LYON Srtty: “I think that Sniper has a higher ceiling than Dhokla […] Sniper needs to figure his stuff out.”
Q: Is the eventual end of your time with LYON demotivating because of what happened with DIG?
Srtty: I was ready to just throw in the towel, basically, when I was going into the costreaming thing. So if anything, this isn’t demotivating — it’s another opportunity. It’s a chance for me to make a case for myself.
That’s all it needs to be. This spot is Zamudo’s. He earned it. He deserves it. I’m here to help the team, and they’re also giving me an opportunity [to prove myself].
So I’m very happy that they’re giving me this opportunity. But at the end of the day, regardless of how well I play, I think Zamudo should have the spot. It’s his. I’m just happy I can be here for the time that I am.
Q: Does the chance of earning an LTA spot from your performance put extra pressure on you?
Srtty: It doesn’t stress me out at all. I think it’s fun. I have nothing else to do. It’s like … what is there to be stressed about?
I already went through the whole mental process of being like, “Oh my god. I fucked it up. It’s GG.” And now, […] it’s still currently GG — so, like what does it matter?
Q: You already thought you were done with competition, basically?
Srtty: I thought that there was a chance that I could return, but I wasn’t gonna play in Tier 1 unless they gave me the bag.
Q: You were compared to Sniper as an anticipated top laner who ended up underperforming on stage. What do you think about Dhokla stepping in as a sixth man for 100 Thieves?
Srtty: I already know. […] Actually, when I saw his face in game two [versus FlyQuest], I thought he cried between games.
Q: Similar feeling to DIG?
Srtty: I can understand where he’s at. I think that it’s really, really tough for him. And I don’t know how you get out of that headspace when you’re in the moment. The only way that I was able to was I took that month and I played solo queue, and I regained my confidence because I was making my own decisions and winning, making my own decisions. And I proved to myself that I’m good [after DIG]. I had the time to rely only on myself and build my confidence back up, but it’s really hard to do when you’re in the middle of a split, I think.
I think bringing in Dhokla as a six man as a mistake, by the way.
Q: Because it only hurts his confidence more?
Srtty: Yeah. I think it’s a terrible idea. I’m sorry.
Like, I love you, Dhokla, but you’re not going to be the reason they win the league. 100 Thieves with Dhokla, it’s not going to change anything. I think it just makes matters worse. […] I think if Sniper can’t get out of this rut, the team is just gonna lose. I think Dhokla will hold his own — [he’ll] be fine, but that’s not good enough in my opinion.
Q: The rest of 100T are individually highly rated. Even if they can’t make Worlds, isn’t the chance of ending a higher seed worth it?
Srtty: I mean, if you’re talking about the difference between ending sixth place and fourth place, there might be a change. I can’t say, we’re just speculating here. You know? It’s hard to actually tell.
I don’t wanna knock on Dhokla or anything or say anything bad about him, but I don’t know. I think that Sniper has a higher ceiling than Dhokla. And if the team wants actual success, in the short term, Sniper needs to figure his stuff out. And if he can’t, then I think that the team won’t win.
But I could be wrong. And if I’m wrong, then congratulations to them — I’m not gonna be upset. I’m happy for them if I’m wrong. But I think 100T are broken. You know?
Q: Have you thought about your offseason plans?
Srtty: I don’t think the whole subbing in for scrims thing is very useful. I think that during the off season period, I’m just gonna stream a lot because I think that in this era of esports, your personal brand is really important. I wanna continue working on that. As for playing tier one in the future, I’m just gonna make the best showing that I can in this split with Lyon for as long as I play. And then after that, I’m gonna be streaming, and I’m going to be interacting with the community who still supports me.
Q: Do you think people are more accepting of rookies who don’t succeed at first these days? A lot of people seem to understand what went wrong with your DIG debut — can that be a way back to Tier 1?
Srtty: If it does, it’s great. I don’t think I’ve earned my way back in yet. I mean, obviously, I kinda smashed Impact today.
I think that makes a good case because Impact isn’t playing the best right now, but he is considered the best NA top laner ever, I think, by most people. And so I think that that’s good. I hope that I can make a case [for] getting back in. If I get back in for a reason like that, it is what it is. […]
I mean, I believe skill-wise, I’m good enough to play LTA. I know that I am. But if the results don’t show that — which, let’s be honest, last split, they didn’t — then it’s nobody’s fault but my own.
The environment can be bad, but nobody’s going up to me and taking my mouse away from me, you know? If I want to be the best competitor, I need to be able to deal with whatever is thrown at me.
That’s why in the video [with DIG], I said I’m really upset that I didn’t just trust myself, and I didn’t just play the game how I wanted to play it.
That’s not to flame teammates or flame anybody like that — I agreed to do what I did, and I regretted that because I know now that it was the wrong decision. That’s my fault. That’s me taking accountability for that. […] Nobody forced me to do anything.
