The first elimination series of the 2026
League of Legends Championship Series (
LCS) Summer Split Playoffs delivered an unforgettable banger. The stakes between
and
couldn’t be higher; win and at least guarantee a place at the inaugural
Demacia Cup Global Invitational; lose and start planning for the 2027 season.
Though fervent LCS fans’ expectations for the series weren’t the highest, it broke a four-year-old drought. After trailing 0-2, the Rebels came out full throttle, pulled out the first reverse sweep in more than four years, and sent the Society packing.
Following his resilient feat, botlaner Ju “
" Yeong-hoon had an exclusive interview with
Sheep Esports. He broke down his reaction following his improbable Elder Dragon steal, how much potential Yoo “
“ Baek-jin has, and his promise to the SR faithful.
What went through your mind before and after you stole the Elder Dragon?
Ju “Bvoy" Yeong-hoon: “I don't know why, in my career, I somehow steal a lot of the objectives. I already smelled that I was gonna steal this Elder. I thought we won because of the Elder, but I looked after, and even if we didn't get the dragon, we were in a winning spot for the upcoming teamfight, so I was pretty happy. I think God blessed us.
The series was extremely contested. The gold difference in Game 5 was 1 or 2K, yet you already felt you were stealing the objective. Why were you so sure? Was it the series’ momentum or because of experience?
Bvoy: After game three, I thought, if we're gonna win this game, we're gonna win the series. Then, after Game 4, I already felt that we were gonna win this series, and the Elder steal was... I don't know. My body felt like I was going to steal this Elder.
Did you feel your soul leave your body as you saw everything unfold from a third-person point of view?
Bvoy: Yeah. My body… I don't know how to call it in English, but whenever you do something really surprising and my body… do you know what I mean? It’s like shaking.
Ah, goosebumps! Did you know this was the first reverse sweep in the LCS in four years?
Bvoy: Oh, really?
There had been zero reverse sweeps in four years, and Shopify did it today. Where did Shopify pull this never-surrender mentality?
Bvoy: I already said I would retire if I lost against Cloud9, no matter what. Even though I’ll have to retire, I still have the passion to go to Worlds. I don't want to finish like this, so I really wanted to win, even though we were 0-2. I don't know about the other players, but that's why I was more vocal in Game 3 because I really wanted to win.
Do you have to retire after this season and go to the military?
Bvoy: I can’t go to the military because I have a body issue, but I said I had to retire in an interview.
I’d love to know about the decision to take Ezreal away from Cho “Rahel“ Min-seong. You navigated teamfights with the champion incredibly well. After Sentinels dominated Games 1 and 2, what was the team’s mindset going into Game 3?
Bvoy: Our first plan was picking Lucian against Ezreal, but I told my coaches, “Just ban Lucian and get me Ezreal.” Right now, I’m confident with Ezreal. C9 and Sentinels liked Ezreal, so we had been permabanning Ezreal for what felt like a month in scrims and stage. However, Ezreal is one of my favorite champions, and I’m confident piloting him, so I was somewhat tilted about having to ban him, so for Game 3, I told them to pick me Ezreal.
SR’s season isn’t over, as the team has at least qualified for Demacia Cup Global Invitational. Can you ride this confidence and maybe sneak into Worlds?
Bvoy: We still struggle with macro decisions, and how and when we teamfight. We’re still not at a Top 3 level in the laning phase, but we continue working really hard on it. I’m pretty confident because, from what I know from Worlds, whoever starts at the bottom and reaches Worlds can slowly level up and improve, like ‘22
, you know? I want that vibe for us. I'm really confident.
This week, the team on its podcast said they would work on lane assignments: where to send the botlane, when to swap bot and top, and where to put each carry. Do you think you've improved, or do you still need to work more on it?
Bvoy: One thing I remember from the series against C9 was in Game 2. I put myself on the weak side when I shouldn't be weak-sided in that comp. After a hard loss, I asked
(
Ibrahim Allami) if we could discuss it together with
(
Juan García) and
(
Tristan Stidam). I asked for help on how and when we’re going to swap, like a good timer for the jungle’s pathing and bot wave, top wave, and which bot object is up. We were focused on this during scrims, especially this week. Our macro wasn’t good this series, but I was more comfortable. We should work on this more to be perfect.
Zinie was doubted after his arrival brought high expectations. However, he has underperformed throughout the year. He had weak Games 1 and 2, but came out guns blazing for the rest of the series. What prompted Zinie’s change after the first two losses?
Bvoy: Zinie is a playmaker, but for Splits 1 and 2, he didn't speak English well, so he couldn't really understand what we were saying. We told him, “You shouldn't do this play”, or “you shouldn't take this risk”. We're working really hard on it in Split 3, and he’s shown improvement. I really think Zinie can be the best LCS midlaner. I'm really happy with how much Zinie has improved. He’ll keep improving because he's young and passionate. I think Zinie played really well today.
Do you think Zeyzal’s addition helped the team be on the same page?
Bvoy: Everyone knows his communication is really good. He's like a commander. Contractz was our commander before, but their communication resembles ping-pong; they bounce off each other really well. That makes us feel connected, like we’re on the same page. I think we should all work harder to stay on the same page, but Zeyzal obviously helps a lot.
Do you have any promises you’d like to make to the Shopify fans as the team continues your run through the Losers Gauntlet?
Bvoy: Shopify gave me a good opportunity to play in the LCS and to reach Worlds. Even though I’m the oldest import, I want to be a diamond for them, the fans, and our team. No one knows the stone is a diamond; it looks like an ordinary stone until they cut it and find the diamond. I want to be like that. I want our fans to tell me, “It was good to have you here.” I want to hear that.
In another interview, General Manager David Han said that he told the players they had to prove they belonged on the roster. All contracts run until 2026. You’ve qualified for an international competition yet to be defined. Do you think today’s series showed why you deserve to stay?
Bvoy: From my point of view, it wasn’t enough. I don't think I played well today. I know I can play better. I need to show how good I am. I don't think it's enough.”
