"In the LEC, [...] it's a race against time to prove your worth"
After a difficult year in 2023 with Astralis in LEC, Doğukan "113" Balcı shared with us his impressions after his return to LFL a month after the start of the regular season.
Off-season, reunion, and new teammates, he takes stock of this beginning of the year, installed in the BK ROG roster.
| Hello, 113. Congratulations on your win today. The first question I wanted to ask you is if you were happy to be back in the LFL.
"Yes, of course, I'm happy to be back in the LFL, even though this year's off-season was very disappointing for me, as there were very few offers, just one, from BK ROG."
"I'd like to thank them enormously for the trust they've shown in me, but it's still a reality check for my career after last year."
"But I'm happy to be here, and I'm happy to have put in some good performances so far, and above all, I'm going to keep on giving them."
| In your experience, what are the biggest differences between the LFL and the LEC?
113: "First of all, I'd say the level, obviously."
"In the LEC, you have three weeks to show what you can do, it's a race against time to prove your worth. People don't really improve, you work a lot on draft, but our basic level of play doesn't improve or improves very little."
"But in the LFL, it's a three- or four-month marathon, especially if you're going to the EMEA Masters, so you have to manage the risk of burnout, but it's possible to improve."
"I think that's the biggest difference between the two leagues: the LFL is a long race where you have the opportunity to improve as you go along, whereas the LEC is a sprint."
| This year you reunited with Hantera at BK ROG, have you kept in touch since Karmine? Or do you see this reunion more as a new beginning?
113: "To be honest, we haven't spoken much since we both left the KC, but he's more than an acquaintance, he's a friend."
"So yes, I'm very happy to be able to play with Hantera again, and I think I'll even find the synergy we had at KC, I think you can see it and feel it in our game."
| At BK ROG this season you have 2 Koreans in your ranks, in Toplane and Botlane. How is communication organized within the group? Do you try to adapt as much as possible or do they adapt to you?
113: "In early game, I usually make the plan, I ask question if I want them to help me with making a plan."
"For example I will ask our ADC “can you slow push the waves, do you have the prio for a gank?”.
"For Top, it’s almost the same, when I see an angle, I ask him if we can make a specific move, and sometimes he also asks me to play around him, but since he already played in Europe for one year, his English is fine, even our AD, he played in Mexico."
| You are kind of an aggressive player, and now with the Voidgrubs as a new objective, how do you like the meta so far and this new addition to the game?
113: "To be honest, I think it’s pretty fun. There is a lot of fighting, or you can lose from this objective, and I think it benefits me."
| In terms of champ pool, you played a lot of different champs, do you feel like there is a need to show some more secret picks or are you happy with what you are playing right now?
113: "I am happy with what I’m playing right now, and we didn’t really prepare secret picks so far." [Laughs]
| What for you are the things that BK ROG needs to improve on if there is something?
113: "I think communication for sure."
"Gameplay wise I think we are playing good other than some mistakes but it is also difficult to detect our mistakes since we play on stage. For example, I lost a lot of 50/50 in our games and it’s hard to detect mistakes, but I think communication is the biggest part."
| Do you have a word for the fans?
113: "We don’t have any fans." [Laughs]
Photo Credit : Laura Gilli
