After a tricky opening stretch, Los Ratones is beginning to discover its footing in LEC Versus.
After a tricky opening stretch, the workforce picked up two essential wins in a row final week, bringing its LEC file to 2–4 and firmly protecting its playoff hopes alive.
Following the workforce’s second consecutive victory in opposition to Shifters, Esports Insider sat down with Los Ratones’ assist Martin ‘Rekkles‘ Larsson to mirror on the workforce’s latest performances.
Whereas happy with the outcomes, Rekkles stays clear-eyed about the place enhancements are wanted. Pointing at a greater use of bot lane strain, the assist goals at reaching a stronger map management by doubtlessly shifting his champion decisions.
Learn the complete interview beneath.
Esports Insider: How are you feeling after your second win in LEC Versus?
Rekkles: I felt actually good proper after we gained, however I’d say the extra time goes, and the much less feelings I’ve, the extra I realise we received away with one thing we most likely shouldn’t have immediately. Yesterday [against Team Heretics], it felt like we deserved a win, and immediately it felt like we didn’t. However proper after, after all, I used to be actually joyful as a result of we actually wanted a win immediately.
At the moment was tremendous duper necessary, and I’m simply actually joyful we managed to do it. In some way, I feel there have been video games the place we must always have gained, and we misplaced. So possibly it’s identical to the world night out, you’ve got some video games you lose that it is best to win, and you’ve got some video games you win that it is best to lose, and it felt like immediately was one of many video games we most likely ought to have misplaced, however we gained.
So, 2-4 after six video games, I feel all issues thought of, that’s a win in our expectations as a result of coming right here has been actually powerful and particularly with the brief time span we’ve got to work with in comparison with different groups, it feels prefer it’s type of mission unimaginable doing this. So two and 4 after six video games, undoubtedly assembly expectations in that regard. And now it’s good to have the chance to regulate our personal destiny.
For instance, if we went into subsequent week 1-5 and even 0-6, we must mainly win each recreation or hope for ends in different video games. Now it undoubtedly seems like if we’re ok, we’re going to make it. If we’re not ok, we’re not going to make it. That’s good to know. I favor this example to having to depend video games. This workforce has to win in opposition to that workforce, ‘blah, blah, blah’. It’s by no means good to be in that state of affairs, so I favor this one rather more. Now it’s on our personal plate.
ESI: What do you suppose it’s a must to work on this week to enhance additional?
Rekkles: I feel we’ve got a difficulty the place it was type of the identical within the Karmine Corp Blue (KCB) recreation — each video games I performed Nami — I really feel like we’re actually robust bot lane in principle, however once we play on stage, everybody’s slightly bit extra scared, so we don’t actually use that bot strain for something. There are conditions the place the enemy assist is roaming, and I can’t actually comply with as a result of Nami’s gameplay could be very linked to my ADC. I can’t run round and do no matter different helps can do with Nami. I’m very a lot tied to the AD Carry, and my energy comes by means of my ADC. So the sport is performed in slightly little bit of a special method.
I feel within the KCB recreation and this recreation (in opposition to Shifters), each video games I’ve performed Nami, and we struggled on the map. It felt like they’d all of the strain, all of the imaginative and prescient, and we have been type of simply giving area on a regular basis. They’d slowly chip away at our towers, they might take the targets, and they might have all of the deep imaginative and prescient, and ultimately we’d simply lose from nothing. I feel in opposition to an excellent higher workforce than immediately — or an excellent higher workforce than KCB in that recreation two that we performed this week — we don’t get an opportunity to really come again into the sport and battle our method again into the sport as a result of earlier than that, we’re too behind.
I feel it’s actually necessary that we both A, work out how one can play with these helps that stick extra to our ADC or B, simply cease taking part in these helps and attempt to play a assist that helps with the map extra. I feel it’s simply an sincere dialogue we have to have as a workforce, what sort of course we need to take transferring ahead now, as a result of clearly, these video games we’re in a fairly powerful spot and it could be good to have the ability to contest the sport from the get go and never let the enemy workforce get a gold lead and all that. I feel it may be a greater method to have me on roaming assist and mess around Nemesis, for instance.
ESI: Talking about helps, there are lots of people asking whenever you’re going to play your Janna. How do you suppose she suits within the present meta?
Rekkles: Sadly, Janna has no place proper now within the meta, and I additionally stopped taking part in her after final yr. So once I went to Korea in 2024, my first yr of assist, Janna was certainly one of my strongest champions along with Senna and Ashe — which is sort of a bizarre champion pool to start out with — however that’s the place I began final yr. Then I dropped the Senna, and I dropped the Ashe, and I performed slightly little bit of Janna.
However mainly each time I performed Janna, I felt like I used to be handicapping my workforce, and in the long run, I feel I ought to do every thing I can to assist my workforce, not essentially to assist myself. Despite the fact that I’m actually good at Janna and it could really feel nice to play Janna, and I’m very comfy together with her, I feel I wouldn’t assist my workforce the very best I can. So I type of dropped her now, sadly.
However I feel I’ve some champions I haven’t performed that I’m actually good at, for instance, I feel I’m actually good with Rakan. He’s most likely my most-played assist since I made the swap in 2024. I feel I’m a extremely good Alistair participant as properly and a extremely good Neeko participant too, and I’ve performed neither of those champions but. So regardless that we’re taking part in best-of-one, and possibly I don’t get the possibility to play them, I don’t really feel like I’m restricted in any method. I really feel like if the state of affairs arises, I can simply pull out some extra champions that I haven’t performed but that I really feel actually good on, possibly even higher on than Nami.
I feel each Nami and Braum are additionally good champions for me, however I actually need to use Rakan. I feel I’m actually good, and I feel my Neeko improved lots. I’ve been taking part in quite a lot of Neeko to get her prepared. I feel she’s a really game-impacting assist as a result of with Neeko, you can also make miracle performs out of nowhere; different helps don’t actually have that upside.
Typically, if you happen to’re in a nasty state, for instance, with Nami, you possibly can’t actually do something to come back again into the sport. However I feel with Neeko, with Rakan, you’ve got that. With Alistair, you’ve got that too. So regardless that we’re taking part in best-of-one and I can’t actually management what number of champions I play it, it could be enjoyable to make it to the best-of-three and truly get to point out a bit extra.
I feel I’ve labored actually onerous on my champion pool, and it’ll be good to point out that. Not for anybody else actually, only for myself to be on stage and truly play totally different champions and present my energy each time. I suppose in the long run I simply need to go additional than the best-of-one stage.
I really feel like best-of-ones don’t fulfill me as a League of Legends participant. I’ve performed this recreation for 16 years now, and 12 of these years have been professionally, so once I solely get to play one champ, I really feel like I’m not expressing myself in the way in which I feel I can on the Rift. I would like to go best-of-three, best-of-five, particularly with Fearless Draft in place, and showcase my enchancment as a assist and my champion pool. I feel best-of-one, sadly, we’re simply fairly restricted with one champion per day.
ESI: Having performed each as an ADC and a assist as a professional, what are the qualities that you simply regarded for in a assist and are actually necessary for a assist participant to develop?
Rekkles: I feel once I performed ADC, my finest helps have been all the time those that created area for me, which is type of a weak point of my very own now once I’m taking part in Assist. As a result of, I feel very very similar to an ADC.
So typically my positioning is within the improper place, and it’s not that I’m deliberately placing myself there. It occurs virtually unintentionally, so to talk, as a result of I’ve all these years as AN ADC, then my pure intuition is to position myself as if I have been one. However I feel that’s one thing I’ve gotten higher at.
For instance, once I performed in 2024 in Korea, my vary helps have been good, and my melee champions have been horrible. I couldn’t play a melee champion, regardless that I attempted actually onerous; I simply couldn’t do it. My Leona wasn’t good, my Alistar wasn’t good. There have been even a couple of I didn’t truly play, and I labored on that lots final yr.
So coming into the LEC, I’m not scared to play a melee champion as a result of I feel I actually improved on how one can create area and be useful for my carry to take a greater place in workforce fights.
Despite the fact that I performed Nami and Bard to date, which doesn’t actually do that, I feel my Braum video games have been fairly good, and if I received to play Alistar or Rakan, I feel I might actually make quite a lot of area. For me, this was the most important factor I observed once I performed ADC myself. The Helps that gave me area have been the very best ones as a result of they might enable me to then play my finest recreation.
I feel, particularly now as properly, ADCs are actually robust. So if I can put Crownie in a great place, then there’s a excessive probability we truly win the sport. As a result of proper now, ADC is a robust sufficient position to really carry the sport. If we get the ADC to a sure merchandise state of affairs, or on a selected champion, on a selected draft. For instance, the Caitlyn, I feel is working rather well for us. It looks as if it scales rather well and we nonetheless have a robust lane. So I undoubtedly suppose the extra I can enhance on this and the extra I might help my ADC, the upper the possibilities of us successful.
