In these moments, the gazes of all the fans of League of Legends They are focused on the iconic city of London, where thousands of competitive fans are gathered to witness the first international tournament of the season: the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational.
Throughout these days, several teams from different minor regions have set foot on the Cooper Box Arena stage, seeking to demonstrate what they are capable of by challenging the best in the world, among which the historic Movistar R7 squad, current Champions of the Latin American League.
Among their ranks we can find a roster surrounded by young players hungry for conquest, led by the legendary Peruvian player Sebastián “Oddie” Niño, who in his long competitive career has stood out as one of the pillars when it comes to the jungle.
Although his career has led him to win multiple cups and represent our region in countless tournaments, MSI 2023 brought with it a rather drastic change of scenery, since in addition to being his first time outside the region since 2019, this tournament introduced him in a new role as a veteran figure within the eternal King of the North.
Ahead of what will be his pivotal matchup against GAM Esports in a best-of-3 survival series, Oddie took a moment with us to talk about his career, his experience with the current R7 roster, and what makes him tick. motivates me to continue competing after so many years.
Interview with Sebastián “Oddie” Niño, jungler of Movistar R7
LEVEL UP: In general terms, how has this first journey through London been for everyone in R7? How has the European community received them?
oddie: The reception has been quite good so far, and the people who are in charge of looking after the team are very attentive, they care a lot about us and give us security by being here.
In London in general, I really like its climate since right now in Mexico it is too hot, and I am a fan of cold environments. The food itself is a very different thing because even some of them were very sick yesterday so they need to get used to this a bit more.
LEVEL UP: It’s been several years since we last saw you on the international stage. Is the feeling of coming back still as special?
oddie: The truth is that if. Once a while has passed since you haven’t played an international event, it gives you a feeling of joy to be back, especially where we are now.
I’ve never had to play in such a characteristic setting as London, with a big tunnel and a more suburban style, so it really feels like a new experience despite having played in other countries before.
LEVEL UP: Unlike previous times, we see you compete alongside a roster full of young talent and in which many see you as a mentor, given your seniority and experience. What is it like to play with a squad with so much potential, against some of the best players in the world?
oddie: This can be quite a difficult charge because you don’t know with what face you are going to confront your opponent.
For those who are playing this kind of instance for the first time, the spectators, the enemy team and the nerves can affect being in a place like this. For me, it’s something new to play with people who just had their first experience abroad, since I usually had to play that role.
This first game played us against one of the strongest teams and candidates to reach the final, and we had in mind that this could happen. I just hope that the team doesn’t get crestfallen, so that I can show a better performance in the next series.
LEVEL UP: Speaking a bit about this series, you had to face off against BLG, who seem to have studied you in depth given the strategies we saw in the game. What was the most difficult thing in dealing with the constant aggressiveness of the LPL runner-up?
oddie: The hardest thing was the fact that they played around the bot lane a lot. I think that now in this meta, it is very important how you do in the bot because it is very difficult to reach a middle point, regarding the early resources that the ADC can get and the rotations that the support will do occasionally.
It also depends a lot on whether the solo laners can do well on their own, because there are different matchups that need help. Facing circumstances where everyone needs some support at the same time is something that teams like BLG will punish quite a bit, so they play around this as part of their win condition.
LEVEL UP: We saw a whole other side to R7 for his second round, showing more initiative and even dishing out several early game trades and kills. What happened between the two games that ended up influencing this change of mentality?
oddie: We came to the conclusion that if we didn’t come out and fight as a whole or individually, we were going to lose simply because of lane pressure or scaling of their aggressive picks. We had to choose between waiting until the 30th minute to try to do something or face them, and between the coach and the others we decided that it was time to fight.
I decided to pick Elise because while I could pick other more methodical champions, against teams that play map control like BLG they’re not an option. In the same way, we tried to match her aggressiveness at the beginning, and although we were a little better at it, we still need to practice it more.
LEVEL UP: In fact, one of the events that surprised us all was seeing that robbery of Barón, so much so that the networks exploded at that moment.
oddie: It is something that happened out of nowhere, because if BLG had wanted to, they would have stopped doing it. Obviously it leaves a nice feeling having stolen it, but even with that it was very difficult to take advantage of it.
LEVEL UP: Given that you have a bit of a breather before your next matchup, what will you focus on rethinking if we review what happened during the past series?
oddie: I think it’s on us in general, because we’ve been able to practice with good teams and we don’t have these kinds of problems like what happened yesterday. It is simply to see how this defeat affected us, although personally I have had to lose many games so I don’t care.
At the end of the day, the next game is a new game, it’s other opponents, so it’s mostly a matter of how this outcome affected others mentally. We have the level to fight as equals against GAM, but everything will depend on how we feel that day.
LEVEL UP: As a team, it’s normal to set the goal of defying logic and going where no one else has gone. But for you, as a professional gamer and as a person, what is your goal for this MSI? What do you want to demonstrate individually to the London public?
oddie: Every time I’ve played internationally, my only goal is to get to the next phase. Although 7 years have passed since the first time I played outside the region, it is still my desire to break that barrier.
Since before I started my career I saw the Latin American competition, and it could never come to that or we were not even close to doing it. In my first instance we were one step away from being able to achieve it and that feeling is still there, which is why it is the only thing I want to demonstrate.
I don’t know how long I have left in my career or how much longer I can be one of the best junglers in the region, but until that day happens, I’m going to keep trying to get to the main event either at Worlds or at MSI.
LEVEL UP: Like several of the players you shared a roster with a long time ago, this year you will celebrate 10 years as a professional if we go back to that distant WCG in Peru. What has been the best thing that this decade has left you playing for squads like R7, and what has been your greatest learning so far?
oddie: I remember almost all the international [en los que he jugado]and beyond that we have done well or badly, it is clear that not everyone can achieve this, because in truth there are very few of us who have had the happiness of being able to demonstrate it abroad.
In all my years of racing, I have always thought that I want to become the best and that is what has always motivated me, because I am still chasing my dream and that keeps me wanting to keep moving forward. My biggest lesson is that it doesn’t matter who you have in front of you, what matters most is your own opinion, because once you lose that, everything will go down.
LEVEL UP: Is there a message you want to share with R7 fans, with your followers and with the Latino community?
oddie: Thank you very much to everyone who got up or stayed up to see us, as it is a difficult time for the people of Latin America.
We are going to give it our all from the lower bracket to bring out a fun series for the public and for us. Losses hurt a lot and I know you suffer too when our region doesn’t get ahead, so your support is crucial at all times.
Obviously there are players who are very careful about the impression of others towards them, and I have even had to go through waves of negative comments before, but in the end it is all those who stay to encourage us who really make the difference. We hope to be able to give our best role before GAM.
From LEVEL UP we appreciate the attention that both the Riot Games team and Movistar R7 gave us for conducting this interview, and we wish them the best of luck in their next matches, hoping to see them represent our region at the highest.
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