As the race for the
LEC Summer Playoffs intensifies,
now sit at 2-1 after securing back-to-back victories in Week 3, taking down both
and
. After this show of strength, all eyes are on the newly revamped squad, with the race for a spot among the LEC’s top three still wide open.
In an exclusive interview with
Sheep Esports, toplaner
discussed his return to the league, his confidence in his current level and standing among the LEC’s toplaners, as well as his time away from competitive play and the end of his tenure with
.
After three LEC matches, with two wins, how do you feel about your start to the split, especially after beating MKOI?
Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz Jiménez: "Yeah, our first match against SK was a bit weird, but I feel like we've found ourselves now—we're playing way better. All in all, feels good to beat MKOI, who should be a pretty good team.
Did you have any specific preparation for MKOI, especially given the rivalry between the Spanish teams?
Oscarinin: Nah, we just played our game. We didn't really scout or prepare specifically for them; we just wanted to focus on how we'd play and fix the mistakes that could be punished by them.
Do you feel a sense of responsibility in proving yourself again after having been out of the LEC for this long?
Oscarinin: I for sure do feel like that. Of course, I've been out of the LEC for a long time. With GIANTX giving me this opportunity, I have to clear my name and show that I can still be one of the best in the league.
How confident are you in your level right now?
Oscarinin: I think I'm getting way better. Honestly, this week, I've been pretty happy with how I showed up. Still, I'm not super happy with my current level. I'm not improving that fast, and I still need to be a bit more consistent. Right now, I would say I'm at least in the top five of toplaners in the LEC on a good day. I'm aiming to be better—I think it's a matter of time before I can contest Canna and BrokenBlade again, the current top two.
You mentioned on the LEC broadcast being criticized not only by fans, but also by your own team during your time with Fnatic last year. Could you detail that a bit more? How did you experience that period?
Oscarinin: I didn't agree with how Grabbz (Fabian Lohmann) handled our talks after each split ended in Fnatic—I don't think it was good, and I didn't agree with what was being said. It felt like I was sometimes being targeted a bit, and I obviously didn't like that. That's why I said what I said on broadcast. Regarding Fnatic, I think they kind of fucked my image. I think it's why I didn't get a team at the start of the season.
I felt really bad not finding a team in the LEC after my time in Fnatic. I didn't know at the time if I would ever make it back there, because it depended on other teams. I went to Korea, tried to get as high elo as I could, but even then, it was hard for me to find a team after 2025—the criticism and everything I endured.
I'm really glad that GIANTX took a chance on me and believe in me. I will do everything I can to prove that they actually did the right call choosing me.
How has the environment been at GIANTX, and how are you finding working with the new coaching staff?
Oscarinin: Honestly, I'm super happy with everyone. It's a really easy team to work with. Players and coaches are all great in that regard. So yeah, it's just been really nice. The organization has also been really nice to me, and I feel like if I have any issues, they will usually get fixed really fast. So I'm super happy in GIANTX. It feels like we are improving every day. The environment is really healthy, and it feels like we can actually discuss the game without getting too temperamental, which has been great.
When you talk about discussing the game without getting temperamental, are you comparing that to your experience with Fnatic?
Oscarinin: No, not really. If I had to compare with Fnatic, I would say that here in GIANTX, it feels like we’re all more open to everyone's opinion and that I have way more freedom to play whatever I want.
Sitting at 2-1 in third place, how are you approaching the rest of the LEC Summer Split and your upcoming matches against Vitality and KC?
Oscarinin: I'm not putting much thought into our next matchups. I'm mostly thinking about how we play, because I think we still have so much to work on. Even if we beat MKOI, I don't feel like we're a top-three team yet. It doesn't mean anything to take a win in the regular season. I'm just thinking about working on ourselves and seeing what happens. Nevertheless, I think we are in a good spot to actually get that Worlds spot. We'll see!
Which teams do you think are competing for the third Worlds spot, assuming G2 and KC are the top two?
Oscarinin: Right now, the LEC is definitely a bit spicy. It's always kind of like this at the start of every split, though. I don't think it's that weird. For Worlds, I think the teams that are contesting for the spot are most likely MKOI, Vitality, and maybe NAVI after them. I don't wanna say us, but yeah, we are in that picture too. I don't think any of us are way better than the others for now, at least.
How do you feel about the overall level of play in the LEC so far, especially with fans criticizing the quality of the games and calling the league unwatchable at times?
Oscarinin: [Laughs] As I said, I feel like that sort of happens every time a split starts. The first few games are always gigaboosted. Teams are fighting in really messy ways, right? When it gets later in the season, or even in playoffs, teams usually start playing way better.
I don't think that the LEC is that gigaboosted, even if we sometimes look like it. There are some good games as well, even if the bad ones are pretty egregious. Right now, you'll see some fist fighting on the right pretty much everywhere.
I know you hate summer. How have you been finding the summer weather in Berlin?
Oscarinin: Berlin weather is so weird. Before I arrived, it was like 40 degrees here, and now it went back down to 25. It's getting hot again in the next few days—I don't know what's going on. Every day in Berlin is a mystery in terms of temperature. But yeah, I really don't like summer. I hate sweating—it's fucking disgusting. It's getting better now at least.
Do you think playing in very hot conditions can affect a player's performance?
Oscarinin: For sure. It helps being comfortable, right? In the LEC, though, we don't have that problem as we play in the studio. If we were playing from our apartment without AC, for example, then it would be absolutely disgusting."
