FlyQuest's Santorin says beating EG "feels like another day of scrims"

Olivia Richman Published 19/04/2020

Given how FlyQuest played today, fans will likely be surprised to know Lucas “Santorin” Kilmer Larsen was under the weather. Despite that, his team dominated Evil Geniuses in the 2020 LCS Spring Split semifinals, setting them up with a trip to the finals to face Cloud9.

WIN.gg spoke with Santorin after the 3-1 victory, discussing their chances tomorrow, how they think they’d fair against other regions at MSI, and even where Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng might end up this summer.

How was it playing while not feeling too well?

Santorin: It’s okay. I’m playing on a computer, so the only thing that normally affects that is a huge headache or feeling dizzy. Everything else, I’m okay playing. I didn’t eat anything today, so that will probably hit me later.

How are you feeling about your win today?

It feels great. Honestly I’m not as hyped as I should be. If this was a game on stage and there was a crowd, I’d feel really amazing. Hype. But because it’s our bedrooms…it just feels like another day of scrims or something like that.

But being in the top two is an amazing feeling. It’s definitely further than I thought we would go.

Before the 2020 LCS Spring Split began, how were you thinking it would go?

We did well in Summer of 2018, but we had a big stumble in 2019 Summer…Heading into 2020, I was confident in our roster. I felt good about all five players. Now with Solo…He’s a really great player. Honestly I felt really confident. But during off-season, we thought TL, C9 would be really good…Turns out only C9 is really good. That was good for us. Playing against C9 should be pretty difficult but we should be able to exploit some of their weaknesses.

What do you think has made your team so strong this split?

Individually, we’re all really great players. The beginning was rough when we were trying to get on the same page and think about the game the same way, but we finally got it down during playoffs. We played so many games together as a team, competitive matches. It feels really cohesive now.

Looking back to the regular season, we weren’t as strong. We were good, but now we’re really strong. That comes from playing so many games and the addition of Solo.

Last time you faced EG, it didn’t go too well. What changed this time?

Last time against EG, honestly I didn’t feel that great as a team. We were a top four team. As we progressed over the last couple of weeks, basically we’ve gotten our drafts down and what we’re good and bad at. We narrowed down our champion pools to who we can really play well.

We also were playing with two top laners switching in and out. I’m okay with having a six-man roster but I do feel there are downsides to it as well. The whole dynamic of the team changes each time you switch.

What happened during the third match? It seemed like EG was possibly coming back.

Honestly, right off the bat when we got ganked in mid…That was the point of the game where it was already going to be really hard for us to play the game. It was too big of a mistake to come back from. EG snowballed really well and took advantage of our big mistake.

But I didn’t feel scared or anything. It was more our mistake than their play. It wasn’t like they were doing something really great, so I didn’t feel scared going into game four. This was our bad and we weren’t going to do it again.

What will you guys be doing tonight to prepare for match against C9 tomorrow?

A lot of prep. All the teams we played so far have distinct playstyles. We know what champs they’ll pull out. But C9 is very versatile and they can play basically anything. We have to figure out how we’re gonna draft…They have certain picks they’re strong at. We’ll have a lot of team meetings and then relax a little bit. It’s kind of tiring playing two best of fives in a row. It’s draining. But we’ll maybe do a small VOD review since there were a lot of small mistakes we shouldn’t have made. Then we’ll come in healthy tomorrow.

IgNar said you guys could beat C9 tomorrow. Do you agree? What do you think that will take?

Yeah, I think we can beat C9. Throughout playing against them, they’re a really dominant team but we have games where we are playing better than them and taking advantage of their mistakes. I feel good going into the games. Not overconfident or anything, but I can see it going either way. Everyone will favor C9, but I can see the pressure getting to them. That could hurt them in the end.

If you won, how do you think FQ would do internationally at an event like MSI?

Right now, watching other regions, every single region is playing really different. It’s very, very different. Some of the regions we play pretty good against, others may be harder, but in general I’d say we would do pretty good. If we could beat C9, I feel we’re ready to beat international teams as well.

I always think EU vs NA…I have no idea how that is gonna go. They are playing a lot of different metas. That’s something we would have to figure out while scrimming them. But LCK, I feel we’d have a good chance right now. They play really slow and methodical. Us as players, we are good at mid and late game and players who will carry our games…I feel pretty confident going into a matchup like that.

How do you feel about MSI being in the middle of the Summer Split?

Honestly it’s really strong. First of all, we don’t get a big offseason. You don’t want to come into summer rusty. Only a couple days off then get back to the grind. I’m not the biggest fan of that. I want a little more time off to rest up…I don’t want to burn out.

I have no idea what to expect with it being mid-split. The whole coronavirus…I feel they should cancel. I don’t think we will be able to travel anywhere anyway. But if MSI happens…The last time I was in MSI, I played extremely poorly. I’d love to be back and compete internationally.

Which teams do you see dominating in the Summer Split?

Cloud9, obviously. I would like to see Team Liquid get back. I feel their players are all really great. They have so much talent. I feel they will do great as well. And then us. If I had to pick a fourth, I’d pick TSM if they can get their stuff together. As a team, when they’re playing their A-game, they’re a strong team but they have a lot of times where they aren’t playing well at all.

If Doublelift does leave Team Liquid, where do you think he will end up?

Honestly I could see him back on TSM with Biofrost. I don’t really know him personally but I feel he’s the kind of player who only wants to play for a really strong team.

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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