It was a tough loss—especially with how close the game felt. How did you experience the match against BLG? What do you think could’ve been done differently?
Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla: "Honestly, I was playing scared. I over-respected them. I played like they were going to do everything perfectly, which made me play way worse. That’s what happened in the first and third games. I was too scared to play my own way. These are my biggest regrets coming into the series, I wasn't even able to adapt and play my style—because again, I was just scared. I was overthinking. I wasn’t really playing how I know or how I want to play.
You've been one of the top junglers in Europe for a long time, and your last strong international showing was at MSI 2021, during your debut split. After repeatedly going international and falling short, does the weight of those experiences affect the way you play? Do you think it might lead you to play too respectfully in high-pressure matches like this one?
Elyoya: Definitely. I've been losing to them for a long time, so it's not easy to take away that respect and fear for them, because in the past, every time I would face them, I really stood very few chances. Right now that has changed, and my mentality still has to change. I'm going in the right direction. In this series, I realized that, and I'll be way more confident going into my next series.
Do you believe there’s a glass ceiling for Western teams at international events like MSI, where the lack of high-level practice against LCK and LPL teams throughout the year holds back Europe and the Americas from truly competing?
Elyoya: I don't think so. I mean, what Inspired (Kacper Słoma)said is true—the East gets better practice, and that's just a reality because there's a bigger player base on the Asian servers. Also, they play with lower ping, they have better teams to scrim, they can play against LPL or LCK teams, which is an advantage for them. But still, I don't believe in this ceiling.
There are many things we do that they don't. We have a lot going for us too, and it's a pity we couldn't show today that Western teams can beat Asian teams. It really hurts me because I know we were capable of doing it. But I believe in us, and I know it's just a matter of time before we end up beating one. This tournament, we're going to beat one of them at the very minimum. Yeah, I'm really confident.
Do you think having that experience will help MKOI improve in the lower bracket?
Elyoya: For sure. I've learned a lot, and we’ve all taken away very important things from this series. It's still a wasted opportunity because they were, in my opinion, the easiest Asian team to beat. I'm not saying that they are bad—they’re a really strong team. Well, we still didn’t scrim all of them, but BLG was really beatable. It hurts. I mean, we took a lot from this series, and I know we’re gonna come back stronger.
What are the main lessons you're taking from this series?
Elyoya: I've mainly done a lot of self-reflection—I want to play with no regrets. I want to play my game. I've been working for many years, and I need to be more confident coming into these series. Because as I said, this time it really hurt me, and I don't want to let down my team again. So this will be my main takeaway.
Looking on the positive side—you’ve had some good performances as of late, won your first LEC title in years, and proven doubters wrong after the roster changes last year. Do you feel you’ve progressed as a team, both in the LEC and internationally, since 2023?
Elyoya: I see a lot of progress. I mean, the way that we are playing, we can compete with Asian teams, which I don’t think was the case back then. We could maybe take a game or two, but I don’t think we could really compete. Right now, I really believe we can. I really believe in us.
David "Supa" Martínez García told us he didn't care about being the best Western team and wanted to be the best team in the world. Do you think this roster can actually win MSI, or even Worlds, someday?
Elyoya: Even right now, we have the capabilities to win MSI.
Do you think no matter what happens at MSI, this experience will help you improve later this year and at Worlds?
Elyoya: I cannot really say that for sure. We will see with time. Obviously, this is a really great experience, and if we use it well, it will be a big advantage for us going into the next LEC split. But only time will tell. We don’t know how we will react to whatever happens. I’m personally really positive about it though. I think it’s going to make us grow, and we’ll come back much stronger for summer and Worlds because we already have this first international stage.
Credit: Liu YiCun/Riot Games
Have you ever thought about how each international tournament could be your last, and felt you had to make it work because you might not get another chance?
Elyoya: Yeah, it’s a thought I have even right now. You never know when it will be your last international tournament. You need to be grateful for every chance you get. Right now, I don’t know if this is my last international. I really hope it’s not, and I don’t think it will be. But I try to enjoy it as if it was my last, because I don’t know when I’ll be back on the international stage. I know if I keep working and doing things well, I’ll come back. But yeah, again, you need to be grateful for it.
You’ve been in Canada a few weeks now, first Toronto then Vancouver. How has your time been here? Have you had any fun experiences you’ll remember?
Elyoya: I haven’t really seen much of Vancouver yet, but Toronto was really nice. We really enjoyed it together with Jojopyun (Joseph Joon Pyun)—he took us to a Korean barbecue, and it was a really enjoyable experience. So far, I’m really liking the country, and I’m really grateful for everyone we’ve met. Yeah, I’m quite happy with Canada.
You’ll face the loser of CFO against T1. Do you think this is a match you should definitely win?
Elyoya: We should for sure win. I still think we have to give them respect—JunJia (Yu Chun-Chia) is a really strong jungler, and it will be really fun facing him. I’ll have a good chance to prove myself. So I’m really happy and positive going into this match.
Anything you want to say to the Koisitos before we finish?
Elyoya: I’m sorry for the lost opportunity we had. We’re going to come back stronger and play better. This won’t be a common occurrence. We’ll come back as a much stronger team, and we’re going to make you proud this MSI. So, sorry for the performance, and thank you for the support."
Armand Luque is an interviewer and journalist with deep roots in the EMEA League of Legends scene. A veteran of the esports world, they hail from France and are best known for their work on Leaguepedi...
