FNC Razork: “I feel we need to improve us as a team only. Everyone is very good as individual. But there is a lack of synergy, lack of confidence/trust on each other.”

With a win against Team BDS, the black-and-orange titans of LEC have broken their loss streak heading into the last two weeks of the league. The win they got today is an important one; with a league that is going to come down to the cards, Fnatic need every win, every kill, every minion that will put them ahead in the race for the playoff spots. We spoke with Fnatic’s jungler Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz about their recent struggles, which LEC teams will make Worlds and his heartfelt message to the fans.

Aykut “Kots” Sapaz, BLIX.GG: Welcome, thank you so much for your time.I wanted to ask about the 5 game loss streak, because I know Fnatic is a successful team that usually doesn’t have a long loss streak. So how was the motivation before this match? How was your mood throughout the last few weeks?

Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz: I mean, when we were in a good position, we were like 5-2, I felt like everyone kind of accepted by themselves, like, we were going to make playoffs no matter what, right? And then we started losing and losing. Even though I feel like our gameplay wasn’t too bad, we couldn’t get the wins. So it started getting a little bit shaky. I mean, I think right now we are in a tough situation, where we just need to not drop any games if we want to make playoffs because the standings are really close. So yeah, that’s a lot of pressure. But I think we are capable of reverting the situation. And yeah, the win against BDS today is the beginning.

BLIX: What do you think you need to improve on most as a team or as an individual?

Razork: I feel we need to improve us as a team only. Everyone is very good as individual. But there is a lack of synergy, lack of confidence/trust on each other. It’s sometimes hard to synchronise plays on the map or just feels like we are maybe not on the same page sometimes. So we actually need to improve on that.

BLIX: Has this happened before? Or is it a new thing that’s happening for some reason?

Razork: It has happened before, but- When you are having issues but are in a pretty comfortable spot, then you actually have time to fix it. But if you are having this issue when you are actually not secured to make playoffs and you don’t have a lot of time, it’s like quite hard to actually focus on that. You just need to make sure you get the wins, no matter what, and then when you have more time, you have to actually fix these issues. But yeah, I feel like this issue has been happening for a decent amount of time.

BLIX: So when you guys are in the more comfortable spot, you think that you can start working on this issue. Do you think by the time LEC ends, will you be ready for Worlds if you make it there? To face off against international teams?

Razork: For sure, I feel like if in the situation we are in right now, we actually come stronger than ever. We keep getting the wins, we qualify for playoffs, and then we actually qualify for Worlds, then I think we can be a really strong team. Because if this happens, that means that we improved a lot as a team, and we fix our issues.

BLIX: I mean, this year LEC has four spots for Worlds and a very close league so it looks like anyone can make it to Worlds. Who do you think will be there? I know we’re a bit far away from that, but what would your predictions be?

Razork: Yeah, if I would say, I would say MAD Lions. I will say G2. I will say uh, I will say us because I like to believe. [The last spot] is between Rogue or Vitality.

BLIX: So you think Excel doesn’t have a shot?

Razork: I think Excel, they’re actually good, but I’m not sure. Like, it’s so hard to actually say, right? I actually think that Vitality, Excel, and Rogue, they’re actually good teams, but some team has to get out, right? Not everyone can make it. If I will guess I will actually guess that Vitality makes it to Worlds.

BLIX: So MAD, G2, Fnatic and Vitality. We’ll see what happens in the upcoming weeks. Are you excited about going to Malmö if possible?

Razork: Actually, yeah, I think I would actually like to play in an offline event, and it will be finals. So yeah, I mean, honestly, my dream is to actually play in a big stadium for the LEC final and win it. That will be like my goal at the moment, then talking about Worlds is like a different page, right? First, I need to make it to there. I’d actually need to make it to LEC final because the farthest I went was semi-final last split.

BLIX: We’ll see. I hope you achieve your dream the split. Is there anything else you want to add for the Fnatic fans who are now hopeful that you’ve broken out of this loss streak?

Razork: Yeah, I would actually like to tell them that I know it might be frustrating to see your team losing and not delivering the results that everyone wants to see. From my side, I will say that I’m actually trying my best, my hardest to shift the situation and to actually make you all proud of the team and make myself proud of the performance we are doing as a team.

I would like to say also, thank you for supporting us. I’ve been reading a lot of messages from you guys, supporting me, supporting the team. And yeah, I hope we can save the situation, go back to playoffs. I feel like everyone from Fnatic wants to see us lifting the trophy, right? We also want to lift the trophy. Hopefully we can achieve that. I just wanted to let you know that I’m doing all I can. I’m just living my soul here in the Rift.

BLIX: And that’s the dream for a player, I assume. Thank you so much. And hopefully we’ll see you on the big stage for the final. And thank you for your time.

Feature image: Riot Games