DARKWINGS: “I think if I don’t get a Tier 1 offer, I would consider not playing anymore.”
Q: This is your first true offseason as an LCS-caliber talent after your time with DSG. How is this different from your previous offseasons?
DARKWINGS: I don’t really have an agent so I’ve been reaching out to teams myself. I’m pretty new to Tier 1, […] and there weren’t a lot of mid lane spots that were open.
Q: What was the reasoning behind not picking up an agent?
DARKWINGS: I haven’t had the best experiences with agents before. I’ve been around enough where I kind of know, and I have other friends that can help me too. So it’s not a huge problem for me, I think.
Q: As you looked for options, did you ever consider going to Europe?
DARKWINGS: I actually haven’t really considered it. It’s not a bad idea, but I don’t think I necessarily have a large amount of experience so far, but I might look into it.
Q: Do you mean you don’t have experience talking to European GMs or navigating that system? Or you don’t think you’d realistically get an LEC spot right now?
DARKWINGS: Kind of a bit of both. First, I don’t really understand the whole process. Like, if I were to go to Europe, and if I did make a team there… not really sure how that would go. I’m not really too familiar with the European scene, so [I haven’t] done enough research.
Q: Is that where having an agent would be helpful?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, that is true. I would agree with that. But also, I wouldn’t really want to go to Europe.
Q: Is it a personal life thing or NA pride?
DARKWINGS: Just a personal life thing.
Q: Looking back on the DSG roster — it was your first Tier 1 team, and you all showed strong performances. What are your thoughts on that team as a whole?
DARKWINGS: I did feel like the season – at least, the split I came in – was a success. Bringing Cloud9 to five games and winning the promotion tournament were the biggest [highlights] for me. As for something I would want to improve, I’d like to be a better teammate than I was. [In terms of my leadership skills], I’d want to improve that.*
Q: When you say you want to be a better teammate, do you mean more leadership and feedback outside the game?
DARKWINGS: I lacked a lot of experience, […] and that not having enough experience showed itself where I wasn’t confident in my own plays, stuff like that. So I want to be more confident and also lead the team, in and out of game. Not just [always being] the rookie following everything, if that makes sense.
Q: You won’t really be a rookie next year, but that mindset shift sounds like a lot of pressure.
DARKWINGS: I think pressure does help you grow in certain ways. And when I do feel that pressure, it makes me try to improve faster. So it’s a healthy amount of pressure you can have.
Q: What would you say was the thorn of your DSG experience — something that didn’t go as well?
DARKWINGS: I think the thorn was that DSG does have the least amount of resources out of all the LCS teams. So it’s not really something for me to improve on, but that was just the thorn. I wish there were more resources.
Q: Looking ahead, when you think about your next team or negotiating with DSG or others, what are the things you personally look for in a team?
DARKWINGS: How I like to play the game is very structured and having everyone on the same page. That was something I felt was slightly lacking on DSG. It’s not always a bad thing, but I wish there was more. Just having people view the game in some consistent direction.
Q: I heard Ido really focused on adding structure as the year went on. What kind of structure do you mean specifically?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, I heard there was like completely zero structure before. When I came in, there were a lot of things we were working on and structure-wise it did get… not bad. So like, if Rift Herald is coming up, one minute or one minute thirty, everyone would start prepping — every person would know their job for the Rift Herald. That’s what a good structure would be like. But if one or two people don’t know what they should do or what’s best to do, then the structure kind of falls apart.
Q: That makes sense. Let’s talk about the offseason — how are you feeling as one of the few native NA mid laners, alongside Palafox, APA, and Jojo?
DARKWINGS: That’s actually crazy that there’s almost no native mids. I have talked to some teams and I feel okay about my options. I still have to kind of re-talk things, but I don’t think I would play Tier 2 again.
Q: So if you don’t get a Tier 1 offer, would you still continue playing?
DARKWINGS: I think if I don’t get a Tier 1 offer, I would consider not playing anymore.
Q: Do you think you’d consider Europe or another region more seriously?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, I mean, I think I’d look into it a bit now because I wasn’t thinking too much into it – I just wasn’t really familiar with the EU scene.
Q: What would you change to make things better for players in NACL or Tier 2 trying to reach Tier 1?
DARKWINGS: I think if people get more interaction with Tier 1 teams or coaches or anything like that, it helps. Because I feel like a lot of people just don’t believe that Tier 2 players can play in Tier 1 — there’s kind of a stigma. Or they don’t want to put in the time; some people are already proven in Tier 1, so why take a chance on someone that’s not proven?
Q: So it’s not just about skill development, but helping Tier 1 teams see Tier 2 players’ potential?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, I think so. But also kind of both. Tier 2 players still have to figure out what could be holding them back. When people get those eyes on you, they can see what to fix or make it easier for you to come into Tier 1.
Q: If you were Riot, what kind of policy or system change would help fix that gap?
DARKWINGS: Something like the promotion tournament in LEC would be pretty cool, even if there’s no spot given. It’d be fun to play in something like that. But I don’t think promotion relegation itself helped development much. It just felt like people would throw money to try to make a team that could beat the Tier 1 team.
Q: Still, defeating big names like Summit and Ghost must have felt good, right?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, it did feel pretty good. But I grew a lot from when I first started or played in Tier 2.
Q: Did you scrim against NACL teams much while you were on DSG?
DARKWINGS: No, pretty much not at all. I think we only scrimmed Tier 2 teams between two or five times total.
Q: When you faced Tier 2 players again after that experience, did you feel a big difference?
DARKWINGS: I definitely felt my self-improvement.
When you’re punching these punching bags that do damage to you back — pretty high damage — and then you come back and these little punching bags aren’t really hurting you anymore, it feels comparatively easy.
Q: Final question — what would you like to say to your fans, especially those worried about native mid laners disappearing from LCS?
DARKWINGS: I think I’ve proved enough that I can stay in Tier 1 and it’d be a tragedy if no one wants me.
Q: Do you feel you’re not a confident person, or are you just being humble?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, I’m not very confident.
Q: You seem pretty shy and self-aware compared to other mids like APA. You know you’re good, but you don’t say “you’re wrong if you don’t pick me.” Why is that?
DARKWINGS: Yeah, honestly, like I know the value I have, but I feel like I can’t convince people that I do. It’s not a lack of confidence — it’s just like, there’s no reason for me to say that to you, I guess.
Q: You’ve got a very philosophical, almost Buddhist mindset. Ever looked into Buddhism?
DARKWINGS: Nah, I’m not religious at all.
