G2 Hans Sama: “It’s gonna be fun playing against my former teammate Inspired.”

Q: After losing to BLG, Dylan said there was a real possibility you could lose to GenG. You knew GenG was your most likely first opponent after play-ins. What do you think, and how are you feeling after losing? 

Hans Sama: It feels bad to lose this one because I think they got us a lot. […] I don’t think we did that well for the soft scenarios in some of the games that made us quite far behind, and I thought that GenG is a very special team. 

I feel like […] they freeze a lot [of] their lanes. Almost every lane. […] Maybe you could say it’s a weird way of playing the game, but they play for a lot of small advantages, and they play the game slow. And knowing that, I think we still got outsmarted, rather than maybe outmechanic-ed.

I think when you see the two last games, it was more us taking bad decisions that made the map very, very bad. And from there, it’s very easy for them to play, and they are good at keeping that pressure. […]

When I’m playing the game, it’s very obvious to see that they keep the map pressure very well. If they got it once in [the] early game, then they could keep it for a long time. So, that was impressive to play against.

It feels bad because it feels like we could’ve won more games. We won the first game very convincingly, and we thought that [if we] just replicate what we did in Game 1, it’ll be good.

But yeah, I think they were smarter on some of the shots.

Q: People have been critical of G2 lately. How would you rate your performance and your team’s throughout this tournament?

Hans Sama: I mean, I think we showed some nice stuff. Also bad stuff, obviously. When we get control of the game, we are able to stomp. For example, this Game 1 – really knowing what to play for and stuff. 

The other games were a bit more bad, on my personal performance. I think I’m not too happy in this tournament. I don’t think I am really… clutching it through.

And I think, as a team, I don’t think we are showing the full potential of what we can show. And this stuff in the game that we may not have [done so well], like some micro stuff. 

Q: In the lower bracket, you’ll face the loser of tomorrow’s AL vs. FLY match, and FlyQuest is expected to win. Tell me what you think about that matchup.

Hans Sama: Like I said, FlyQuest is a very strong team, and AL as well. I feel like if FlyQuest can manage to play around how aggressive AL plays, maybe there’s a chance for them to win for sure. In this meta, I feel like there’s always a chance that people can win. Especially [since] it’s fearless, it’s a bit unpredictable.

I would opt more towards AL winning, because they showed very solid performances in LPL and the way they fight together. The teamfight[ing] is very nice, and the main phase is strong as well. 

But yeah, we’ve seen FlyQuest doing some nice stuff against international teams the previous year. So, there’s a chance they can win.

Q: How do you feel about the FLY matchup? 

Hans Sama: Oh, for FlyQuest? Yeah, well, it’s gonna be fun playing against my former teammate Inspired. 

Q: Do you guys talk much, or did you while you were in NA?

Hans Sama: Just leaving a text here and here, but not that much. I remember that we obviously talked way more when we were back at Rogue. 

Rogue … it’s been a while. It would be four years ago. Fun memories.

It’s gonna be fun to face off against him. […] We met, I feel like, a few times [in NA]. But not too much. 

Q: How do you feel about the FlyQuest bot lane? They’re supposed to be the NA saviors. 

Hans Sama: I think they are talented, for sure. I feel like their progress from the first year they played towards the time they played internationally was, I would say, impressive. Because you could see improvement, obviously, from that side in the bot lane. So, I think they are good — I think they are good at playing aggressive, as well. 

Q: You finished playins two days ago, and you’ll be facing the loser of AL vs. FLY in three. How does the pace of the tournament feel for you and the team, and how are you adjusting to it? 

Hans Sama: It’s for sure a lot of games that we are playing, and it’s very fast paced. Not really used to it, but we do our best to get to rest and shape up our plan in a very fast manner.

Usually, you have more time to shape up [and] practice a bit, but we have to decide very fast what we’re gonna play, you know. It was like that for the three best of fives. I personally feel like you need to keep up with the amount of best of fives and the pressure. 

Well, I’m not sure yet when we’re gonna play exactly, but [it’s] gonna be pretty soon. It’s gonna be exciting. 

Q: Last year, Yike, told me about Caps singing Katy Perry songs to hype everyone up. Any fun stories from Vancouver that could lift G2 fans’ spirits? 

Hans Sama: Fun stories…? There’s some fun stories that you are not able to share to the public, but, yeah, I mean, there’s been some fun stuff I can’t really mention, sadly. But this trip has been fun, being with the team. Sorry. *laughs*

Q: You guys seem to get along super well. After a loss like this, does having people you like and get along with help reset your mental?

Hans Sama: I think, yeah, it’s very nice to be around this group of people. We are all very nice people […] It’s very helpful when we lose, to be able to speak to each other and back each other up.

For sure, there’s always this individual aspect of your own expectations to do well. For sure, it’s just gonna be there. But having such a nice group of guys around helps to lift the mood up, the pressure up. So, yeah, I’m very grateful to be around these guys, truly.

Q: Do you predict a stomp against FlyQuest? Will you 3-0 them? Any message for the G2 fans?

Hans Sama: I think it might be 3-2, AL. For FlyQuest? Well, I could go 3-0.