For at least a brief moment,
will be able to sit back and bask in their results from Week 1 of the
LEC 2026 Spring Split, as the Ukrainian organization sits in sole possession of first place. Following two victories at the hands of
and
, the squad continues to progress at a rapid pace, now mounting a serious push to establish themselves at the very top of Europe.
In an exclusive interview,
Sheep Esports sat down with the team’s assistant coach,
Adrien "GotoOne" Picard, to discuss the evolution of the team,
’s difficult start, and his role within the team.
How are you feeling after this start to the split? Are you satisfied with it?
Adrien "GotoOne" Picard: “Overall, it’s going well. I’m a bit tired after BO3s like these, especially with the technical issues and the delays that make the days longer. The start of the split is quite intense, but BO3s are really interesting. I think they’re much better for development than a BO1 format. It’s mainly about adapting to this new, more demanding pace. But overall, things are going well.
You’re 2-0, but you were met with some difficulties during your matches. How would you assess this first week in terms of level of play?
GotoOne: Yes, definitely. Against
, it wasn’t perfect, but I wouldn’t say we were shaky either. We mostly did what we wanted, and our in-game communication was clean and aligned with what we had worked on. So I’m fairly satisfied with that first match.
On the other hand, today against
, it was more chaotic. We weren’t really aligned on what we wanted to do in-game, so I’m less satisfied with that match. On paper, it should have been a bit easier, even though they’re still a team you shouldn’t underestimate. They’re capable of taking games and have solid fundamentals, especially in teamfights—it shows they’ve worked on that aspect.
One positive compared to the Winter Split is that we’re adapting better between games: in draft, in the types of champions we want to play, and based on the flow of the day. Having made playoffs in Winter gave us a head start in that regard. I think that’s also what allows us to win these matches, even if it’s sometimes a bit scrappy. But we’re still far from a level where we can say we’re truly solid.
Do you feel like the team is progressing at the expected pace?
GotoOne: During the LEC Versus, we progressed faster than I expected—and faster than people anticipated. Now, after just one week, it’s still a bit hard to evaluate. But what’s certain is that we have the mindset of a team that wants to win.
“We’re not working like a rookie or long-term project: on a daily basis, we’re playing to win now, this week, the next, and to aim as high as possible—even for the title.”
In terms of progression, I sometimes feel like we’re going too fast. We improve certain aspects, but that can make others drop. For example, when we work on our mid-game, our teamfighting becomes worse. This week, our early game was less solid, even though it was one of our strengths during Winter. We need to bring everything back into alignment, to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. That’s where we need to improve.
We still have the luxury of being able to move fast, especially thanks to the wins that put us in a comfortable position for playoff qualification. So for now, we need to keep working hard. But there’s still a long way to go before everything is truly in place.
GotoOne: It’s not really related to communication. It’s more related to the expectations Poby puts on himself.
We’ve already discussed it after the match against MKOI, and we’ll continue discussing it after today’s game. He has a very Korean mindset: for him, being a strong laner is essential—it’s a fundamental part of the game—and he puts a lot of pressure on himself in that regard. I think he’s already very strong in lane, but he wants to prove even more. He might be overdoing it a bit; he’s putting too much pressure on himself.
He’s also still very young—he’s still a baby in my eyes. He lacks experience and mental stability in that aspect. It’s a process that takes time; it’s not something you can rush. Our role is to support him: when he makes mistakes, we correct him, but always by reassuring him that we’re here to help.
You also have to understand that for a Korean player—especially someone who has touched the top level in Korea and played for a team like T1—there can be a feeling that if you make a mistake, you can be replaced immediately. In his mind, there are about twenty players ready to take his spot. In Korea, a player can be benched in the blink of an eye, and that’s the end of the story. In Europe, that’s not how it works: changes don’t happen overnight, and there’s more time to improve.
“Typically, Korean culture has created a lot of anxiety for him, and that showed during our games.”
The fact that we’re winning also helps us approach these discussions more calmly. We take the time to explain to him that at NAVI, things won’t happen the way they usually do in Korea. We tell him that we’re here for him, that this is a long-term project, and that we want to build with him.
He’s responding very well to that: he’s making efforts, he’s communicating more and more, even if he doesn’t fully understand everything yet. Now it’s on us to make sure we’re all aligned with him.
and seem to be your main rivals: VIT have shown a very high level so far, while GX made top 4 and eliminated you in Winter. In that context, how do you plan to stand out and beat them?
GotoOne: That’s a very good question. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it too deeply yet. We’ll play Vitality next week, so it will become more concrete at that point.
I think the key is to successfully put all the pieces of the puzzle together. We’ve improved a lot in the mid-game, but we’ve lost some quality in our early game. We need to combine both. Against teams like that, having a strong early game is essential, so we need to go back to the fundamentals.
Then, we shouldn’t try to imitate them. We need to keep building our own identity. Sometimes we tend to scatter too much, trying to do too many things. We need to simplify, focus on doing one thing well, and be solid in that. And above all, we need to stay confident in ourselves.
Do you currently have a clear vision of your team’s identity?
GotoOne: More and more, but it’s not fully defined yet.
Today, especially with fearless draft, you’re forced to have multiple identities. You can’t just be a team that always plays front-to-back or always engages. It doesn’t work like that anymore. You need multiple tools and the ability to adapt.
Where we’re progressing the most is in responsibility and in-game communication: identifying the right people to speak, knowing what to ask, and when to do it. That’s something we’re starting to really master.
So I think we’re on the right track. What we still need is to refine our read on the meta, expand our champion pool, and solidify our options. It’s quite standard, but that’s what we’re still missing to fully stabilize our identity.
Among the different coaching profiles, how would you define yourself: strategist, architect, or conductor?
GotoOne: That’s a very interesting question… I think I see myself as a mix of an architect and a conductor.
I really like building a solid structure around the team: defining a clear framework, making sure the rules and boundaries are well understood, and knowing how to react when they’re crossed or not respected. At the same time, I want to give players freedom, both in their work and in how they operate day-to-day.
Right now, within the NAVI project, I also do a lot of review work, so there’s this “conductor” aspect where I try to organize things so that everyone is aligned and moving in the same direction.
So yes, these two aspects suit me the most. And as I mentioned, one area I still want to improve is being more present in the moment and sometimes a bit more expressive emotionally. It’s important to show emotions, whether in positive or negative moments, as long as it’s not over the top.
That’s also why I rely a lot on TheRock (Vasilis Voltis), who is very clutch in those aspects. I think our duo works very well thanks to that complementarity.”
