“It’s the best mood we’ve had all year”

MAD Lions are at present on the point of Worlds elimination. Their solely win up to now within the Worlds 2023 Swiss stage got here in opposition to the now-eliminated Staff BDS they usually failed to say victories over NA sides NRG and Cloud9, perceived to be among the many weaker potential opponents up to now of their run. They face crashing out of the competitors altogether in the event that they fail to beat China’s Weibo Gaming in a best-of-three collection – their hardest matchup but.

Forward of the collection Esports.web spoke with interim head coach Patrick “Pad” Suckow-Breum, at present stepping as much as the place at some point of the match. Regardless of the struggles up to now, Pad stays optimistic. He’s excited on the likelihood to face a crew like Weibo and insists that the crew are in good spirits.

Credit score: @MadLadPad | Twitter

Esports.web: What’s the temper like throughout the crew given the 1-2 begin to Worlds?

Pad: The temper it actually good truthfully. I believe the primary preparation for Worlds was truthfully about placing a steadiness of reconciling with the truth that we haven’t been capable of finding a means that each one gamers wish to play this yr, all year long, and that’s been a giant level of pressure for everybody concerned.

So transferring into Worlds, determining methods of how we will meet within the center since we haven’t been capable of finding our technique to play one explicit fashion of League of Legends. I believe we’ve managed that actually effectively. I believe we’ve managed the connection between the gamers at Worlds higher than we’ve performed all yr lengthy.

So clearly being 1-2 sucks. However with that being stated, I believe that — it would sound a bit bizarre — however mood-wise, it’s one of the best temper we’ve had all yr.

What do attribute the 1-2 begin right down to?

I believe that typically, Mad Lions have struggled prior to now with being favorites. We obviously faced two NA teams, and going into these collection, we had been thought of favorites – at the least by EU requirements and by ourselves.

We had been anticipating to win each of these video games. I believe that we didn’t handle that very effectively and haven’t discovered a great way to play as favorites but. I believe that going into the Chinese language [Weibo] collection we’re the underdogs, it’s house territory, it’s how we gained each of our championships again in 2021. So I think about you’re going to see a real model of MAD Lions.

Credit score: LoL Esports

Lee Jones: On the published you appeared that NA groups are underrated, at the least by these in EU.

Might you elaborate on that?

I believe that while you take a look at the NA groups that attended Worlds, I believe that there was a fairly clear hole between the 4 of them. I believe that Cloud9 had some points versus NRG within the finals of LCS… however I believe that C9 particularly have actually good fundamentals. I believe they’ve tremendous sturdy lane section, I believe they’ve a superb impartial method, I believe they’ve a excessive emphasis on neutrals and a fairly clear-cut set-piece method on these.

I believe that NRG, when they’re allowed to play closely in the direction of prime aspect and are unlocked, I believe that the champion pool is deep sufficient to have the ability to play for Dhokla. So I believe when they’re allowed to play that specialised fashion, they’re actually good. Just like the best way that BDS is sweet in Europe.

For Staff Liquid, I don’t have a lot of an opinion as a result of we ended up not taking part in them. However at the least for the 2 NA groups that we did find yourself taking part in, they might have the ability to do high-quality in Europe.  I really like rivalry, I come from soccer myself, I really like Liverpool. However for me, my rivals are in EU and I don’t have to s*** discuss NA. They’re good, they’re not dangerous.

Lee Jones: You gained blue and misplaced on purple aspect, which have 77% and 23% winrates respectively within the Swiss stage.

How a lot of MAD’s fortunes have been impacted by aspect choice?

Pad: I believe it’s taking part in an enormous half. I can’t go into why as a lot as I want to, at the least not but.  However I believe it’s a mix of the meta, which is a giant half.

However it’s additionally a number of the stronger groups who’ve been on blue aspect. I believe the favorites of the match, or those that are categorized as prime 4/six, have been having a number of blue aspect video games. Which is smart as a result of they’re increased seeds.

Learn additionally: LoL Worlds Picks and Bans: What will the Meta be like?

Lee Jones: You’ve stepped up as interim head coach in Mac’s absence, you’re return to the function after the early days of Phelan, MnM and Tricked.

How have you ever discovered being a head coach once more?

It’s very completely different from again then as a result of within the ERLs fairly often the top coach is every thing. The pinnacle coach is the supervisor, he’s the assistant coach, he’s the analyst, and he’s the top coach. However transferring into Worlds as interim head coach, I’ve skilled how it’s to be a head coach with all of these roles to delegate. I believe Mack has performed a beautiful job of getting ready me for taking on this function for Worlds. I believe prior to now I’ve struggled rather a lot with not delegating correctly and overworking myself to the purpose the place I don’t operate.

However with the assist employees we now have right here — Achuu and Zeph (assistant coaches), Orome (positional coach), Aagie (analyst), and our pretty supervisor Eric — I believe that each one of them have principally made my job a lot simpler. It’s nonetheless exhausting being a head coach, it’s much more folks discuss,  it’s much more within the second choices, however I’m fairly decisive so I don’t thoughts that. It’s definitely completely different, however it’s good.

MAD Lions reacting to their attracts. | Credit score: MAD Lions LoL

Do you wish to return to being a everlasting head coach?

For positive yeah, finally. I’m affected person, I’m going to maintain growing as a coach. I believe I’ve performed a superb job growing from ERL head coach to LEC assistant coach and in addition strategic coach. I’m not in a rush. I wish to make it possible for I do issues effectively, that I develop on my strengths, but additionally make it possible for I discover methods round my weaknesses or make them not weaknesses anymore.

“I’m not in a rush to be a head coach, however I positively see myself as one in a few years.”

How have you ever discovered prepping for matches within the Swiss stage given that you simply typically have little time after discovering out your opponents?

That course of has once more come right down to delegation. On these day I’ve my aspect choice at 23:00 or 23.30, and that’s normally after a 14-hour workday. So after a 14-hour workday I’m not going to have the ability to sit down and scout at a correct degree. If I sit down at 23.30 and I begin scouting for my opponents, I’m going to overlook issues. So Mac and Orome, who’re again in Romania and UK, have been an enormous, large assist for this. When it’s 23:00 right here, they’re like six or eight hours behind in order that they have the entire day to begin prepping.

So ensuring that I discovered a wholesome steadiness of doing my very own scouting within the morning, however delegating the bulk to Orome and Mac has been tremendous useful and the one technique to take care of it, truthfully.

Lee J0nes: Weibo subsequent then..

How are you hoping that one’s going to go?

Nice. Fantastic. I’m so f****** excited. I’ve been ready the entire yr to play Asian groups, and now we get to do it. We’ve solely performed Korean groups and traditionally, since I’ve been with MAD Lions, Chinese language groups have been our most even scrim opponent at worldwide occasions as a result of we play related League of Legends. Clearly among the groups like JDG have had an edge on us in crew preventing at instances, however it’s all the time been probably the most enjoyable to play.

I’m tremendous excited. We get to play with Xiaohu who we now have taken a number of inspiration from through the years. It’s simply nice. Should you’re not trying ahead to those type of video games, when are you going to be trying ahead to taking part in League of Legends?

Learn subsequent: Deft and Adam discuss Dplus vs. BDS duel, rest of Worlds 2023