TL Josedeodo: "CoreJJ has been teaching me to be more versatile"

The 2026 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) debut of Team Liquid against Cloud9 left a lot to be desired. After falling into the 0-1 bracket, the Six-time champions had the difficult task of facing Shopify Rebellion to steer the horse back to its winning ways.

In a dominant display, the Alienware Thankers obtained a 2-0 result and easily dispatched their competition in a series that lasted just under an hour. After his match, Brandon "Josedeodo" Villegas sat with Sheep Esports and shared his thoughts on how Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in resembles a wall, how his mentality has grown since his FlyQuest days, keeping the Latin American fire burning, and his spicy mid lane champion pool.

Brandon "Josedeodo" Villegas: "It was a weird scenario, which relied on Morgan (Park Ru-han) not arriving on time. He arrived on Thursday, and we debuted on Saturday. This was our thought process: Spookz, as a native jungler, would take my role, forcing me to play top. I said I could do it, but there’s a considerable gap between Cloud9’s Thanatos (Park Seung-gyu) and me. I proposed Quid going top, who would lane ten times better than me, and I would go to my secondary role: midlane. I can play Ryze, Taliyah, Syndra, and Orianna. I wouldn’t touch Azir. I can also pick a Yasuo and lose in peace. I’m sure I could have done it, though I would have preferred playing in the botlane. It was a terrible situation.

Josedeodo: Maybe if I had been more explosive, I could have won it. Our team should be more explosive during stage games, a goal we met during the second game. If we continue playing like this, my positive performance will be noticed. The champions I played this series are simple, and usually don’t result in PotGs, unless the other team makes consecutive mistakes. The Shockwave is the highlight of selecting Nocturne and Orianna. It doesn’t really bother or change me who wins PotG, as long as we win as a team, everything will be great. I don’t think there was a particular player who deserved the award.

Josedeodo: I am a skilled player with solid fundamentals, effective mechanics during team fights, and intelligent play around the map. CoreJJ has been teaching me to be more versatile. I must be ready to punish even the tiniest mistake made. The team is going over the minute details during scrims, trying to light the missing spark. If I am unsure how to play a fight, either coach steps in, "You have to go in with Jarvan IV, then exit the team fight, and then do this". These little details help tremendously. If I fail [a play] during scrims, I don’t care if I win or lose the scrim, as long as I learn from the mistakes and improve my execution. Last week, scrims weren’t going our way, but this week, scrims drastically improved.

Josedeodo: CoreJJ’s best quality is his approach, asking for your opinion, "What are your thoughts on this? How do you want to play this?" We failed a dive at the start of game 2, and as the game ended, I asked him, "What should we have done differently?" If there is someone who knows these intricacies, it’s him. I have an idea, but knowing what others think helps me know what to do next time. We have great synergy because I am methodical during team fights, and he plays the map quickly. He will ask, "Why are you not on this side of the map?", and then I share my reason, which has helped us arrive at different conclusions. He is an amusing teammate because you can see his experience dealing with people and how genuinely mature he is. In his eternal quest to always improve, he never gets offended; he reminds me of a wall.

Josedeodo: I suppose a considerable amount. When I was in FlyQuest, in an effort to keep my spot and stay in the LCS, I would constantly pressure myself. I played daily, slept terribly, and didn’t exercise, which weighs you down. It is important to give it your all, but it is equally important to take care of yourself. Not only do I take care of myself, but I also make sure to sleep and eat better, and even exercise every morning. If there’s a day I am too tired to play soloqueue, I’ll watch some replays. When you are young, you don’t realize it, but as you grow up, there are days you don’t want to play soloqueue for up to 18 hours, especially in North America. It was exhausting, and I never realized how much it affected my mental health. I’m more comfortable and confident because I don’t have a reason to feel nervous. If I work towards my goals and give it my 100%, it should be enough to win.

Josedeodo: Definitely. We must keep Latin America’s fire burning. If I am the first or last player from Latin America in a group phase [of an international event], that would make me extremely proud. I would love to be the first. Last year, I was joking around with Ackerman (Gabriel Aparicio), "This year, Latin American players are dwindling. Next year, there will be even less.", and that’s what happened. I had many opportunities to turn pro when I was younger. For example, STEPZ (Eloy Rodríguez) is a young guy with incredible talent who wants to turn pro. It is our job to set the example and be professional so we help him get there.

Josedeodo: There are two sides to the coin. I love streaming and clowning around, but I equally enjoy competing. Achieving a balance between winning and attracting fans goes a long way. I think League of Legends is still fun to play. The general public attaches a negative and toxic connotation to the game, but I don’t agree, probably because I play daily. These last few years, [League’s developers] have done a great job. This season was a step in the right direction because the game is so versatile, which keeps it balanced and makes it more fun. A great example is Los Ratones. They’re a medium to grab Europe’s attention. They stream every day, showing off their day-to-day and showing their results. They started 0-4, and they beat G2 Esports, but they could also be 0-8, and everyone would be mocking them. The public focuses on results first, then visibility, because results are more noticeable. That’s what I aim to achieve, and I hope it is us. If it can’t be us, I hope it’s players like Kaze (Lucas Fé), Ackerman, or the guys in Leviatán. Though if they play against Team Liquid, hopefully we win.

Josedeodo: Sorry for the interruption. I feel awful. I had a conversation, I believe it was ceo (Lorenzo Tevez), and he told me, "Whenever Latin American players are mentioned, nobody remembers to mention Lyonz", and I just did the same. Hopefully, he does great, too."