am. I’m a confidence player, and when I'm lacking confidence, I can't play well. So, I think it's just a matter of time until I reach their level, and I’ll regain my confidence.
Is it difficult to regain confidence, especially after a tough winter split with poor results and now being on the edge of not making playoffs?
Irrelevant: It doesn't have anything to do with our results or anything like that. I think it’s just my own feeling—how I feel about myself, how much I know, and how good I can play. I think it doesn't depend on results or anything.
With so many new toplaners like Carlsen (Carl Carlsen), Naak Nako (Kaan Okan) and Lot (Eren Yıldız) do you feel the level of toplaners in the LEC has changed? Where would you rank yourself if you were playing at your best? Where do you rank right now?
Irrelevant: If I was playing at my best, I could see myself in the top 3 for sure. But I don’t think I played at my best the whole year, so for sure, I wasn’t on that level throughout the year. Based on my current performance, maybe 7-8th. Personally, I think I'm playing really bad.
Do you have any final message for the fans?
Irrelevant: I will try to do better, I have to do better. That's all."
Header Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
