Closer: Golden Guardians has proved it's not a "10th-place team"

Olivia Richman Published 26/01/2020

The Golden Guardians may have lost their first match of the Spring Split yesterday, but that didn’t stop Can “Closer” Çelik from enjoying his debut on the LCS Arena stage. The Turkish player shined in his jungler role, giving the team’s fans hope that there are better things to come for the underdog team.

Closer sat down with WIN.gg to talk about his goals for the 2020 season, his favorite Turkish food, and what he thinks will happen when he finally faces off against Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik.

Were you nervous going into the match today?

Closer: No. I was just excited to play. Even though I’m coming from a small region, I didn’t feel nervous. I just wanted to play.

You were winning the jungle matchup the whole game. What do you think was giving you an edge over Meteos?

We had a better plan as a team. I just punished his mistakes so I got really ahead in the game.

100 Thieves got the baron steal right at the very end, which ended up deciding the game. Do you feel that because you were ahead, your team got too comfortable?

No. We just made the wrong call. We shouldn’t really go 50/50 when the enemy jungler is alive. We should have just engaged on them and fought them. We played pretty bad there. So they closed the game.

This is your first game in LCS. How did it feel to be on the LCS Arena stage?

It felt great. I always wanted to play in a bigger league. I hope we can perform better in the next match and I hope we can win.

You’re no stranger to big stages. You qualified for Worlds as part of Royal Youth. How was that experience?

It was a cool experience playing against those really good players. Seeing them and having a chance to meet them. It was really cool.

Which team were you most excited to meet there?

Of course, I wanted to play against Faker. But we lost before playing with them.

How have you been liking your new team? What do you think are your roster’s strengths?

Everyone is thinking we will be 10th. Even though we lost the match today, we showed everyone we won’t be 10th place. We are stronger than people think. I’m looking forward to proving them wrong.

Who are you looking forward to playing against this season?

I don’t really have any team I’m looking forward to playing in jungle. But Broken Blade, he’s my friend and from my country. So I want to play against Team SoloMid.

How do you think you’ll do against them?

It’s a hard question. But I’ll do my best.

What are your personal goals for this season?

I think it’s early to say what my goal is. But our practices are going well. I think we could have won today. We had such a good lead. I think we will be successful but it’s hard to say which place we’ll land at this time.

How are you liking Los Angeles?

I’ve been here one month. I think it’s great. It’s such a big city. I’m not really a person who goes outside. I just play League of Legends. But I went to Universal Studios with the team. It was a really good experience. It was a cool place.

What was your favorite ride?

I’m scared of roller coasters. But I liked the tour of the studios. It was cool to see.

Have you eaten any good food?

Steak. I like steak.

How do you like your steak?

Medium well.

Oh no! Ketchup, too?

No, no!

Okay, good. Any other food that stood out to you here?

I like the burgers. They’re really good here.

What food will you miss from Turkey?

I miss the breakfast. We have specific foods for breakfast, like menemen. It has tomato and egg. I don’t know how to explain it. I like Turkish food a lot, so I’m missing it. But as long as I find good food spots here I’ll be fine.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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