HRTS Lure: "Some European teams can sometimes be better than Korean teams"

Following a narrow 2-3 loss against MKOI in the Superliga Summer Split final, Team Heretics Academy Lure sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the team's narrow defeat, his adaptation to Spain, and his perspective on the European competitive scene.

🇬🇧English

"Lurox wants to play more around the team, and he focuses much more on tempo. [...] He's a bit like a mother for the team"

Team Heretics Academy

's Summer Split came within touching distance of ending with a second LES title in a row on Thursday, but the team fell short in a closely contested final against MKOI (2-3). Despite the defeat, Heretics Academy secured the first seed for the upcoming Final Four and will have another opportunity to compete for a trophy on stage, while also preparing for a new appearance at EMEA Masters.

Ahead of the decisive weeks of the season, ADC Shin “Lure” Jae-yoon spoke with Sheep Esports about the Summer Split final, his expectations for the Final Four, the level of European Tier 2 compared to Korea, and his experience adapting to a new country after joining Team Heretics Academy six months ago.

You lost the Summer Split final yesterday. It was a very close series, but it seemed to slip away from your hands because of small details. What made the difference?

Shin “Lure” Jae-yoon: “I wouldn't say it was only about small details. In the games, we had many advantages, but because it was the last match and the final game, our team got too excited. We couldn't play our game properly. I think the draft in the 5th game was better for us. When we looked at the draft for the last game, we felt like we had already won.

Our team got very excited. If we had played the game slowly, I think we could have won. We didn't even need to get to the last game. If we had played the second and third games better, we wouldn't have needed to play a fifth game. So I think the second and third games were the biggest problem. In my opinion, our team was better. But I made a lot of mistakes, so I feel very sorry for my team. I was very sad about it.

You have another opportunity next week at the Final Four in Madrid. What aspects of your gameplay, or even outside the game, do you need to improve to make sure you can win the Final Four?

Lure: First of all, I need to fix my own mistakes. Also, like I said before, if we reach the final again, we don't need to get too excited when we play. If we stay calm, I believe we can win. I don't think the place itself really matters. When we got an advantage on one side of the map, we started saying that we had already won. If we had just slowed down, we could have won very easily. But because it was the last game, everyone was very excited. We didn't need to fight, but we wanted to fight. This is the thing we must focus on now.

Did you expect to play on a big stage when you arrived from Korea? Did you imagine that you would qualify for a Final Four in front of thousands of people, with the lights, the crowd, and everything that comes with it?

Lure: Before joining Heretics Academy, I watched the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Final. But I didn't know if I would ever get the opportunity to play an offline match. I knew that if I reached the EMEA Masters Summer Finals, I could play in front of a lot of people, but if I didn't make it there, I didn't know if I would ever have that experience.

After the Final Four, you'll be playing EMEA Masters. You reached the Top 8 in Spring. Do you feel stronger now as a team compared to the last EMEA Masters?

Lure: There have been many meta changes since then, and we've worked very hard to adapt and change our playstyle. So, to be honest, I can't give you a clear answer right now about whether we're stronger in terms of gameplay. However, I feel that the trust between the players and the teammates has become much stronger. As a group, we're also much closer now. We talk a lot more with each other, and we've built much more trust as a team. I can't say exactly how much our playstyle has improved yet, but I believe our team has become stronger in other ways.

Team Heretics made one change last split, when Daglas got promoted to the LEC. What does Lurox bring to the team?

Lure: Lurox (Lukas Thoma) is a bit like a mother to us. When we played with Daglas (Kacper Dagiel), he wanted to farm camps more and look for more fights. But after Lurox joined, we changed the way we play. Lurox wants to play more around the team, and he focuses much more on tempo. Sometimes I want to stay for one more wave, but when I tell Lurox that, he tells me, “No. Please, tempo”. So yeah, he's a bit like a mother for the team. [Laughs]

From an individual perspective, how do you see the level of ADCs at EMEA Masters? Do you think this Summer Split is an opportunity for you to stand out and become more known within the ERL ecosystem?

Lure: Right now, I don't think I can really talk about my own level, so it's also difficult for me to compare myself with the other ADCs at EMEA Masters. But sometimes, when I watch scrims or official matches, for example in the LFL or other leagues, I see a lot of very good ADC players. If I had to name one, I think HARPOON (Franciszek Gryszkiewicz) is a very good ADC.

What can you tell me about the level of EMEA compared to Korea and the LCK Challengers League?

Lure: Personally, I feel that the gameplay is very different between Korea and EMEA. Sometimes I couldn't understand why EMEA players wanted to play in a certain way. When I first came to Spain, it was very difficult for me. I was thinking, “Why are we playing like this?” I talked a lot with Kamikaze (Oscar Pedrosa) about it.

Now, though, I can understand why European players want to play in a different way. For example, in Korea, players think it's very important to catch every mid waves. European players sometimes think that they don't need to take that wave and that they can give it up to do something else on the map. When I first came to Spain, that difference was very difficult for me to understand. But now I understand it. I also think that some European teams are sometimes better than Korean teams. For example, teams in the LFL like Galions or Solary. Korean teams are good, of course, but sometimes European teams can be better.

How did you end up in Spain? Did you have opportunities to play in the LCK Challengers League before joining Heretics?

Lure: I don't really remember if I had opportunities to join another Korean team. When I left Hanwha Life Esports in Challengers, I had a lot of problems in my personal life, so I decided to take a break for a year. During that time, I was playing solo queue and I met Mihile (Baek Sang-hwi). He told me that he wanted to go to EMEA and that he wanted to go there with a Korean ADC. He found me, and we started talking about EMEA and whether we could play together if I went there. That's how we talked about the opportunity, and eventually I joined Heretics Academy.

And after six months, do you feel like you've adapted to Spain and to this big change in your life? Are you happy here now?

Lure: I have a pretty easygoing and friendly personality, so I didn't have too many problems adapting to daily life here. The greatest difficulty was communication. When I first came to Spain, I couldn't really speak English. Sometimes, when we were playing or scrimming, I would get very angry or frustrated, but I couldn't express myself properly because my English wasn't good enough. That was very difficult for me. But now, if I'm angry or if I don't want to do something in the game, I can tell my teammates. I can communicate much better with them. So now, I think Spain is really good.

You mentioned that Mihile helped you with your adaptation. Have any other Korean players helped you adapt?

Lure: I mostly talk with Rooster (Shin Yun-hwan) because we played together on Hanwha Life Esports Challengers. I often talk with him. I also talked a bit with Poby (Yoon Sung-won) and SamD (Lee Jae-hoon). I played with SamD as well in Hanwha Life. Lospa (Park Joon-hyeong) has given me a lot of good advice as well, we’ve had very good talks.

What are your goals now? What is the next step you want to take in your career?

Lure: My first goal since coming to the European leagues has been to experience the LEC. I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I want to show my impact on a big stage, in the LEC. Even though we lost the Summer final, I still have confidence in myself.

And finally, do you have any message for the Team Heretics community ahead of the Final Four? Do you have any words for the Heretics fans?

Lure: Whenever our games end, I often see so many supportive messages from fans on Twitter. After we lost, I was very sad. But the fans told us that it was okay and that we should cheer up. Those messages meant a lot to me and gave me a lot of energy. I want to thank all of the fans. We lost the final, but we still have two very important tournaments ahead of us: the Final Four in Madrid and EMEA Masters. If you trust me and wait a little longer, I can give you a gift. Thank you so much to all of the fans.”