Maleok here with another interview, this time I caught up with the coach of Team Dignitas's European roster, Brokenshard. He tells us how he was confident his team would make it to the LCS and that this roster's versatility will be their biggest strength in the splits to come.
First of all congratulations on DIG EU making it to the LCS! What was it like watching such a back and forth best of 5 series for the Spot?
Brokenshard: Obviously it was very nerve racking for me to watch that. Although in a way it was also relieving in a way because I was able to identify what the problems were in each game that we lost. Other than the first game which was very back and forth, all the games were very one sided. It was very easy to see what factors led to our wins and losses.
Were you confident in your matchup against MouseEsports or was this expected to be a challenge?
Brokenshard: After the first game I knew that we would pull ahead. It started to feel like MouseEsports had a very specific banning strategy, and once they saw our Sivir pick was still playable they had to adapt to us. I felt that we still had way more tricks up our sleeve that they would have to deal with.
What was the preparation like for the final best of 5?
Brokenshard: We took it like it was any other game. It was not significantly more or less. We did the required preparation as if it was any serious match.
Did you ever have serious concern about whether or not DIG EU would make it to the LCS?
Brokenshard: I feel that if we didn't get out of our slump, which was about a week and a half before the final, that it would have been really difficult. Throughout the win against Denial, DDOS or not, I saw factors of improvement that we weren't showing in scrims which bolstered my personal confidence in the team. Everyone was gonna have doubts but I felt that if we got to the games, and showed up with our game face on, it was our game to take.
Now that you have made it to LCS, the players seem more than excited. How do you think your roster will fare against the top dogs like Fnatic?
Brokenshard: top dogs like Fnatic? I think Fnatic are going to crush us. *laughs* Fnatic are super good right now. Maybe in the next season if the meta doesn't favor them then maybe. It would be a goal right now to avoid relegation and make playoffs. Avoiding relegation is practically 7th and above and I think that is a very realistic goal for a split of newcomers. We eventually want to go to worlds but we obviously still have to develope the team more, and the LCS is going to be really good for us to do that. I could give you a better expectation coming into the split after this one.
Brokenshard going over notes with DIG EU.
Your roster has shown itself to not be limited to the meta, with picks like Anivia, Tahm Kench, and Gangplank. How do you think this flexibility will help or perhaps hurt you in the LCS?
Brokenshard: I feel like there is almost no champion that we can't play, or attempt to play. I feel that adapting to certain metas is going to be good for us. We've shown that we can play around our mid laner, in this first game on Ahri. We've shown we can play around our ADC in the 3rd game on Kog'Maw. We've also shown that we can play around the top laner as with Gangplank. Every Solo lane and the ADC are good enough players that they can carry. That allows us to adapt to any centric meta. The fact that we are open to many ideas can only be a positive.
Is there any team you in particular are looking forward to facing in the LCS?
Brokenshard: Aside from the obvious Fnatic, it is H2K. It is a team that I worked for in the past during the promotion tournament and Pr0lly is my good friend. So it would be really cool to play against them. If not H2K then Roccat would be my next choice. I really want to play against the coaches whom I consider to be good friends. YamatoCannon and Pr0lly are people who I respect immensely and have worked with in the past. It would be really cool to play against them and have that mental battle against my friends.
Will there be any alterations being made to your practice schedule in preparation for the next spring split?
Brokenshard: We scrimmed a lot for a challenger team. I feel though that there is no real need to change the schedule. We may add a little more review since we will be onsite watching together as a team. However it will be the same amount of scrims, 2 sets a day at least, 3 hours each or a Best of 5 set.
What do you think is DIG EU's biggest strength? What do they bring to the LCS?
Brokenshard: I feel like we are a really good team. We know how to play around the person that is going to carry. When we designate the player that is going to be getting all of the resources and most of the farm we are very good at designating that player and giving it to them. Another strength is definitely flexibility and versatility. We can have everyone play completely different champions or different roles for the team depending on what we need. I think that big champion pool is going to make it very difficult to draft against us. Before the slump if you asked me this question I would have say our teamfight is very strong for a challenger team, probably decent for an LCS team. I feel that if we go back to the regular form and improve, our teamfight strength will show.
Finally, is there anything you would like to say to LCS fans who may not know about DIG EU yet?
Brokenshard: We're a young team, give us some time to grow. Once the players get their foothold in the LCS they will be superstars. Also a big shoutout to our sponsors for their support and making this all possible.
Thanks Brokenshard! We definitely hope that DIG EU will soar and stake it's claim in the upcoming spring split. Keep up the amazing work and thank you for your time!
