looming on the horizon. In an exclusive interview, head coach Tomás "Melzhet" Campelos Fernández sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the start of the split, what has gone wrong, and expectations for Spring.
Tomás "Melzhet" Campelos Fernández: “We didn't play our champions well. We need to improve a lot. I think at some point we need to wake up, and I hope it happens as soon as possible. If not, we are not going to perform on par with our expectations.
What do you think went wrong today? It looked like the team wasn’t on the same page and lacked concentration.
Melzhet: I still need to ask them personally. To me, they just didn't play well. They are bad League of Legends players right now, and they need to improve.
How has practice been leading up to the match and the start of the LEC?
Melzhet: We have been taking practice more seriously [than in Winter], but there are still days where we do things better and days where we are really bad. Today was one of those days where we are not playing correctly. We are really out of coordination, we don’t know where to fight, we look helpless, and we throw the game.
After Winter, you said training was the main issue, with
also pointing it out. What exactly was wrong with your practice, and is it still a problem?
Melzhet: Yeah, we don’t play for anything. We just do random plays, 1v1s or 2v2s. We are not focusing on learning how to play the map correctly. We also don’t coordinate at all with the jungler. In mid-game, we play really badly with the side lanes. We are not in the same place in the end. That comes from a lot of misunderstandings and a lot of mistakes that have been a problem over and over, and we are not fixing them.
You also said you didn’t know how to fix it alone—how much of this is on player attitude versus what you can do as a coach?
Melzhet: I will try everything in my hands to make sure things get better. I think things are improving, but at this pace, it is not enough. They need to step up. The players have a lot of control over the situation, and they just need to use it.
has notoriously not been playing solo queue very much. Do you think this is something that needs to be addressed, or is it overemphasized?
Melzhet: It's not important if you don’t need it. As long as you can play the champions you need to play, and your mechanics are good, solo queue is not important. But of course, if you don’t have those qualities, and you need to improve them, then solo queue is important. It’s as simple as that. Each player is responsible for that job. I’m not their father, and I don’t need to go behind them to make them play solo queue. I can’t queue for them.
Do you think it’s possible to reach the same level you had in Spring 2025 this time around?
Melzhet: Yeah, it’s fully possible, but we didn’t make it happen while acting lazy. We are not doing what’s needed to reach this kind of performances right now. We still have a lot of time, of course, but at the same time, we should be leveling up our gameplay and be able to fight against the better teams in the league. And I think right now we are not there.
Is the current MKOI team lazy in some ways?
Melzhet: I think the players are too… not lazy. That is probably not the best word to describe it. But I think they are too reactive, you know? They need to get spanked every time to do plays, instead of doing things from the beginning and taking initiative.
’s future still hang in the balance, as they have not been renewed. How has their development been so far in 2026?
Melzhet: If we look at today, they don’t deserve to be renewed. They still need to raise their level. I don’t care. Supa had really good spots to carry games and snowball, and he threw the lead. And Myrwn, in the first and third games, he played terrible. So they need to wake up.
Do you think they have progressed so far in 2026?
Melzhet: Yes, of course. They are going to progress. Every player is going to progress. The thing is, are you going to progress enough or not? We are not aiming low. On one side, you are happy that G2 did really well internationally. On the other side, you wish that was you. And I think we are not at that level right now, so we need to reach it.
re-signing for MKOI, does that change anything for you, or is it just business as usual from a coaching perspective?
Melzhet: I’m not overthinking it. Even though he was renewed, if he’s not performing, we can still make changes anyway. I think it’s really good that a player with a lot of potential continues with us, but today he didn’t perform that well, so I hope he keeps working.
There’s a lot of focus this split on G2 and KC in trailers and coverage, while MKOI seems to get much less attention. Do you feel like people are overlooking and underestimating you?
Melzhet: This is a common thing I’ve experienced my whole career here. So I don’t bother at all. I don’t care if people are expecting us to perform or not. It’s on us and the org internally—that’s what I care about. We all believe we can do much better than we are doing, so we should match those expectations.
G2 is highly regarded, especially after their performance at First Stand. As a coach, when you watch tournaments like this, can you learn from other teams, or is it harder to take concrete lessons as an outside observer?
Melzhet: You can learn a lot from what they are doing. The way G2 is playing is really confident, and you can see how the things they did here translated internationally when they were confident. After the first series into BLG, they showed much better gameplay. Of course, you can learn from all those great teams that are playing there. Those tournaments are the best ones to learn and improve from, so we need to be there. It’s mandatory.
From what you saw at First Stand, are there any specific things you’d like to apply to MKOI going forward?
Melzhet: A lot of things, but first of all is having a winning condition and playing around it. That will be the first step. Second is being more decisive when we are fighting and when we are in those moments. With those two things, it will already make a massive improvement.
You’re facing Fnatic tomorrow—do you have any specific thoughts going into that match?
Melzhet: No, to me, it doesn’t matter who we are facing. I’m more worried about what we are doing in terms of gameplay. I don’t think there is a team we cannot beat, but we are also a team that sometimes doesn’t play like we should, so I’m more focused on what we do.
Is there anything you’d like to say to MKOI fans to reassure them and keep them excited about the upcoming matches?
Melzhet: This is the beginning. We’ll keep working. Now I’m going to have a talk with them, and I hope that tomorrow we’ll see a different face.”
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...
