SHFT Stend on his LEC future: "If the results stay bad — my chances of staying are slim"
Shifters are still winless. A 2-0 loss to SK makes it four defeats in a row and 0-4 in the Summer split, in a match Paul "Stend" Lardin admits was there for the taking. RFT.GG caught up with the Shifters support after the defeat to talk about the mistakes piling up, the reunion with Sheo that hasn't clicked yet, the language barrier in his bot lane, and a split he knows could decide his LEC future.
Coming into that BO, it looked like a match within your reach. The result is clearly disappointing — how do you explain it?
Honestly, I don't have a clear explanation, but we could definitely have won. There were a lot of mistakes on our side, so it's really our fault — I'm not looking for any excuses. We made a huge number of mistakes and we could have taken that BO. So yes, very disappointed.
The games were pretty chaotic. Is that because you haven't found your own identity as a team yet? It's something that comes back fairly often in your games.
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It might be linked, but I think right now we're just not very strong, we make mistakes, we die a lot, and that creates those situations. SK also made a huge number of mistakes, which made the games really chaotic — so in terms of level, it wasn't great today.
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In another interview you said the game had marked the team. With another loss tonight, do you think the mindset you came in with — not mental boom, but maybe a bit negative — caused the most problems today, or is it something else?
Last week's loss to GIANTX definitely hit our morale hard. We tried to change things during our practice week. I haven't really been able to talk with my teammates and the staff yet, but mentally it can't be at its best right now. Honestly, I think we're just not very good at the moment, and today we showed it on stage.
This Summer brings a meta that puts a lot of emphasis on the jungle-support duo. You and Sheo are coming off a difficult start to the season with Heretics. How do you reset after that kind of split to bring a new dynamic — and is there still a feeling of confidence between you two, or has something broken?
I think our game together has been affected by mediocre results over the long term.
We really thought we could bring a new dynamic. Unfortunately, today we can see it isn't working that well. I'm not putting the blame on us — the team just isn't working right now. So we clearly have to question ourselves and look at what's working and what isn't. But I still think we have strengths as a duo, and we've brought positive things to the team. In terms of dynamic, over the practice weeks — our communication, how we play together, the jungle tempo, how we play the macro overall — I think we have brought things.
You're quite close with Sheo and nuc. What's the atmosphere like between you when the losses pile up? Is it easier to talk when you know each other well, or do you avoid being harsh because you don't want to hurt someone you like?
Honestly, we're very frank with each other — if one of us trolls, we say it even more easily. We have a relationship where we can say anything to each other, so there's no problem there.
Striker told us at the start of Summer that your scrim win rate wasn't that good, at least early on. Do you think that weighs heavily on the group's confidence?
I'm convinced it does. Scrim performances reflect your level on stage, because there's confidence involved, and whether you're progressing during scrims. So it definitely affects you. Recently, this week, we had slightly better scrims in terms of results, so we had hope and were fairly confident about beating SK — but in the end it didn't happen. And I don't know why it doesn't click, even in scrims.
This is your second LEC team, and the first spell ended badly. We hope it doesn't, but if it goes badly again with Shifters this split, aren't you afraid the LEC doors close? For the French trio especially, there's a feeling this is a last-chance split. How do you see it?
Yes, I'm well aware that if the results stay bad — which is currently the case — my chances of staying are slim.
Photo Credit: Sasha Safronova/Riot Games
So I'm going to give everything to prove I have the level to play in the LEC. But yes, I'm aware of it. Mentally it's not always easy when things are going badly, but I use that state of mind to push myself every day.
Something that comes up often about Shifters is that the two Korean players aren't as connected as you are in-game, on calls and objectives. Is that one of your biggest problems right now?
I can see it a bit, because nuc has a big voice, so he makes a lot of calls about how to play around him, and the Korean side less so — which naturally means we play around nuc more. But a good team should be able to play around whichever win condition the draft gives you. So yes, it does affect things a little when there's a language barrier, when it's harder to communicate how to play around one player or the other. Sometimes that complicates things.
On that language barrier, how does it work for your bot lane dynamic? Do you feel you're progressing anyway?
Yes, I think we've progressed a lot. We have a bit of a problem where we get a very good lane opening and then we get a bit greedy and the state shifts. That's a point we have to keep working on.
Photo Credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games
You've played with three Korean ADCs since the start of the year. Don't you think it's a bit of a false good idea to build a bot lane with that language barrier, especially in a new roster?
I think it just depends. You definitely lose a bit in cohesion and language, but my philosophy is that if he's Korean and he's stronger, he simply deserves his spot. That's how I see it. In terms of pure level, and I also think ADC is a role that's less demanding in terms of communication, so I think it's okay.
Last question. You still have big teams left on your schedule — G2, KC, Vitality. In your current position, how do you approach those matches, knowing you need to win them to qualify? Do you go in without pressure, as the underdog?
At the point we're at, we just have to play. If we put pressure on ourselves and underplay, we'll never win. So for me it's do or die: give everything and see what happens.
