Interview With Crownie From LEC Spring 2023: Discussing BDS, Their Goals, And More

Team BDS continues to surprise European fans with their dominance during the LEC Spring split. With two wins against SK Gaming & KOI, the team has qualified for the LEC playoffs for the first time in the organization’s history and the dreams for MSI 2023 qualification continue.

Following the win against SK Gaming, Team BDS’ AD Carry JuÅ¡ “Crownie” MaruÅ¡ič joined BLIX to discuss the different versions of BDS, their goals, and more.

Crownie, Image: Michal Konkol/Riot Games

Yohan Markov, BLIX.GG: Hi Crownie, great game against SK and a clean 2-0. To start off, what were your thoughts on both games?

Crownie: We expected what they would do and responded well both in the draft and in the game. We had lead trough laning and played around the dragons very well. We stacked the dragon soul for two games, which helped us win key fights and the games.

BLIX: Do you think the teamplay was the biggest difference?

Crownie: I think we just expected what they would do and our scrims have been going pretty well. It’s a combination of a lot of things. We played the early game well, the ganks were good and overall it was pretty decent, besides me dying in the first game for fun… I should have kept my KDA (laughs).

BLIX: It’s your first bo3 win in the playoffs as last split Team BDS struggled and lost both of their series. What have you learned from the previous experience that wouldn’t allow that to happen again?

Crownie: I would say that we read the meta wrong in the Winter split. We went away from what worked for us and I can’t go into many details but a lot of people could see it. The way we drafted in the Astralis series was a bit weird, not what we are good at. We all talked after and realized what was the issue. Also, we were very hungry for the Spring split.

Honestly, I don’t know if we expected to finish 7-2, and a lot of people said that we didn’t deserve our wins, but I can see an improvement from the last split. It’s true that some teams threw games against us, but I would say we are way better compared to the Winter split.

BLIX: Your next opponent will be the winner of G2 Esports and KOI (KOI won that series), who would you like to face more from those two and who do you think would be a better opponent for you?

Crownie: I think we will face G2, they are a stronger team and they are one of the top teams in the league, if not the best. Obviously, KOI will be a better match-up but in the end, we see what will happen and prepare.

My expectation is G2, we already played them in Spring and took a game off them while they were in pretty good form, but we’ll see.

Sheo & Crowny. Image: Michal Konkol/Riot Games

BLIX: Anything is possible…

Crownie: That’s what I’m saying this year. Maybe it’s the new format or the direction league is going, but it does feel like it’s a lot about how you gel as a team and how you click together.

BLIX: Talking about BDS, you said you have a better read on the meta and we are seeing a lot of growth from you as a team. Do you think this is mostly because of the experience gained and staying on the same roster from the Winter split?

Crownie: I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. More experience on the rookies and taking better conclusions. Another thing is the chemistry, the team, and us being in a pretty good relationship with each other. We can take and give criticism openly and we are open-minded about a lot of things.

It was not this way in the other teams I was in. I am listened to and people listen to my input and that feels nice. I have a very strong opinion on the drafts and how the game should be played, so it feels nice that they let me do my thing.

BLIX: You are a big LCK enthusiast. So tell me, what do you think about Gen.G beating T1?

Crownie: I woke up and I knew that Gen.G won the first game. I was half sleeping and thinking: “No way it’s 2:0”. When T1 won the third game, I thought they might reverse sweep, but for sure it’s a crazy upset. Insane performance from Peyz in his rookie split and by the Gen.G solo lanes, I think they played insane.

I am very happy for Gen.G because I was there briefly as a streamer and their CEO Arnold is probably one of the nicest people I met in esports and I am happy for him for achieving back-to-back split wins.

People forget how significant is that sometimes, as all the talk in Korea is about T1, but I think they have a lot of insane players and teams.

BLIX: Is he somebody that you would really want to meet on the international stage?

Crownie: For sure, but I feel like I would want to meet a lot of players. Peyz, Gumayusi, Ruler, Viper, there are so many good AD carries in the LPL as well.

There are so many good Eastern AD Carries and their fundamentals are insane. There is always something you can learn and it’s inspiring for me. I always believed I could be among the best and it’s always good to have people to look up to.

You can get new ideas about situations in the game, picks, etc. I remember in 2019 I was watching Teddy’s Ezreal and I thought he was the best in the World. The way he played the champion blew my mind with how good he was.

BLIX: I see you are really excited to play internationally so I imagine this is something on the back of your mind now. Which team would you like to meet the most if you do make it to MSI?

Crownie: Honestly, I would like to play against Gen.G because of the personal relationship. The thought of playing at MSI is definitely in the back of my mind, but our first goal was to show that we can win in the bo3, and we will have to take it series by series.

Obviously, qualifying is not easy because we messed up in Winter, but we have to show good games. Making it to MSI or not is the end of the world, there is still summer split and Worlds qualifications, but we are focusing on getting the most experience possible.

For sure it would be insane to make it and to play against players of that caliber. It would be a big honor for me.

Thinking of where I was one year ago, at certain periods I thought that I would retire or that I won’t find a team. I was in a very bad place mentally, but I am thankful to BDS for giving me the chance to prove myself.

It’s very funny to me how things change, even in one or half a year. I am thankful to the organization and everyone from the staff and the management.

Read more: VIT Carter: “We have a long way to go as a team and a lot of room to improve. We know that.”

BLIX: As a last question, what are your thought on the current AD Carry role and the meta-shifting to different champions now?

Crownie: For me the meta is comfortable and it’s shifting to hyper carries such as Jinx and Aphelions, who I enjoy playing. The meta always goes in cycles, because of the buffs and nerfs. In winter it was more about utility with Varus and Jhin, but now it’s going to hyper carries, which is the playstyle I enjoy the most.

I would say the role is pretty strong in competitive now, as the team plays around you, and I am really enjoying it right now.