League of Legends
Just as Fnatic has been a part of the LEC for a long time, Marek "Humanoid" Brázda has been a part of the League of Legends professional stage since 2015. He's seen many teams come and go and is still fighting for a chance to fight on the international stage, at MSI or Worlds.
As Fnatic are currently climbing the tall mountain that is the Winter Playoffs in hopes of beating G2 and claiming a golden ticket to MSI, we spoke with him after their series victory against SK Gaming about playing on stage, the power level of LEC and who can surprise you the most during the draft (Spoiler: It's G2.)
Aykut Sapaz, BLIX.GG: Hello Humanoid, thank you so much for your time, for being here, and congratulations on beating SK to advance further in the playoffs. Before I talk about how the series went, I want to ask: You've been on the stage for so long, you've played all sorts of Bo1s, Bo3s, Bo5s, how does it feel to switch between those?
Humanoid: I mean, I think for sure Bo3s or Bo5s are more fun and just better in general than Bo1s because you can always lose a Bo1, even against the worst team, but it's kind of hard to lose if you're better at a Bo3 or Bo5. You have more chances to win if you're better, so I enjoy it more.
BLIX: I'm glad to hear that. And you've been on the stage for so long, does it still have the same excitement?
Humanoid: I mean, I used to be a lot more excited back when I was starting, and now I've been here for a very long time so it's kind of normal for me. I don't really get excited about playing on stage that much unless it's like Worlds or something. In that case I still get really excited, or if it's the finals of LEC, then that's exciting. But just normal best of ones or a best of three like this, it's not really that exciting.
BLIX: It feels like more of the same, I assume.
Humanoid: Yeah.
Playing on stage is a new, frightening experience for some, but after 9 years, it wouldn’t have the same feeling. Image by Michal Konkol/Riot Games.BLIX: And you know, this series was no different for you, you guys won, although it was a bit rough. How do you think the series went, in your opinion?
Humanoid: I think both teams played really bad. I think in the second game, we just had a way better draft as well. Third game, I think as well, but I think we also played better. It's just they had a fed Rumble in the last game, and we just needed to deal with that, and everyone else on their team was kind of useless.
BLIX: Did you expect the draft to go the way it did, or were you expecting a tougher draft?
Humanoid: We kind of expected it. Well, everything that they picked, we knew they would pick, so there were no surprises.
BLIX: Does that happen to the same amount to each team, or do you know how one team is going to do more than other teams? Like, do you know this specific team will do this specific thing more compared to other teams?
Humanoid: I think, for sure, there are teams that play more random picks, like G2, for example, and there are teams that usually just play a lot of the same stuff, like SK and BDS. I think they just play the same champions over and over, and I don't think any strategy is better than the other. I think both are completely fine, but I guess it's easier to draft against the ones that don't play the pocket picks.
BLIX: Where do you, as Fnatic, think you land on that spectrum?
Humanoid: We mostly play just meta. We don't really have any crazy pocket picks, yet. Maybe next week, but who knows? So far, we just play it standard.
I don’t even know who you are
BLIX: I'm excited to see what the Fnatic kitchen is cooking. And speaking of next week, you guys are first to play against MAD, whom you've previously played and beaten. Do you think that will help you or them more, having the first experience?
Humanoid: I think it will help us more because we are more confident now, probably more than them. Since we already won against them once, they should be kind of scared.
BLIX: I've heard that, because you guys are now kind of like competitors, kind of like rivals, that you've faced up against each other so much. Does that affect anything when you're playing each other, like revenge, ambition? Does that exist in that context?
Humanoid: For me, not really. I don't really see them as rivals. We played them three times, so yeah, that's not really enough to make them rivals to us or have some personal rivalry.
BLIX: Does having that [rivalry] help or hurt you in your experience?
Humanoid: I've never really had any rivalry with any team, so I can't really say, but I would imagine that it would help if you really want to beat some team because you hate them or whatever, then I think you will play better.
BLIX: That's great to hear. I guess hopefully we'll see more rivalries in the future, it makes for great content. And gameplay wise, you guys are on a streak, but other teams are also playing very well right now# especially G2. Where do you think the power standard is in the LEC compared to last year or the year before?
Humanoid: I would say that it's pretty much the same. I think G2 looks better than the other teams so far, but I think they can lose as well. And I think the top, there's like a top four, top five who are kind of similar in strength, and then there's, I think, the bottom four are a lot worse. But I think it was kind of always like this.
BLIX: So, it's like three tiers: G2, the good ones, and then the rest.
Humanoid: Yeah, I guess.
Dread it, run from it, Asian teams arrive all the same
BLIX: I mean, it’s interesting to see because we see all this fighting in the LEC, within the teams and on the international stage the results are more or less the same, including G2. Do you think that will change this year?
Humanoid: I don’t think that will change. I think Asian teams are really far ahead and anyone who is watching the leagues can kind of tell that they’re just a lot better. So, you know… But there’s still a chance, it’s just the same as every year, I would say.
BLIX: I knew it was coming but I had to ask.
Humanoid: Yeah.
BLIX: Are there any teams you would like to face or any players if you go to MSI?
Humanoid: I would like to play against Gen.G because I never really played against Chovy, and he's hyped as the best mid in the world, and I think he's really insane. So, yeah, I've never got the chance to play him at any Worlds yet, so I would like to play him.
Fnatic fans take the stage by storm whenever their team is on. Image by Wojciech Wandzel/Riot GamesBLIX: Hopefully we'll see that happen this year. Do you have a final message for the fans who are very excited to see Fnatic doing well and approaching G2 in the league?
Humanoid: Yeah, I want to thank all the fans for supporting us. There were a lot of them in the studio today, and it felt really good. It felt really good that we had so many fans. Hopefully, there will be even more of them next week.
BLIX: Hopefully. Well, thank you so much for your time, and good luck in your future match against MDK.
Humanoid: Thank you.
After being eliminated in the Swiss stage of Worlds 2023, Humanoid and the rest of Fnatic, with Jun as the newest part of the roster, have been fighting tooth and nail to get back to the top. With a 5-4 finish in the regular season and a win against MDK, they were ready to face the current top team of the league, G2.
However, they lost their series against G2 despite taking a game off of them. Now, they have beaten SK in the losers bracket and will face MDK for a chance at a rematch with G2, and we will see what the second round will look like.
