DIG Denathor: “After Game 1, I got used to the white noise in the crowd and the pressure, so I felt locked in after that.”
Interview conducted after DIG’s Week 1 series against SEN.
Q: As far as first series losses go, this is probably one of the better ones to take, right? You guys did pretty well against SEN.
Denathor: Yeah, definitely isn’t the worst feeling. I’ve had a lot worse losses. My first game … was not that bad. I think we didn’t expect, necessarily, to lose — my expectations weren’t that low — but I think it’s definitely hopeful [looking ahead].
Q: I’m sure you saw the eXyu interview after Spring, so what’s your insight on how the team environment is holding up?
Denathor: It really doesn’t feel like there’s much pressure at all. I think. Everyone seems pretty hopeful. Everyone seems … not like they’re expecting to win, but like they want to win, which is good. I don’t think anyone’s going to take the loss too hard. I think we’ll just look forward.
Q: How are you feeling about your level, individually, compared to the rest of ht eLCS?
Denathor: I think I definitely have a lot to work on. I’m not at the top of the LCS by any means, but I think I will get there. I think for my debut game, it wasn’t too bad. I was a bit nervous Game 1. But I think after I shook that off, I played pretty well.
Q: You were complimented by people familiar with NACL (and, for example, SR Reven) for your shotcalling and communications skills. Is that something you’re able to use whe you’re this new to LCS, or are you still adjusting?
Denathor: I think it definitely depends. I think if I’m comfortable where I’m at and I feel good — and other factors aren’t there — I can definitely be that person. I think in the NACL Playoffs run, I was kind of just floating, and I think my comms were really good. I’m assuming he watched some of that.
I think I’ll just need a little bit more time before I can become that person in the LCS. And today I was just kind of trying to … just adapt myself to [being on stage]. It’s a very different feeling than being in the NACL.
Just being on stage, it’s like nothing else. It’s not like you’ve played there before. In NACL, you’re playing on the same setup every time. I was playing on the same setup I was playing solo queue on, 24-7. It’s just a [very] different feeling.
Q: The white noise must’ve been a lot, right? I’ve experienced it and it sucked.
Denathor: Yeah, I’ve dealt with it a couple times, so it’s not like it’s anything that new. I know some LANs I went to had the same thing. The last LAN I went to in Florida had in-ear earbuds and then over-ear white noise on top, and I got some feeling of how it was gonna be.
Definitely still new. It’s just a lot more pressure — when you know that there’s 50,000 people or so, whoever is watching, there’s a lot more pressure to think about. I think after you get a few reps, it can go away for me.
Q: You felt like you overcame it after just one game? That’s not very common.
Denathor: Definitely. I think after Game 1, I shook it off. Like Game 1, I was nervous. […] Yeah, after Game 1, I got used to the white noise in the crowd and the pressure, so I felt locked in after that.
Q: As someone who’s talked to a lot of debut rookies, that’s a pretty rare skill.
Denathor: I think it’s kind of … I’ve been dealing with a long time. Like in 2020, I think the collegiate semi-finals was the first time I played on a stage and it’d have been a bigger crowd than that one — with the same setup. It was the same stage actually. I think.
And I feel like I played really well in that series. There was no nerves. Like, we did 0-3, but I did feel like I performed very well. *laughs […] I think just getting past that won’t be my biggest difficulty, so.
Q: What’s your read on DIG’s comms? I feel like you’re such a quiet person, it’s probably quite a contrast to the 15 caffeine shot Palafox comms.
Denathor: I think you hit it pretty on the mark right now. I think Christian is very energetic. He’s always ready to make plans. Probably the most talkative on the team. And they also … all of them have a lot of experience. Any of them can really be leading the team at any point, depending on game, or the win-con, you know?
Q: Are you also a bit quieter in review for now, or is that confidence a little easier to find when you don’t have stage pressure weighing on you?
Denathor: I don’t think it’s a pressure thing at all. It’s just … I don’t feel like … There’s not enough confidence in each play. [LCS] is so much faster pace, there’s so much more going on, and there’s a lot better ideas than in Tier 2. I’m just trying to, like, figure everything out.
And once I’m confident that I know the game really well — because I do know it well, but I think these players have played so long that a lot of things we review, they’re going to know better at the start. I’m still more timid in review and on stage than I will be.
Q: Do you have any LCS players you 1v1 against to practice your lane?
Denathor: Yeah, I did do some 1v1s already. Some with Thanatos. But think I’m playing next week, [so] I won’t 1v1 him again this week. We’ll see.
Q: Prediction for the C9 series?
Denathor: For ours? 2-0 Dignitas. Maybe a 2-1. We’ll see.
Q: Yeah, you might give them a game, if you’re generous.
Denathor: Yeah.
Header Image Credit: Riot Games
