WildTurtle on TL missing LCS Spring playoffs: "That's inexcusable"

Olivia Richman Published 08/04/2020

FlyQuest had quite the convincing win over Golden Guardians in the 2020 LCS Spring Split playoffs. The 3-0 victory knocked GG out in the quarterfinals, ending their season. Now, FlyQuest are waiting to see who they will face in the semifinals this weekend.

WIN.gg spoke with Jason “WildTurtle” Tran over Discord after the match to find out what has made them such a strong team and how they think they will fare against Cloud9.

How do you feel after your win today?

WildTurtle: Good. We worked hard to get that win. We definitely put in the preparation. The rest of the playoffs will be rough for us, we’ll just have to learn as we go.

Is there anything you specifically prepared for?

We thought a lot about our bot picks. Kalista is a key point for us in this series. That pick had a lot of impact. After the win with Kalista, we banned her so they wouldn’t have the win after.

Why do you think you had such an advantage in the mid lane over GG?

For us, the way we practiced, we put a lot of focus on the mid lane. That’s just how we like to play our style. We like to give PowerOfEvil a lot of advantages, if possible.

Who do you think will win tomorrow, TSM or 100 Thieves?

That matchup is a tossup for me. I don’t know who has the upperhand for this one. I think it depends…100T has been looking pretty good recently from the games I’ve seen.

Do you see yourself beating them?

I think we just have to try to beat any team right now. That’s how we see it. We have to be able to beat the best teams in the league. We have our eyes set on beating any team we encounter.

Who do you think will be the two teams in the Finals?

Either us and C9 or C9 and Evil Geniuses.

How do you think you’d do against C9?

Honestly, we’ve been practicing against them and they’re a really hard team to beat. They’re the best team in NA at this moment. But we’ll have to power through and try our best.

What would winning the Spring Split mean to you?

It’d be a confidence boost going into the Summer Split. Our goal is to win as many games as we can. In the current status of the LCS, C9 seems to be the candidate for winning.

How has it been playing such important matches from just inside your apartment?

That’s been interesting. Obviously, the pressure is there. When you make a big mistake, it feels pretty bad of course. But it feels pretty comfortable playing in your bedroom. It might be a boost for some players.

That’s interesting. Most of the players I’ve spoken to have said they didn’t prefer playing from home at all, but you seem to be a bit more positive about it.

It’s definitely more interesting. I’m not for or against it. I’d prefer to play in the studio, but it’s not possible.

What do you miss the most about the LCS Arena?

Just the fans that come out, being able to interact with people. Getting outside of the house a little bit. We don’t really go out of the house that much anymore.

Where’s one of the first places you’ll eat at once the lockdown is over?

Honestly, I haven’t been craving too much food. Just trying to play video games and stay alive.

Have you been playing anything besides LoL?

Valorant as soon as I can. I’ll probably wait for the playoffs to be over before. It seems fun.

Are you more excited for the Counter-Strike-inspired elements or Overwatch?

I heard from people it’s more like Overwatch, because of how the skills are. I haven’t even seen them all yet. I tend to not research on games too much. I like to just go in and play them.

Do you think NA has a chance in MSI with how the teams are now?

I have no idea. We have one really good team. That’s our strength. If our one good team is losing we’ll probably have to go back to the drawing board to try and get good again. Or just try to get good in general.

Do you think Team Liquid will come back in the Summer Split?

Yeah I think they will. The factor of Spring not meaning much…Obviously, it’s inexcusable to be the best North American team and not make it playoffs. That’s kind of crazy but I think they will come back stronger in Summer just because it matters more.

Do you think you guys could come out on top, beating C9, in the Summer Split?

Yeah I really hope so. We’re in a decent spot. We’re one of the top five NA teams right now. We want to be contending for first or be the second best 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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