This Sunday against
,
secured their eighteenth LEC/EU LCS championship title since their entry into the league. After five games of incredible intensity and a plot with multiple twists, it was once again the Samurai who triumphed to win the
LEC Versus.
The French AD Carry
has won his ninth title since joining the organization in 2023 after a long and grueling battle. Before heading to Brazil soon to compete in the
First Stand, the player spoke with
Sheep Esports about what awaits his team and the closely contested final.
What’s your first feeling after this new title and really long match?
Steven “Hans Sama“ Liv: “It was a really sick best-of-five. I don't think I've ever played a BO like that before. It’s a lot of emotions, they almost reverse sweeped us. We couldn't close out the game which was complicated but we managed to win early games which we couldn’t before. I'm happy with the victory.
Would you say it’s the biggest final you’ve ever played?
Hans Sama: I think it's the biggest I've ever played. Every finals are always a new experience for me. It’s a lot of emotions, I'm very happy and everyone is. And yeah, Game 5 like that, finish with two Elders and a Baron, that's what we had to do to win the LEC.
KC almost completed the reverse sweep on you after winning the fourth game. What was going on in your head at end of this game? How did you feel mentally?
Hans Sama: We knew we were better than them in early game. I think we had a bad draft in game 3. It was hard to win this one because of it. When we lost game 4, we needed to focus back on early game, keeping the tempo. I think we did good on the macro but as soon as we took the dragon, the turrets, and they were only their inhibitors left, I think it was a problem. We played too slowly, which meant they managed to come back with the Sivir that can perma wave clear. It was complicated. In game 4 I think the Gnar did a lot of work in teamfights. In terms of teamfights, me and
(
Ramsus Winther) were stacking too much together.
How do you manage to keep the same blood, the same concentration at the end of game 4? Is it the experience that plays? Is there anyone talking in those kinds of moments who helps you to keep your focus?
Hans Sama: There is Memento (Jonas Elmarghichi), who gave us a motivation boost, gave us strength because obviously, it's a little quieter when we lose two games like that, it's hard for the mental. But yeah, it helps when the staff helps us mentally and say “Come on! Let's get it.”
You played against today, one of your thoughest opponent, what did you feel about your match-up against him?
Hans Sama: I was pretty happy in terms of laning phase against him. Normally, he's super strong in lane. Today, I think we play the match-ups correctly. There were moments where Labrov (Labros Papoutsakis) died in game 1 or something like that, but I think in terms of trades and push, it was correct. But yeah, Caliste is always cool to play against because he’s a really special AD Carry. He's very comfortable, and he always manages to put pressure on the game, especially in the late game. Respect to him, it was great to play against him.
Your teammate showed another impressive performance today. He has been doing a great playoff campaign overall. What do you think about his performances compared to last year?
Hans Sama: This year, he tells everyone what is happening in the jungle and what he does, what could help him, and what he needs. He made us know more about what was going on in the jungle compared to last year, when we didn't really know what he wanted to do. He was doing his thing, and we followed. But now it's different. I think we understand much more because he talks more about the jungle. And I think we are much more in sync with our jungler when we play the game. And yeah, his performances are truly phenomenal.
For someone like you who played with a lot of great junglers, would you say he’s the best or among the best you played with?
Hans Sama: I think he's one of the best in terms of consistency. He’s very disciplined as a player. That's one of his biggest strengths. He's not there to die for nothing. He's always working hard at his own pressure in the jungle. For sure, he’s one of the best junglers I played with, but there are a lot of them (laughs).
Where would you rank the current form of your team compared to your peak level of last year? Do you think you’re better than it or you still need to improve?
Hans Sama: Obviously, we are better than the beginning of the year (laughs). I don’t think we are better than last year when we were playing the Esports World Cup. I think we were really strong at this point. But we will see on the international stage. I think we're pretty strong right now, and we know how to win games. Today it was a bit special, normally we can close out games quickly. We had a lead in the early game, which is usually the opposite; we had trouble in early, so we couldn’t win. It was a bit weird today. I think in Brazil, it will be interesting. I think we learned from playing against teams like Gen.G Esports. They kept all their players, too. We'll see.
The next step for you will be the First Stand in Brazil. Is there any team or players that you’re eager to face?
Hans Sama: I'd like to play against Gen.G. We won a few games against them before. We felt they had a similar playstyle to ours. We learned a lot from what they did last year. After that, we managed to win, and there were angles where we could have win the BO against them. And that will be another challenge to reach the next step against them.
What is your objective for this tournament?
Hans Sama: The title would the best. I think we have our chances. If in the next few weeks we continue to learn and know how to win games. We are more confident about finishing the games, we just need good drafts, and everything is possible.”
