ROCCAT.flyy: "Our aim is to finish top three"

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The Polish team surprised everyone and managed to deny Alliance a top 3 finish during their debut. Instead, ROCCAT convincingly disposed of the current LCS frontrunners and comfortably finished the Spring split in third place behind SK Gaming and Fnatic. The break, however, has taken its toll on the team and they have had a rather shaky start of the EU LCS Summer campaign.

Tomislav 'flyy' Mihailov took the time to answer our questions during the team's visit to the Wembley Arena in London. From the rocky start, through the aims and goals of the team and management, to finally revealing what the future holds for the talented Polish bunch.

A familiar face here in London is ROCCAT’s manager flyy. Greetings flyy, we’ll jump straight into the questions - how does ROCCAT find the Wembley Arena and how is London treating you?

The experience so far has been refreshing. The venue and crowd are terrific and hopefully, with the current development rate in eSports, next year we’ll move from Wembley Arena to the Wembley Stadium. A truly unique event and what surprised me most was that the British fans brought their football spirit to the venue - non-stop chants and singing. An amazing atmosphere.

The team has had its ups and downs in the Summer split, so what’s actually happening? Will we see the Polish machine back in full force?

Initially, our coach, Veggie was gone and we did take a small break between the splits which can be attributed to our early season form. In addition, the new meta is kind of tricky so it did take us some time to adjust, but as Veggie has returned, we are on our way to a full comeback. I do think we would need just a bit more time to regain momentum, but from then on it’s back with the ROCCAT you all know and love.

We are already half-way through the Summer split. What is ROCCAT’s plan for the last six weeks? What will be the coaching staff’s main focus?

As stated earlier, momentum and confidence in our own play are key. I believe we proved that we are one of the toughest teams out there with our performance last split. Right now, we are on a four-game winning streak and in week six we will be facing frontrunners SK and Alliance. If we win one of our matches next week, I firmly stand by my guns that we will make a strong late-split showing.

What are your aims for the Summer split? After a third place Spring finish and a convincing win against Alliance, expectations must be high for both your regular season finish and the playoffs?

Last season we really wanted to prove ourselves so our realistic aim was to simply show that we can be a skilled LCS team. The third place finish was a great way to reap the results of our hard work. This time our aim is to finish top three and of course, attend the Season 4 World Finals. We want to show that we have what it takes to represent Europe at the highest competitive level.

Does Overpow remain the main dynamo behind the Polish squad? Is the team reliant on him to step-up and lead the charge?

On the one hand, one cannot deny Overpow’s contribution to the team. On the other hand, I believe every single member of the team has improved tremendously since the Spring split. You have seen what impact Jankos has had with his plays and how he can turn the tides of the game with a single gank. Every person on ROCCAT can be a great player in his own right, but the coordination and unity makes them a team.

You finished top three last split so entering that area once again is definitely not outside the realm of possibilities. Who is your scariest opponent among the top - SK, Alliance or Fnatic?

At the moment - Alliance. They’re on a winning streak, they also posses the mechanical ability and the confidence to try out anything regardless of the foe they are facing. In addition, the issues in communication seem to have been fully solved. The team is currently flexing their muscles and showing that they are among the very best in the region.

Just to wrap-up, a question in the spirit of the World Cup - who will win the tournament?

The Netherlands. I think the final is going to be Netherlands versus Germany. Brazil also has a chance, but my bet is on the Europeans.

The final words are yours.

First and foremost, I would like to thank ROCCAT and AMD for their support and trust. Next up is the absolutely amazing crowd here at the Wembley Arena in London which could not stop cheering. Last, but not least, a big thank you to all the ROCCAT fans out there who believe in us and proudly wave the ROCCAT flag. What surprised me was the overwhelming support we received on our social media despite the rocky start of the Summer split and instead of shunning us, they motivated us even further to keep pushing. A sincere thank you to all of you and I can proudly say that we are doing all in our power to make you all proud!