After stepping away from Karmine Corp at the end of 2024, Lucas "Saken" Fayard eased back into competition with French Flair — and now lands at Nisqy's ZYB Esport, who open their Summer split tonight against KCB, Karmine Corp's academy side. A fitting first opponent. RFT.GG caught up with the mid laner during his SoloQ Challenge stint in Korea to talk about the break he needed, his LEC ambitions, and the low-pressure projects that now suit him.
Yes, I needed to step back after all that. When you get into esports as a player, you don't really take breaks. There are gaps between splits, but you never really take the time to disconnect from esports and gaming in general. It did me a lot of good. I got to see my family again, spend time with my friends and enjoy those moments. It was a good break for me. Then I slowly got back into it with other, calmer projects.
I'd had chances to play again in the LFL or other ERLs, even in 2025. But the early-2026 project came together with people I like and wanted to play with. It was also a slightly different setup: fewer constraints tied to joining a structure, having to travel or move somewhere. Since I stayed home, it was more comfortable. And above all, I was playing with people I really wanted to play with. I also missed competition, so everything lined up.
I think any competitive player wants to show he's strong. I obviously had that in mind, but my main goal was to play well, give my maximum and win.
When I enter a competition, I want to win it.
So yes, in the end it was pretty close to their mindset. Maybe I expressed it less, but the idea was the same.
Not as much as at the very start of my career. I've already been there twice and, unfortunately, it didn't always end well. I also know exactly how the circuit works, and it's complicated. So it's not something I particularly expect.
The only expectation I have of myself is to play League of Legends well. That's the only thing that really matters to me.
Some things worked well for me as a player that maybe didn't for others. I don't know if you can really call it an edge, but I've been passionate about the game from the start. I've also often managed to be clutch in the important moments, under pressure. Maybe that can be seen as an advantage, yes.
Yes and no. I didn't see Manaty much, because he was in his room for a big part of the challenge [laugh] — I'd even say 90% of the time. With Jezu, though, it went really well. I didn't know him at all before. I'd played against him in the LFL and crossed paths from a distance, but never really met him. He's super nice and I'm very happy to play with him. That's also why I wanted to join ZYB: I wanted to play with him. And on top of that, he and I get along really well, so it's cool.
The main difference is the solo queue here. I'm a bit disappointed with how my rush went, because I started really well before stalling a bit and losing focus. But it's still an interesting experience. And discovering a new country always makes me happy. Above all, going somewhere else lets me focus better on what I have to do — I have fewer distractions than at home, for example.
Yes, completely. I got to run into quite a few players on the ladder, so it was super cool. I'd even have liked to play more, to face even more pros. It's definitely an experience to do again. When there's a Worlds in Korea, for example, or anywhere with a lot of pros gathered on the Korean ladder, it's really interesting.
For now, I'm letting opportunities carry me a bit and seeing how things evolve. But I really like streaming. I also like being able to compete while having my streaming activity on the side, in a calmer setting. That's why projects like French Flair or ZYB appeal to me a lot. I like that kind of profile, and that's probably the format I'll lean toward.
Yes, that's pretty much it.
Of course there are things I'd change now that I understand better how it all works. But I also think I was very lucky.
Just being able to live the KC project, especially at the start, was exceptional. I have no regrets about the structure's early years — it was incredible.
Even if it ended badly in the end, it probably had to end that way one way or another. I don't really have regrets. I lived through incredible things with them. I also started at Vitality: it could maybe have gone better, but it was a good structure at the time. Overall, I went through great teams and I keep good memories of them. Of course, you can always tell yourself you should've played better at certain moments — you can always rewrite history. But regarding my career choices, I don't have much to regret.
To always stay passionate about League of Legends, to do something I love, that motivates me, and to have a good time. It's as simple as that.
Le prince de la midlane... On l'a vu évoluer avec la KC. Malgré une fin qui fait tache, il est resté le visage de l'équipe pendant très longtemps, et c'est encore le cas aujourd'hui dans l'esprit de certains. On ne lui souhaite que le meilleur !