It would not be the League of Legends World Championship without a major region getting upset. Fnatic is the latest victim as the Brazilian side LOUD steamrolled the LEC fourth seed to make the group more interesting heading into the final day.
Following their demolition job on Fnatic, LOUD Croc spoke to Esports.gg’s Marn for an exclusive interview.
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Marn: Hello Croc! Thank you for taking the time to speak to me, you guys absolutely stepped up today against the group favorites in Fnatic, how do you feel following that game?
LOUD Croc: It feels great especially because we had prepared a lot of like pocket picks and strategies and it worked out really well so I am happy with today’s game.
Marn: You performed very well on Maokai who has been showing up a lot in the jungle at worlds, can you talk to us about what makes him so strong in the current meta?
LOUD Croc: So the way he actually gets vision is so different from other jungle picks. So I think this is so key in the current meta. And also there are not actually any picks that can like counter him or win in the match-up against Maokai so I think it’s really good in the current meta.
Marn: Ah okay is that because of the saplings that he can constantly put down or is there something else that makes him unique?
LOUD Croc: So yeah, I mean, the way he can control the zones, you know, the zone control he has and also the fact that he has a target CC is a really important point and also sometimes comes down to the comp that the opponents are playing you know.
Marn: And speaking about compositions, it feels like Fnatic have not been paying the respect emerging region teams deserve in the pick and ban like they should be doing, did you feel that way in your match against them today?
LOUD Croc: Yeah, I mean, the fact this was our first time seeing a team banning Seraphine and Yuumi together so I can take that as a little bit of disrespect. But at the same time, they’re very experienced and it just makes me feel happy that we were able to beat them.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – OCTOBER 01: LOUD huddles onstage after their victory against Fnatic at the League of Legends World Championship Play-Ins stage on October 1, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
Marn: Yeah, absolutely, so speaking about you for a minute, this is your first World Championship. Can you like talk to me about how it’s been for you so far? I know the crowd today was very hyped for your guy’s win with a lot of cheering for your team.
LOUD Croc: Yeah, at first because this is like my first worlds experience, I was really nervous. But at the same time after I kind of warmed up I kind of realised that I’m actually pairing up with them really Well. You know, at first, I was like ‘ how am I supposed to like play against these world-class players’ but it turned out that I can match up well with them too. So yeah, this whole experience has been really great for me. And also the crowds are so crazy, just like we usually have in Brazil.
Marn: So now that you’ve won this game, you’ve made the group really interesting and there are a lot of possibilities that you could maybe even finish first, has the thought started to cross your mind that you could come out as the first seed?
LOUD Croc: So I mean, we were able to decide our destiny and be the first place team of our group with our own hands, but we trolled yesterday [laughs]. So I don’t think that’s much the case anymore. But yeah, we will just keep playing our best until the very end and I hope I hope we can get lucky and be the first seed of our group.
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Marn: And I wish you the best! Is there anything you would like to say to the LOUD fans supporting you across the globe?
LOUD Croc: Thank you so much, everyone. I always appreciate your support, and I hope our footsteps can, you know, become a great outcome in the end. Thank you.
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