DSG eXyu: “I think the form [C9] showed against SR was pretty poor, and I don’t think SR is that good.”

Q: You said you’ve got chances against C9. Is it hope or is it cope?

eXyu: Honestly, no. I think the form they showed against SR was pretty poor, and I don’t think SR is that good. So, maybe a little bit of cope, but it’s not like before when [it was] a ridiculous amount of cope — I think they’re definitely beatable now. 

Q: You’re one of the few pros who predicted 100 Thieves to beat Lyon, where does this team evaluation come from? 

eXyu: Lyon is [still] good. The thing is the bottom four teams have definitely leveled up a lot. And I do think Lyon is really solid, and the gap between the top four and the bottom four is pretty whatever.

But I think 100T in their form, like, I think River is much better than Oddie. Quid and Saint — I think Saint is a little bit better. I think the Lyon bot lane is worse than the 100T bot lane. And I think top is like… I don’t know, actually. Dhoka versus Srtty is kinda whatever.

Q: DSG won their first BO5, you’ve never won one before in Tier 1, no?

eXyu: That was the first [winning] BO5. I’ve only played two BO5s, and the first one I got swept by TL. 

Q: So it’s the first BO5 win for your entire topside?

eXyu:  I think it’s for everyone except Jae [huhi]. Rahel got knocked out in the first round in playoffs [in LEC]. They were first seed going in, but then they got knocked out in the first round. And he got benched. 

Q: How does it feel to prove yourself in Tier 1?

eXyu: It feels great, especially against DIG. I think for me and DARKWINGS, it’s like we felt pretty overlooked.

Especially for DARKWINGS, honestly, I feel worse for him than I do for myself. He had a decent first split in Academy back in 2022 when I played with him, and then they just kinda took him out for no reason. And I feel like he really struggled to get back into tier 2 and back into the official LA scene, and I’m so happy he’s back. And I’m so happy we got to beat the team that overlooked him. 

Q: It wasn’t just Dignitas, none of the teams seemed to respect DSG’s potential this year.

eXyu: I think the thing is when you switch carries, a lot can change.

And I think one of the biggest things that I had to come to terms with — because after the second split, I was pretty lost and really low on confidence — is when you don’t feel confident in winning any games and nothing is actually working, you kinda lose how to play the game correctly, and you just start trying everything. And everything doesn’t work, so then you have no idea how to play the game anymore. 

But now that we have more stable carries, I think there’s a sense of, “We’re actually solid, so I can play the game like a human and we’ll win if the game is even.” But before, it was like, even if we’re 5k, 6k ahead, we don’t feel like we could win. Like, we’d feel like we need a miracle to win. 

Q: You’re putting a lot of focus on stability, but it feels like you play much riskier, right?

eXyu: I think every team needs an x factor. One of the things I can praise Rahel for is he’s the most stable AD carry I’ve ever played with. Like, he doesn’t really make many mistakes, and I think he always puts himself in positions to carry.

So I feel like it gives me a lot of confidence to actually look for good engages, and I think that’s what makes our team special. 

I’m just feeling myself sometimes, honestly, and I just go for it. I think it’s probably not the best thing, but who knows?

Q: DARKWINGS said you two get in the most trouble for the dramatic plays. Are the veterans reminding you to lock in?

eXyu: Not really. I mean, mostly, it’s just huhi. He’s kinda like the dad of the team. He’s making sure everyone doesn’t tweak out too much. But he also puts a lot of pressure on me to look for good angles, so I think there’s just a balance to it. Sometimes I get it right, and sometimes I don’t. That I’m still working on.

Q: Do you have a message for Toast? He was so excited to watch you guys win.

eXyu: Shout out Toast. I know it’s been a rough year. I’m really glad that he ended up making changes.With this roster, I hope you can see that we have some real potential, and he can keep rooting for us. 

Q: How much preparation is being done for the relegation tournament? 

eXyu: I think right now, it’s still too early.

Obviously, we’re aware of who the top contenders are for relegation, but we’re not, like, watching their games and studying how they draft or any of that stuff. I think right now, it’s still about focusing on ourselves. I think if we could level our play up enough to, let’s say, contest C9 — or potentially beat C9 — then I think we won’t have to worry as much about who we’re playing against and more about how we’re playing as a team.

Q: How does the team atmosphere compare from the beginning of the year compared to now?

eXyu: Last split when we scrimmed FlyQuest, it was just, “Fuck my life. This is a scheduled 0-6 day.” And to be honest, there’s not even that much to learn because people are just getting out-laned and, like, the game doesn’t even really ever start for us, you know? We were already cooked from the beginning. 

Whereas now, it’s not like we’re super excited that we’re taking games off FlyQuest — we’re still mad at ourselves because we’re getting in really good positions against FlyQuest. And, like, sometimes we close it and sometimes we don’t, but there’s a lot to learn from it. 

Q: Where do you see yourself among the junglers left in the tournament, considering our jungler pool is so strong?

eXyu: I think Inspired is best jungler of the league. And then there’s, like, Contractz on a good day and Blaber on a good day on a kind of, like, A tier, I guess. And then below that, I genuinely think it’s pretty even.

Q: You wouldn’t put River on a good day?

eXyu: Well, River on a good day is… he’s just a funny guy, honestly. He’s funny as a human, and he’s funny as a player. So, like, maybe. River on a good day is also A tier, but his good days have been very limited recently.

I think below that, like, everyone is pretty even. Yuuji, Oddie… like, who else is there? I don’t even know. But everyone else.

Q: Do you have any final message for DSG fans ahead of the next matches?

eXyu: Keep cheering for us. We’re gonna keep working hard and try to win. And if we beat C9, I hope Toast is super happy and we get to celebrate, and then we gotta lock in and try to make Worlds. 

Q: What’s the party you’re gonna throw if you beat C9? What’s the DSG party gonna be?

eXyu: You know, today on the drive to the match, I was listening to Kobe Bryant motivational speech (forty minute version) and he said, “Don’t rest in the middle. Rest at the end.” So, you know, there will be no party if we beat C9, but there will be if we qualify for Worlds.

Transcription help from @midjglsynergy