"I'm not in a mindset where it's certain I'm in the LEC, I'll keep working until the last second" — Zoelys Before His First International Experience [WSCI ITV 1/3]
Photo Credit: Galions
It’s been a breakthrough year for Théo «Zoelys» Le Scornec so far. A first trophy in over three years, the EMEA Masters and the LFL both won, Summer MVP and finals MVP awards on the shelf — and now, at last, a first international event on the horizon: the inaugural Worldstar Challengers Invitational in Korea. Galions’ support sat down with RFT.GG to talk about ending the title drought against their nemesis Solary, his individual peak, the growth that got him there, and whether this year is enough to finally reach the LEC.
Before the individual stuff — you finally won a trophy after more than three years, and in style, 3-0’ing your nemesis Solary at EMEA Masters before also winning the LFL. What do these two titles mean to you?
It had been a long time, like you said — my last trophy was in 2023, so it’s starting to be a while. I always felt like I was still up there among the best, but every time without clinching the title. So this year it feels good to finally win something. Against Solary in the final on top — we’d lost three finals to them, so it feels good. And we crushed them, so it was a nice revenge on the previous finals.
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From a team standpoint, what changed between all the previous times you faced them and that EMEA Masters final? You mentioned the mental side when you were struggling against them — do you think it was mainly that?
We did a lot of mental work — we added a mental coach for the split, and I think it helped a lot of players. We arrived really confident.
It was the first time I felt people genuinely believed we could win, and it showed in the games.
There was also a lot of groundwork on our macro, which was causing us quite a few problems, and we had a big step up on that. We reached a level that was really clean by the end of the EMEA Masters — I think it was our peak of the year by far. Even in the LFL final we were significantly weaker than at that moment. Honestly, it was a good day for us and it went well.
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Mentally, they always had this thing — no matter what we did, even when we had good starts to games, we’d end up losing, or even with good drafts we couldn’t make them work. There was that side where, honestly, we felt they were maybe a tiny bit better on the map than us. So beating them gave us a real boost. That’s really what I felt — a boost. We wanted to beat them, and it’s good. We didn’t let ourselves get discouraged, and it really allowed us to progress.
And then the LFL — why did you stay so dominant and not them? How do you explain the consistency you had all year on one side, and them letting go a bit on the other?
Maybe they lost a bit of confidence after the final loss. I don’t really know, you’d have to ask them. But we always told ourselves we had to keep going on this run. Honestly, I think our level dropped a bit too, like Solary. But let’s say we stayed a bit better than them, and that let us win the LFL fairly easily.
Why do you think Galions and Solary have dropped a bit in level after such a domination in the first two splits?
I don’t really know, I couldn’t tell you. Fatigue, obviously — we didn’t have a break this year, so the players are starting to get a bit worn out. Maybe a bit less solo queue, people relax a bit. I think it also happens — I’ve said this before — when you think you’re going to win everything, you have less motivation, in the sense that you tell yourself ‘we’re strong enough, no need to work too hard.’ We really had that side where, if we don’t improve, we win nothing. And when we got to the LFL, we were the best, so we felt less need to grind. It was enough, but we really need to get back on track quickly.
In the LFL you also stacked individual awards — Summer MVP, finals MVP. Did you expect to peak like this in your career this year, after Rogue, after a year without a title, after the string of second places?
I always felt very strong individually. Individual rewards often come when you have a good team too — it lets you shine more.
But I wouldn’t say I’m peaking. I think overall I’ve been fairly consistent the last two years.
And yeah, it honestly made me happy to also win a bit on the individual side. It’s cool.
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Gameplay-wise, what do you think you were missing in previous years that you’ve acquired today, that let you reach these new heights with your team? You mentioned leadership since Harpoon arrived — is that the main asset you’ve gained?
Already last year it was the leadership, which I kept this year — becoming more and more confident in my calls, more and more confident in leading my team overall. And this year, I’d also say game understanding. I did real groundwork on it — I think we have a coach who’s very good at that, and we really worked on it. I think I understand the game a bit better than the other players in the ERL, so it’s something I need to keep up, because of course I’m not perfect yet, but it lets us make more accurate calls. We’re a very fast team, and I think our game understanding plays a big role in that — it lets us be very fast on the map.
What is your main strength as a player today?
Laning is something where I’ve been fine, but I think overall it’s about how to impact the map from a very deep perspective — things people don’t necessarily see, how you shift your vision to the side, how you always play one step ahead, understanding what’s going to happen in a minute and adapting your gameplay to that. Not greeding for kills where you lose 10 seconds of tempo, really being very fast. I think it’s the speed overall. That’s the thing that shocked me most when I arrived in the LEC — when I played at the start with Rogue against players like Jun for example, you feel like you can never catch them, they’re always a tempo ahead of you. That’s something I copied and learned a lot from him, and I think today I’m at a good level on that.
One of the main praises people give Galions is your laning phase, especially on the sides this split, and in the bot lane since the start of the year. You don’t consider it as your biggest strength as a team — your laning phases?
I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest strength, but I think it’s always something I’m quite strong at. I’m interested in playing lane well, I want to take advantages. And it’s mostly because I have a champion pool that lets me counter-pick well — I have champions not everyone has, which gives a lot of freedom in draft to punish. But no, I think our team play is the most important thing at Galions.
Some said Carlsen could have deserved the MVP too. What do you think — would you say you were more deserving over the split?
Honestly, I might have given it to him.
We were the two best by a fair margin in the LFL, I think. He’s an exceptional player and he works very well — he’s really above the league and he really deserves his spot in the LEC. So it wouldn’t have shocked me at all if it was him. The aspect of being in a team that works is really huge in esports — when you have a good team, you’re going to look better. And he has a very good mentality, he’s still quite young. I really didn’t feel that side where he comes down, gets lazy — it’s really the opposite. He comes down, he wants to climb back up. He knows his worth, he’s very confident, he works hard. Honestly, he’s a great teammate to have.
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There’s a debate making the rounds — Zoelys, are you the best ERL team of all time? There was the debate with Solary after Spring, now I need to ask Galions.
I swear, people talked about Solary — we were beating them, I didn’t really understand why we weren’t in the debate… But honestly, it’s hard to say. The other contenders are teams I’ve never faced, so it’s hard to say. It’s like asking which is the better team, Barcelona 2011 or Real Madrid 2017 — teams that can never face each other, different styles, different metas.
Honestly, I don’t think we’re the best.
I think there have been some very big teams, but we’re still up there among the best.
In 2024 you weren’t there — BDS Academy gets talked about a lot.
I’ve never faced them in my life. Even the LDLC Prime teams, I wasn’t there either. It’s hard to say, but we’re clearly at the top of the rankings.
You’ve played a lot in the ERL in previous years — do you feel the level is a bit lower overall this year, or is it roughly equivalent to what you’ve seen before?
I think overall it’s roughly equivalent. People like the players you face — maybe the LFL doesn’t look very stacked right now, but you never know, maybe in three years there are three players from Galions and it’s the new G2, you have no idea. Then people say ‘that was stacked back then,’ and it’s a bit of that bias. When I was in Division 2, I think now you have five players in the LEC, five junglers — but back then they weren’t as strong, because people progress, that’s how it is. I think overall it’s a tiny bit weaker, but the top three is always fairly strong.
Do you think it's also linked to there maybe being less hype around the LFL and the ERLs in general this year?
People have this impression the level is lower — which could even hurt opportunities next year. When we talked about the great LFL, we talked about Caliste, Skewmond arriving, and you knew they had a guaranteed spot in an LEC top six the following year.
It feels less the case this year with Solary, Galions players. Do you get that impression too, and do you think it’s unfair?
It’s for sure true that the ERL has lost a lot of value. When I was with LDLC, I think I was weaker than now, and people talked about me a lot more in the LEC. Now I don’t hear much. And like you said with Skewmond and Caliste, that was a very good example. So yes, there’s less hype, which means people watch less. But I still think LEC teams, I don’t see where else they’d look other than the LFL. But yeah, I think it hurts a bit.
Photo Crédit: LFL
Some watch the LCK a lot too — you’ll have to shock them a bit against the LCK CL…
Honestly, it’s going to be a good opportunity for us to show that the LFL isn’t ridiculous.
After a year like this, what more does it take to get noticed by the LEC? Do you feel it’s already a straight shot for you, or are there still things to go get for next year?
I think it’s never a straight shot. The spots are few, and like you said, a lot of eyes are on Korea. If it were only Europeans, I think it’d be a straight shot, but it’s not like that. I need to keep improving. Winning titles means nothing — it’s really the individual level that matters. You always have to reach a bit higher, make the difference on small details.
I’m not in a mindset where it’s certain I’m in the LEC — I’ll keep working until the last second, and we’ll see when the time comes.
Would you be disappointed if, even after a good run — say top two, top one on the next tournaments — you weren’t in a top LEC team next year?
Yes, for sure it would be super disappointing, because you’d tell yourself ‘I’ve won everything and I’m not there, so what more do I have to do?’ But honestly, I think if it goes well, there’s no reason I won’t be there. I have the confidence to tell myself I deserve my spot — but there are great players everywhere. So we’ll see, but I have the confidence to be the best pretty quickly.
There’s obviously a big step to prove yourself now — the new Worldstar Challengers Invitational, the first-ever international event between tier-two teams. How do you see this event?
It's magnificent, we couldn't dream of better. In terms of hype for tier two, that's sometimes what's missing — a bit of hype for the players. When you're the best team in the LFL, there's not much to do except win. Here, we'll have opponents we don't know at all, we'll travel, we have a great group, we'll have fun — and above all, it'll be my first international event. I'm really looking forward to going to Korea to face players who look pretty tough, honestly, when you look at the top of the LCK CL. So I'm really excited.
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It’s the first international event for everyone, even in the staff, right? Does it add extra pressure?
For the team, we’re confident. I don’t think it’s insane pressure either, because the matches won’t be on stage. It’s more about handling things like the jet lag — I’ve never experienced it in my life, so I don’t really know what it’ll be like yet. We arrive fairly late, I think three days before the competition, so we won’t have much time to scrim a lot of teams. So we’ll have to adapt fast, but I have confidence in the team, and I hope the hype will help us settle in quickly.
Do you watch other countries’ academy leagues at all, or do you have no idea what to expect?
Not at all yet. I watched a bit of LCK CL this morning, and honestly you can feel they’re mechanically insane, but it’s not terrifying either. The rest of the world, I don’t watch at all.
Koreans and Chinese are known for being mechanically very strong, very good in fights, because it fights all the time in solo queue there. It’s often the mechanically strongest players who get their shot and then learn macro. Does that scare you at all?
I don’t know if it scares me particularly. I think we’re a fairly mechanically sharp team — we have players who are quite reputed for being good at that. It’s more the unknown. We mustn’t get surprised, because the format can go fast — we can’t afford two or three games to get into it, it’ll be too late. But I’m looking forward to it. I think we’ll need to play some solo queue to get into that mode, and it should be fine.
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Since the ENC got postponed, was that a disappointment? How did you find out and how did you take it?
I found out waking up on Twitter one morning, and I was a bit disappointed.
Especially since I'd told my parents I was going to do it, and then I had to tell them 'never mind, it's cancelled.'
It was for sure disappointing, it was something a lot of players were looking forward to. At that moment I didn't know the Korea trip was going to happen, so I was thinking that was going to be my first international event. In the end I'll still do one, and at a different level, so the two announcements kind of balanced out. So it's fine, I'm still pretty hyped for my end of the year.
Are you confident it’ll still be you at the ENC next year?
It’s something I don’t really ask myself. I’ll just try to do my best, and if I keep playing well, I think it’ll be me again — there’s not much reason otherwise.
Is the WSCI a bit the new proving ground for your LEC chances next year — the place where you’ll have to prove yourself, especially since scouts should be watching, even if they want to go get LCK talents, it’s there that even they’ll have to prove themselves?
For sure, a big tournament from us would put us in a very good position, and conversely, a weaker tournament would make things a bit less certain. I never really lived the ENC that way, because the dates were very late and I think most rosters would already be locked. But here it’s really perfect timing — just before Worlds. So yeah, I think it’s the moment to prove we deserve our spots in the best league.
What can we wish you for that end of the year, Zoelys?
First, that the plane to Korea doesn’t crash — I’m a bit scared of flying, so I’ll drop that one first. But just a good end of year, a good tournament in Korea, then a little EMEA Masters win to finish, and that’s it. Then a good off-season and it’ll be magnificent.
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Next year, we’ve touched on it — it’d be a bit surprising not to see you on an LEC team, but the reality is it can be complicated to find slots on top teams. Do you see it being an agitated off-season where the top teams won’t have room? And after a year like this, would it be disappointing to have to be on a mid-to-bottom team?
For sure, joining teams where you can’t make Worlds is quite disappointing, and it’s really not what you want. I did that a bit in the past and it didn’t work out very well for me. As for the top teams’ contracts, I can’t control anything — I can just try to play the best I can, and if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I’ll have given my maximum. In my position, I think it’s hard to do another year in the ERL. I really want to go to the LEC. I don’t know at all yet what’s happening in the market, but I think I have the level, and I hope a good project awaits me.
If it’s a mid-to-bottom team, or would it need to be a mid team minimum? How do you see it?
It’s hard to say. Full-bottom, I think even as pure happiness, it’s very hard to be happy when you only lose, so it’s not something I’d want. Mid, for me, is players who can pull it off — I think I’d be considered mid, so it means I think you can make Worlds with a roster that works well. You can see this year, for example, ERL players who perform pretty well even though they weren’t necessarily top players to begin with. I think it’s not necessarily the best rosters that win every time, so for me it’s more the overall project — a coach, people who want to try-hard and win — that will bring me something.
Do you think there’ll be room for that kind of team next year? When you look at the state of the LEC, do you see spots where you tell yourself ‘I could be there instead of this guy’?
Clearly. I won’t name names, but I feel confident. There’s no support in Europe where I tell myself ‘I’ll be so outclassed that we can’t win the game.’ I’m very confident in my matchups. Of course there are people better than me, I won’t get there saying ‘I have nothing to work on.’ But I clearly have my place, and I’m confident about being on a good team.
I think I’ve reached the right level of maturity and overall level to have my spot and stay there.
