KC Yike Discusses Teamwork, Well-being, and the New Jungle Strategy in Pro LoL
The team Karmine Corp has already secured their spot in the LEC Versus playoffs. They managed this even before the last week of the regular season games. KC has shown a lot of strength during their matches, displaying confidence and good teamwork. The team’s jungler mentioned that this strong connection isn’t just on the game map, but also off the field in League of Legends.
In a chat with Esports.Net, Martin “Yike” Sundelin talked about how working well together and having good friendships among teammates really helps them play better. KC’s jungler also opened up about dealing with stress and how he’s learned to handle pressure. He also gave a little hint about what fans can expect from the jungle players in the upcoming Patch 26.03.
Q) You’ve been at the top of the LEC Versus rankings for a few days now. How has the competition felt so far?
Yike: It’s been really enjoyable. I think the first week was a bit slow for us and for me personally. I felt like I wasn’t playing as well as I wanted to. But in the second week, I was happy with my performance. And now, going into the third week, even though we lost our first game, I think I still made some good plays. So yeah, I just want to keep that going. I believe we play well as a team. We know how to win games, so we just need to make sure we execute them properly.
Q) How has it been getting to know this new team this season?
Yike: Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun. We’ve been doing many things together, and we’re having a great time. I think the team is fantastic, and there are really no issues with it. I feel like everyone is getting used to each other very easily, and it feels very comfortable to be here.
Q) Last time we talked, you mentioned it felt a bit strange being a leader and an experienced player on the team. Has that feeling changed this year?
Yike: Yes, definitely. I mean, it’s still a bit similar because we have Kang “kyeahoo” Ye-hoo, who is also very young. But Alan “Busio” Cwalina is also… I guess Alan is a bit younger too, but Alan is very smart and has good ideas, so it’s easy to talk with him about anything. And overall, it’s kind of the same with everyone else.
I don’t really see myself as the team leader. I just want to be myself, and we play as a team, we play as we are. I don’t want to force specific roles onto the team, so I’m just being me. I think we have good teamwork, so it’s going well.
Q) What’s the most important thing when it comes to building good teamwork?
Yike: For me, it’s really important to just build good relationships with each player on the team. So, I make sure I always put in a lot of effort to have good teamwork with Kim “Canna” Chang-dong, with kyeahoo, with Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert, and with Busio, and it’s been going well. I feel like I can talk to them about anything, and I feel like they are comfortable around me, and that’s very important to me.
So yeah, it’s about making sure you have really good relationships with your teammates and the coaches too. I have a good relationship with Quentin “Zeph” Viguié and Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu, and I feel like our conversations are very easy, and I think that creates a really warm atmosphere in the room.
Q) If you had to put a number on it, how much does having a good relationship with your teammates outside of the game matter for your performance on stage?
Yike: For me, it’s very high. I’d say about 90%. Having a good relationship with my teammates is key for me because that’s when you enjoy the game and have fun together. And when you’re having fun, I feel like you always perform better and enjoy your time more. So yeah, it’s very important to me.
Q) Before we move on to the game and strategy talk, the LEC announced a partnership with Movember to raise awareness for players’ mental health. What are your thoughts on that?
Yike: Yes, I think it’s great that they are doing this because it’s something I believe is very important, and I think people don’t talk about it enough. For me, for example, I am a person who gets very stressed. When I first joined the LEC, I was very nervous before every game. I still get nervous before every game, but I can handle it better now. I’ve worked a lot on myself with that, with the help of the staff at G2 and KC. So, it’s really nice to see them collaborating like this and that players can reach out for help with anything. I really like it.
Q) How did you manage to reach this balanced state of mind?
Yike: I remember when I was younger, around 16, 17, 18 years old, and I wanted to become a professional player. I thought playing on stage would be the scariest thing ever. I used to think to myself, ‘There’s no way I’ll become pro, it’s going to be too hard. I can’t go on stage. People will be watching me, I’ll get stressed, I’ll mess up.’
But it turned out to be the opposite for me. Of course, I was nervous beforehand, but as soon as I walked onto the stage, saw the crowd, saw my team, and put on my headset, I felt very focused. I really like that feeling. I think I have a mix of both now. I would say I get very stressed, but when I get on stage, I feel very focused. I feel like I’m in the zone, and I can play at my best.
And that’s a really good feeling to have because some other people might get stressed before a game and worry about making mistakes, but I never think about that, and that really helps me.
And I think something unusual about me is that I joined the LEC when I was 22, so I wasn’t that young. Many people join when they are 18 or 19. I joined a bit later, but I think it was a good thing for me that I joined the LEC late because it helped me. Those years before, I worked on myself and my mental strength to have a very strong foundation and good mindset going into the LEC. And I feel like if I had joined the LEC when I was younger, it would have been much harder for me. So, I’m happy with how things turned out.
Q) I’m glad to hear you had such a positive experience and outlook. Now, let’s talk about the game. Last time we spoke, you said you were comfortable with your champion choices. I’ve also heard from other pro players that the game’s meta hasn’t changed much from last year. What junglers do you think might become popular in the playoffs?
Yike: Right now, it’s a mix of some older junglers like Xin Zhao, Wukong, and Jarvan IV, and then there are also newly buffed junglers like Aatrox, Ambessa, Jayce, and Malphite. And I like this combination because it makes you think a lot during the drafting phase to pick the best one.
There are still many champions that people play, like Qiyana. I would love to play her too, but… I can’t reveal everything, but I do like playing Qiyana.
More champions are getting changes, with buffs and nerfs. For example, Naafiri is going to get a big buff in the next patch. Zahen jungle is also going to get buffed, and I’m curious to see how that plays out.
I really like that they are changing things up with the champions. I would love to see more variety of champions in the LEC. For me, the most exciting thing is when there’s a big change in the meta, where you see different junglers in every game. Like when Zyra and Brand were played in the jungle, for example. I really enjoy that.
