After yesterday’s loss,
Fnatic are now tied for second place in the
LEC Versus rankings alongside four other teams, tightening the race at the top. Today they face
Karmine Corp, and with KC also coming off a loss, Fnatic has a chance to bounce back and close the gap in the standings.
In an
interview with
Sheep Esports, FNC’s jungler
Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz mentioned that the team’s biggest area for improvement lies in their early game, which he described as inconsistent and costly in recent matches. However, he also mentioned that nothing could really be improved ahead of today's match against KC, as meaningful progress usually takes time rather than happening overnight.
First of all, what are your unfiltered thoughts about the game against Shifters?
Iván "Razork" Martín Díaz: "I don't think we played very well. I think the early game was kind of bad, and then I think the enemy team didn't play too well either, so we had the chance to win the game, but I don't think we deserved to win this game. Even if we did in the end—but in this case we didn't—I don't think we deserve to win with how we played today.
Were there specific moments that made you think you didn’t play well today?
Razork: Well, I think we were losing some matches that we shouldn't have lost, and I think in the jungle I also got a bit behind. I dunno, the game felt a bit hard to play, to be honest.
Anything in particular that you might attribute to the changes this season?
Razork: No, not really.
How did the season 2026 changes affect how you guys prepared for this season? If they did affect your preparation.
Razork: I think it affects every team. You need to adapt to the meta, and I think for me, I like the changes. At the beginning I didn't like them too much, but when I kept playing more games, I liked how the game is right now, and I just want Fearless to come, and I want to play best-of-three and best-of-five because I think best-of-ones are really boring.
After today’s match, where do you think you and your team need to improve ahead of the KC match tomorrow?
Razork: Probably nothing because I don't think there is anything to be improved from one day to another, but I think last week I already saw improvement, and I saw my team playing more confidently and better. I just think our early gaming stage is really bad, so we have to work on it, and if we have a stable early game against KC or this week, we’ll probably win.
What do you think of the changes to the format for the LEC this year? Like the inclusion of two ERL teams.
Razork: I mean, I think it's fine. I don’t know; I don't really have a big opinion on that. If the teams are doing well in the ERL, I think it's completely fine if they have a chance to play in
LEC and to see how they can do in the biggest league of Europe.
Razork with Misfits in 2020. Credit: Riot Games
Now taking a step back from the LEC itself, this year is the 10th anniversary of you starting playing as a pro player. Do you think your experience after all these years has helped you when it comes to how to play on stage, or is it something that you still have to work on to keep playing at this level?
Razork: I think it comes naturally. Whenever I am about to start a season, something clicks in my head where it is like, ‘
Okay, now it's time to be serious’ and I just dedicate most of my day to getting better at
League of Legends and trying to improve with my team. But then when I am on my free time, I just try to disconnect a bit from League. So I just switch my mindset very quickly.
Do you think all of the frequent changes to League, and so the fact that you have to constantly be up-to-date, make it more difficult for an athlete to reach a pro level on an esport compared to a traditional sport?
Razork: I mean, I’m not sure it makes it harder, but I think it makes it more interesting and more fun as a player that these patch notes come every two or three weeks and that every year they make some big changes. Otherwise, I think the game—I don't think it would be boring, but it'll be very repetitive, and I enjoy so far having to adapt to these changes.
Then talking about Patch notes, how do you think the next patch changes or going to affect the LEC?
Razork: Well, I did take a look, and I think there are some champions that are interesting in that they're getting buffed or nerfed. Fortunately I think the meta will change a little bit, so we'll see some different preparations for best-of-three.
Do you think the next Patch favors your style as a jungler?
Razork: I think if the meta junglers are more like AP champions, then for sure. And I think in the best-of-ones you don't really play AP junglers because they're not the strongest right now. But I think for best-of-five and best-of-three, you could see some of them. So yeah, I think it will be very good for me.
Is there any AP jungle champion right now that you feel your jungler fans might want to use in ranked now?
Razork: I think Diana is the most OP one now, but I think most of the people are already spamming it because it's completely broken. Just buy the new item and kill everyone; it's that easy.
Wouldn't that also work in the LEC then?
Razork: Yeah, but probably not the best-of-one.
Why would you say the meta is so different from a best-of-one to a best-of-three?
Razork: Because of Fearless Draft, mainly. You need to adapt to the champions that are out. You can ban our role specifically after one game because there are some champions that are out. So I think the preparation just shifts completely. I think the best-of-one is probably going to be probably the first game of the best-of-three, which is going to be the same, where everyone gets the strongest comps and both teams are having clear strengths, and you can just have your own win condition. But I think for the second game and third game of best-of-three, it's harder to draft. I think you just can't predict everything that's going to happen."
