VIT Carzzy on the offseason: "I wanted to stay in Vitality. I was not interested in other teams"

On Friday, after Vitality's loss to Karmine Corp in their first LEC Summer Split match, Carzzy reflected on the departure of Humanoid and the integration of the team's new midlaner, FIESTA.

Carzzy during the match against Karmine Corp at the KC Roadtrip. Credit: Charles Michalet/Riot Games

" Some changes had to be made; otherwise, the team would have gone boom"

This Friday,

Team Vitality

opened its Summer Split campaign with a defeat against the hosts of the Roadtrip event that is kicking off the first week of competition in Paris, Karmine Corp. Despite putting up a strong fight and creating opportunities to take the second game, the Bees ultimately fell 0-2 in their opening match.

A few minutes after the loss, Team Vitality's AD Carry,

Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság

, reflected on the departure of Marek "Humanoid" Brázda and the integration of the team's new midlaner, South Korean player An "FIESTA" Hyeon-seo. The Czech player also shared his impressions after competing in front of the Blue Wall crowd, as Vitality still has two matches remaining this weekend against G2 Esports and Movistar KOI.

How has the start of the split felt for you, with all the roster changes and the adjustment of integrating FIESTA into the team?

Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság: “We are basically a new team again with FIESTA, and he is from Korea, so he is still struggling with English sometimes. We have to get quite used to it on stage, especially because communication in such a noisy crowd is difficult for him and for us. I don't remember hearing much during the game.

Are you hopeful despite the close loss?

Carzzy: I’m kind of hopeful because I like playing with him. He’s a nice person, I enjoy spending time with him, and he’s quite funny. FIESTA has a lot to prove, so I hope he’s going to manage to do it in the LEC.

How has FIESTA been settling into the team, and how long do you think it will take for him to fully overcome the language barrier?

Carzzy: I expect it to take about three weeks, maybe a month, for him to fully understand and get fluent with the League of Legends phrases that we use in Europe so he can be on the same page as us. I don't think it's that hard because it's usually just one, two, or three words, and they're all League of Legends terms. He already knows some.

How did you experience the offseason and the end of your long-standing partnership with Humanoid? Looking back, how do you feel about those changes?

Carzzy: I’m just sad that it didn't work out in the end. I expected this roster with Humanoid to go differently than how it ended. I mean, things had to change, so I don't really care. Some changes had to be made; otherwise, the team would have gone boom. It is what it is. I think he's probably happier this way as well.

There has been a lot of speculation about Vitality's atmosphere after Spring. How would you describe the team's mood and cohesion now?

Carzzy: Our atmosphere in the team is good. We don't really have any fights or anything like that. For us, it's mainly just the gameplay where we struggle because we're just not good enough. But we don't really make it personal. It's just on a professional level, so we don't let it affect our relationships, let's say.

How have the recent criticism and expectations from fans affected you on a personal and mental level, especially after spending so much time with Vitality and being one of the players most associated with the team's results?

Carzzy: I'm quite confident in myself, so I don't really care about criticism. I understand that people criticize because I've been in Vitality for quite a long time and we did not achieve a single good result. That criticism is only fair. I’m also the one who's been the longest on the roster, so it makes sense to give me criticism, which I agree with. Like, for sure, I'm playing a role in all this as well. Everyone does in the end. Nevertheless, I just focus on myself.

There have been reports about further potential changes at Vitality ahead of Summer, even if they did not materialize. How did you experience that period? Did it impact you at all?

Carzzy: Personally, I wanted to stay in Vitality regardless. I heard that some teams were interested in me, but I didn’t speak to anyone myself—I was not really interested.

Do you see Vitality as your best chance to return to the international stage again?

Carzzy: For this year, for sure.

Do you see this difficult start to the split, with three matches against top teams on a big stage, as an opportunity to improve or as added pressure while the team is still rebuilding?

Carzzy: I think that it is a really great opportunity for us to start the split playing against such strong teams. This is especially true as we’re on a huge stage, where we have a lot of things we want to prove, not only to fans, but also ourselves. We want to show that we still have the skill to eventually win the split. So overall, I’m really happy to be here and start the split this way.

How did you find the experience of playing in Paris, with the atmosphere and the fans, especially with Karmine Corp being the home crowd favorites?

Carzzy: I really like it. I'm like ShowMaker (Heo Su) — I have the same perspective as he does. I just enjoy the noise. So I don't really care if they are cheering or booing for me, it's just really exciting regardless.”