GIANTS! newcomer Joachim ”BetongJocke” Rasmussen got his first big shot in the starting line of an LCS team when he joined the squad.
But so far it seems the team’s fighting spirit has been a major disappointment.
– We only scrim a couple of hours each day, after that it’s like whatever, Jocke tells Aftonbladet Esport.

Swedish LCS newcomer Joachim ”BetongJocke” Rasmussen first laid his hands on League of Legends five years ago, by then he was thirteen years old. Since then his ambitions grew and with it came potential and eventually fame.

His name was recognized by accomplished community members and in the summer of 2015 he was contacted by Mike ”Wickd” Petersen with an inquiry about creating a new team. That’s when he realized he’d might be able to become ”someone” within the game he loves.
– We started a team, entered challenger series and that’s when everything started. I started thinking this could actually happend and I started taking things much more seriously, Jocke tells Aftonbladet Esport.

”I realized I wasn’t that good”

The team however, soon split up. Shortly after Jocke was approached with a new offer. H2k needed a substitute and he immediately took the chance.
– Everyone knew Jean-Victor ”Loulex” Burgevin had not been performing, and I thought perhaps they’d pick me instead if I proved myself worthy. That never happend though. I only played one match with them that was it. I realized I wasn’t that good and that they wanted someone better.

What was that like and how did you move on?
– Looking back, it was pretty obvious, but not when I was in the middle of it all.
– I didn’t take it very hard, because back then I knew I wasn’t very good. I knew I would’t get to play for them.
– After Worlds I realized that I still had much to learn and could become better. For me that meant to just continue practicing and get better, and see if something were to come along afterwards.

And something did. Two weeks into the League of Legends Champion Series spring split GIANTS! Gaming approached him. At that point they had lost four straight matches, but for Jocke the answer was simple:
– I didn’t even think, I just said yes. I mean, it’s the LCS.
– When they asked me to play they were already at the bottom of the rankings with 0-4. I thought maybe they weren’t that good and could still learn, and I thought we could still come back.

Did you feel any pressure that you were supposed to turn the tides?
– Yes, a little actually. I read many comments on Reddit of people saying I’m a good player. When people say things like that you kinda feel you have to deliver, or else you get shit for it.

”We only scrim a couple of hours”

Jocke has moved about 100 [Swedish] miles south, from Gothenburg in Sweden to the GIANTS! headquarters in Berlin, Germany. So far he’s not satisfied with his own performance and says he’s not living up to his potential.

However, what seems to be causing most disappointment is not his own gameplay, rather the fighting spirit of his new team. Jocke thinks each and everyone of them could practice and work a lot harder. He’s 99 percent sure the other LCS teams are trying harder.
– We only scrim a couple of hours each day, after that it’s like ’whatever’.

Did you think it would be different?
– Yes. I thought at the very least people would try their hardest to make it to playoffs.

But it doesn’t feel like they are?
– No.

The goal is to stay in LCS

Jocke doesn’t know why things are as they are within the team, but he says the issues were likely there before the 2016 season started. However, in his opinion they’ve not given up yet, but he admits they don’t have a plan for how to come back.
– We prepare before every game. We prepare picks and bans and different comps. Not really how to come back though.
– We’ve not given up, but I think everyone could try much harder.

Including you?
– Yes.

The Swede says it’s hard to motivate himself to practice as much as possible. He says they have different opinions within the team on how the game should be played, making their communication, in his opinion, their biggest problem.

So far GIANTS! Gaming have lost all their matches in the spring split of LCS 2016 and are currently at the bottom of the rankings with 0-8 in matches. Jocke’s focus is now on the rest of the season.
– My goal right now is to reach seventh place or better, which means you’re safe from relegation. That’s my goal and probably everyone else’s also.

 

NOTE: After this interview was conducted and the article written GIANTS! has won their first match of LCS 2016. On Thursday they faced off against Team ROCCAT and finished the game victorious.