With a well-earned victory against GIANTX in the LEC 2024 Season Finals, the reigning champions move on to fight another week. G2 Esports' star midlaner, Rasmus "Caps" Borregaard Winther, discusses his team's recent results against MDK and GIANTX. He also touches on topics such as Europe's chances against North America, the rise of Karmine Corp's Caliste (Caliste Henry-Hennebert), Aurora getting disabled before matches, and much more in an exclusive League of Legends interview with Sheep Esports.

How do you feel after taking down GIANTX in such a commanding fashion?

Caps: I'm definitely happy. I mean, we went 3-0, but we also get to play against BDS next week, and I think we are getting more comfortable on the patch. Last week, we tested out a lot of things, and not everything necessarily worked out. This week, we kept some of it and maybe put some of it in the freezer for now; we'll look back at it later. But we definitely feel more confident in what we're doing right now, and I'm already really excited for next week going up against BDS. It's going to be a fun one.

Today we saw you play Tristana again, a pick you've played a lot in the past. Even though she was recently nerfed, how do you feel about playing her in this match?

Caps: Yeah, I mean, definitely excited to get to play some Tristana again. I think she's definitely nerfed, a bit weaker than before. But at the same time, she can still fit into some drafts quite well and be a solid pick. So, you know, I think she’s a champion to watch out for in the future. And definitely one that I quite enjoy playing, so in that sense, it's been pretty nice.

Despite beating GIANTX 3-0, how did you feel facing Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek today? What are your overall thoughts on him as a player?

Caps: He's had a very good summer split. It's been fun to see him perform on stage. GX as a team, especially in Summer, felt like they really found their identity, playing a lot of super scaling champions everywhere. They play team fights well, and when they get ahead with those champions, it's hard to come back from.

Now, of course, we went for that strong early game and just tried to snowball, which I’m happy we pulled off. But overall, Jackies has been shining in these game patterns. He's done very well in the later parts of the game, similar to Vetheo last year, who also had a strong performance in Heretics. So, it's been a very good summer split for him, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he'll bring next year.

How confident are you in G2's current level, and do you believe you can reach the grand finals in Munich and win it all despite your earlier loss to MDK?

Caps: Definitely. I mean, we had a shaky end to the summer playoffs. We won, but we weren't playing as well as we wanted to. Coming into this new patch, we were making some of the same mistakes while also testing new champions. So, we questioned whether it was because of the new champs or if we just weren’t doing well as a team.

After our loss, though, this week feels different. Everyone's been playing more together, with fewer solo plays, and that’s been nice. Now, we’re way more on the same page. Everyone is including each other in the plays, and we’re playing champions we're more comfortable with. Those two things have been huge, and I definitely feel confident going up against BDS first, as well as MDK and Fnatic.

If we manage to reach Munich, I think we'll be able to take on anyone. But we’re taking it one week at a time. We’ve got four or five days before we play BDS, so we’ll try our best to improve. We have to look at it as three more best-of-fives to play, and we'll focus hard on that final week of matches. We’ll need to be sharp since each team plays differently, but right now, our eyes are just on BDS.

Do you think losing to MDK was a good wake-up call, allowing you to work through struggles now, rather than at Worlds for example?

Caps: Definitely. We weren't always on the same page, and having our backs against the wall made sure we performed as a unit. It’s been nice to come from the lower bracket because we get more best-of-fives, and we wouldn’t have played this week if we had won against MDK. Playing under pressure is good practice. Of course, it's a tough road ahead, and we’ll have to step up if we want to make it to Munich and lift the trophy. But I have no regrets. I’m just looking forward to BDS and whoever comes next.

Recently, APA from Team Liquid said he wasn't worried about Europe this year and thinks the top 2-3 NA teams are better than all of EU. What’s your take on the strength of EU compared to NA?

Caps: I think it’s hard to say. They did beat Fnatic twice, and now Fnatic is at the top. But they didn’t really beat us, right? And honestly, Fnatic, especially at EWC, looked quite bad compared to how they played in the LEC. So I don’t think they were competing against the strongest versions of LEC teams.

I definitely think the LEC is stronger. I believe we could take on any of the NA teams. It’s hard to say how Fnatic, MDK, or even BDS would match up against NA teams because it's not us playing. Fnatic lost twice to TL, but I think third time's the charm. I’m hoping for a rematch at Worlds, and if they can’t take them down, we will.

Aurora was disabled right before this week’s matches, and you were playing her a lot in solo queue. How did this affect your preparation? Were you disappointed she was disabled?

Caps: Yeah, I definitely put a lot of games into her, so it wasn’t the best for us. But these things happen. I don’t really mind in the sense that it’s not like I’m being targeted. It’s just unfortunate because I had invested a lot of time in playing her. It’s happened before where you practice a champion all week and then it gets disabled. It’s unfortunate, but our opponents could have banned her if they wanted to. It’s not really up to us. I’m hoping it gets fixed, and maybe I can play her next week—that would be a lot of fun.

A lot of fans are excited about Caliste from Karmine Corp, who’s expected to join the LEC next year, and are calling him "the next Caps". Based on your experience playing against him, do you think he could be the next big talent for Europe?

Caps: Yeah, I definitely think he is looking quite strong. I played a lot of games against him in solo queue, and he’s always doing quite well. Of course, being on stage is a different beast, so it’s always hard to predict with players. Especially since he’s quite young and there will be a lot of pressure on him, it won’t be the same as playing in the ERLs. That’s where you really get to see if a player shines under all that pressure or if they can’t perform. He’s definitely playing very well in solo queue, and he’s a player to look out for next year. It’s going to be exciting to see if he can make an impact and step up to meet expectations because a lot of eyes will be on him, and it will be up to him to step up.

Do you have any final words for the fans before we wrap up?

Caps: Just a big thank you again to the fans. I know it hasn’t been easy to support G2 these last few weeks. We’ve had some tough games, especially with the loss last week being devastating. But we’re going through the lower brackets, and I hope you’ll keep supporting us. See you in Munich!