DSG Sajed: “For like the next couple of series [I’m] gonna be fasting [for Ramadan].
Q: How stressful did that series get for you guys? It felt like the team got less coordinated as it went on.
Sajed: I wouldn’t say it was stressful. I think it was quite hard to adapt to a 5 game series, like we got to the arena pretty early, I had my breakfast around 10, and I think, after Game 3, it was just a lot harder to focus.
So honestly, I think you’re probably right: We got a lot less coordinated as a team, and, in Game 4 and 5, I think bot lane was just a complete disaster. It was a lot harder to focus, because usually [in scrims], you have time for a break. You get to eat a little bit, just little snacks — I definitely wasn’t eating enough.
So maybe that’s why we got less coordinated. It just feels more tiring. […] After Game 3, I was pretty tired and, like, there’s not really a way for me to get back in shape after that. That’s kinda what I felt — I just didn’t have, like, the stamina for that, because this is my first full-5 game, even 3+ game, series.
Q: Did you feel like that exhaustion caught up to your teammates as well?
Sajed: Not sure. I was kind of just focused on myself. I think Games 4 and 5 — well, Game 4, at least — we were failing level 1. They ended up getting push, which is really bad for our game plan. The game really fell apart just because we lost push early in bot lane.
In Game 5, it was a very similar situation. Like, we should be getting push. There was a time where I got my base canceled twice — I should’ve based a wave earlier, but it was a lot harder for me to focus. Both games kind of just blew up off like the mistakes that happened from bot lane, because like they kept just living our bot jungle — we can’t make any play.
And yeah, I mean, I was just focused on myself, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you if I felt like my teammates were playing worse. I think the game kind of blew up from bot lane Games 4 and 5.
Q: Do you have a way you plan to deal with that moving into the next series you play?
Sajed: Not really. There’s not really much you can do — I think it just gets better over time, as most [problems] like this. Because I can’t really just say, like, “Oh, I want to, you know, like eat my breakfast later or get better snacks.”
It’s a mental and physical thing, but the mental thing needs to take more reps for me to deal with it better.
Q: Is there someone you’d reach out to — like a veteran — to get advice on that front?
Sajed: Probably someone from FlyQuest. But, I mean, it’s kind of irrelevant for like the next couple of series, at least, because like I’m gonna be fasting [for Ramadan]. I’m not gonna be drinking water or eating anyways.
I’ll start in four days. […] Both last year and the year before that I played my NACL finals while fasting.
Q: Can you explain Ramadan, for those who may not know?
Sajed: It’s just a sacred month. You can’t eat or drink from sunrise to sundown — that’ll be [until], like, 5:30–6:00 PM.
I guess, to some extent, I think it’s kind of a buff, gameplay-wise, when you first start playing — maybe the first couple of games — and then you definitely can feel fatigued after, so maybe we have to make it a 3-0 [against TL].
It gets a lot easier after the first week — the first week is definitely the hardest. After that, you barely feel it.
Q: How much do you know about the America’s Cup, which SEN is now headed to? Thoughts on the bootcamp prize?
Sajed: I think the prizes [are pretty cool]. I mean, first of all, I thought it’s, like, a bit of a scam that either us or Sentinels would be making Top 3. It’s kind of funny.
I mean, I wish we kinda scammed our way in, but they got it. I knew about the tournament, and I think it’s cool. The winner of the tournament gets a bootcamp, right? I was only in Korea for a couple weeks when I was on DarkZero, and I loved being there. I think the solo queue quality in NA is, like, laughable. In Korea, you can actually just play 15 games straight and it feels solid.
I would’ve loved to get to the bootcamp — obviously, you have to win the tournament as well, [but] it also would’ve been really nice to make an international in my first split. But we still have two series to win to make it.
Q: Would you consider SEN and DSG the weakest teams in playoffs, then? Are you still putting LYON above, as people expect?
Sajed: Yeah, it’s hard to say. I mean, you could power rank your teams however you want. We scrimmed every team. I think some matchups for different teams are going to go better than others.
I think, yeah, for sure, SEN and us — on paper — should be the two weakest teams. Like I said, I think it’s a little bit of a scam that either us or them were going to make the top 3. I do think LYON and TL are actually quite good, [but] I think they do have some bad matchups.
Like, I was saying that TL vs SEN is not a great matchup for Team Liquid — I mean, I’m not even just saying that because of their loss. I think just like thematically, in my head, that’s kind of how it should be playing out. And then us versus LYON, I think, on paper, should be … not the best matchup for LYON.
Q: Is that the same reason that you guys were able to beat them before?
Sajed: I think on the day they played a bit worse than normal and we played a bit better than normal. But it’s not like I think LYON would do a lot better into SEN than against us, for example. It’s just, like, how the matchups go.
Q: I’m not sure who you’re rooting for, but do you have thoughts on who’ll win between C9 and FLY?
Sajed: I think C9 is just too coordinated right now — it’s just early into the split. Personally, I don’t think C9 has any game-breaking mechanics or anything. I think they just play clean, solid League of Legends. I think they’re just really coordinated.
And like, for example, their bot lane — I don’t think of Zven as like a flashy AD carry since like 2020, 2021. Think he just plays really solid; his knowledge is really high.
I think that’s their strength. C9 have, like, this veteranship. Their knowledge is really high. They play their matchups — like, I mean, I think every bot matchup or every League matchup is kind of just solved. For example, [C9] always get to X outcome — maybe like 9 out of 10 times for matchups — and they always have a clear game plan that they can execute on.
And for FlyQuest, I think they’re kind of newer. And I don’t feel that same way — [it doesn’t feel like], for them, are solved. Personally, I’m rooting for FlyQuest. You know, they’re like my second favorite team after us, obviously — but I do think C9 has a small edge.
Q: Do you have a read of which bot lanes are strongest right now, in lane and out?
Sajed: I think most bot lanes are pretty on par right now. I think for me, Massu is by far the best AD — probably even the best player in the league right now.
Q: Wow. No bias?
Sajed: I mean, like, he has to play with Cryogen and he’s looking good. For sure, he’s just the best AD.
I think Zven-Vulcan, they’re good, [but] like I said, I don’t feel anything, like, flashy from them. They just know how the bot matchups go — they play them well. Solid.
I think Berserker’s really insane, but I feel like he’s kind of holding back. […] Like he wants to play a lot more aggressive than he’s playing. That’s how it feels, for whatever reason. I’m not, like, psychoanalyzing [him], so I don’t know. He’s just being a little more pass
I’m not like psychoanalyzing him, I don’t know. He’s just being a little bit more passive than I feel like he [wants to be], for whatever reason.
But yeah, for me, most bot lanes are very similar. I think every AD in the league is solid. I don’t think you can look at the League and say, “Oh, there’s a clear noob bot lane.” I think some supports are shakier in lane than others, but, for the most part, most bot lanes are very similar. That’s just my take on it.
Q: Any final message for DSG fans?
[Editor’s Note: At the time of the interview, we couldn’t confirm DSG’s opponent.]
Sajed: We don’t know who we’re playing against, right? If we’re against LYON, it’ll be most likely a repeat of last time.
If we’re against TL, it’s gonna be a very bloody series — definitely bloodier than today. I’m excited for it.
Header Image Credit: Riot Games
