Natus Vincere, also known as
Born to Win, lived up to their name in the first round of the
2026 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Versus playoffs, convincingly defeating Fnatic 2-0. Advancing to face
Movistar KOI, the rising squad looks to carry their momentum against the Spanish powerhouse. In an exclusive interview, jungler
Enes "Rhilech" Uçan spoke with
Sheep Esports about his rookie mindset, the upcoming match, and his vision for shaping the future of the LEC.
You’ve secured your spot in the next round, what does that mean to you?
Enes "Rhilech" Uçan: “I just can’t wait to play against MKOI. I want to win against Elyoya (Javier Prades Batalla). We lost against them and Fnatic during the regular season. Today we got our revenge against Fnatic. Next week, I want to beat MKOI and get another revenge. I still stand behind what I said. I need to beat Elyoya, especially in a best-of-three, to show my real potential. He’s still the best jungler in the LEC.
Do you have any message you’d like to send his way?
Rhilech: Hola.
How have you adapted to Fearless Draft and best-of-threes? Was the transition difficult, and did you have to put in specific work to adjust?
Rhilech: It was a bit hard to switch from best-of-ones to Fearless because we never played Fearless scrims. But this week, when we switched, we were actually doing much better than we expected. As a team, we expected to be a bit shaky in Fearless, but it didn’t feel like that in scrims, or against Fnatic either. Things have been going well so far, and I think that next week, we’ll be showing an even better face.
How have you handled the pressure of playing on stage so far?
Rhilech: I just tell myself that I need to play well for all the people who go out of their way to come watch us. I need to be good for them. They’re here for me, for my team, for the LEC. I have this responsibility to perform well for all of them. I always remind myself of that, and then it’s easy to adapt and feel comfortable on stage. I never really feel pressure because of that.
Being a successful LEC player involves both skill and connecting with fans. Before joining the LEC, did you think about how you wanted to present yourself on camera, or are you just being natural?
Rhilech: [Laughs] Both. It’s my first time being on cameras, except for past LFL Days. I really enjoy playing along with the camera, doing all these funny things on stage. It’s always fun for the viewers, myself, and everyone else. I think it’s really important for players to get in touch with communities so they know you more. That’s why I give interviews and talk about myself on Twitter and everything.
When you first walk onto the stage, what goes through your mind as you see the crowd, get to your computer, and load into the game?
Rhilech: At first, I was thinking, “I’m here. I’m really here.” I remember watching the LEC even three years ago, and now I’m finally on stage. It feels amazing, almost unreal. Being on stage for the first time was such a great experience. And every time I come on stage, even today, it feels incredible to play in front of fans, especially since you can literally see them when you take a look behind your screen.
Do you think your success reflects a strong roster-building strategy? Does it also highlight that some other LEC teams may have struggled to build effective rosters in the past?
Rhilech: TheRock (Vasilis Voltis) is really good at building rosters. He looks at team chemistry and thinks about the five players together, not just in-game, but outside of it as well. That’s the biggest thing other teams or people forget—you need to be friends and close with your teammates outside of the game. That way, you can actually talk to each other more and improve. If you’re just good in-game, you’re not going to improve properly. And when you don’t improve, enemies will improve and eventually pass you. That’s the core of our identity. We have good chemistry in the team, and we are all willing to improve. That’s what makes us better every day.
Do you think this team chemistry will be the key factor that sets you apart from other teams and helps you reach your goals?
Rhilech: I think so. We are going to Worlds 100%. I’m sure of it. Even now, I’d say we have a good chance of winning the LEC Versus and heading to First Stand. It will depend on how well we adapt to Fearless Drafts and to our enemies.
Last July, you tweeted that Europe had “lost the sauce” of international success and taken its strengths for granted. Now that you’re in the LEC, how do you plan to change that?
Rhilech: People here are just thinking about winning the LEC. You need to see the big picture. You can be good enough to win here, but when you go to internationals, you might not be ready for it. That’s the wrong mindset. You need to think, “What do I need to do to beat T1? What do I need to do to beat Gen.G? What do I need to do against Canyon (Kim Geon-bu) to win?” When you approach scrims and official games like this, you improve, and in the end, you reach that level.
Do you think European players are a bit too hesitant to experiment these days?
Rhilech: Yeah, a little bit. Teams are just trying to win the LEC when they’re building rosters. If you think about when Europe actually did well at MSI or Worlds, you think of G2 when they were swapping Perkz (Luka Perković) to AD Carry, getting Caps (Rasmus Borregaard Winther), doing these crazy things. They were able to be the best team in the world in 2019. They just couldn’t make it at Worlds, but they were the best team at the time in my eyes.
Is there anything you’d like to add to conclude the interview?
Rhilech: I want to say thank you to all the fans who are supporting me in comments and DMs, genuinely. I appreciate it, I really like it. I will win for you guys.”
