With the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) playoffs now in GIANTX's sights, the team marches ever onward after two back-to-back shaky weeks, hoping to fix their form in time for their upcoming match against G2 Esports. Nonetheless, Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek expressed confidence when speaking to Sheep Esports, despite the team's struggles to pinpoint the core of their recent issues. In this exclusive interview, the midlaner discusses his recent struggles, the miscommunications within GX, and his thoughts on the level of the league.

GX has had a solid start to the season but has been struggling since then. What would you attribute your defeat to Vitality to? Was it a fluke or are there deeper problems?

Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek: "I wouldn’t call it a fluke. We’ve started to notice some issues in our team, which is unfortunate, but at the same time, it’s better to find them now rather than in playoffs. So, no, it wasn’t just a fluke. From my side, I think I had a really bad week, so I can’t look too much at my team—I can only look at myself.

What do you think is the biggest issue your team needs to work on before playoffs?

Jackies: I’m not sure why it changed, but our communication isn’t as clear anymore. From my side, I think it’s a consistency issue—I’m not playing well consistently. But for the team, it’s mostly about communication and making sure we’re on the same page.

You made some uncharacteristic mistakes today. As I know you had some banter with Mateusz "Czajek" Czajka before the match, did you approach this match differently than usual?

Jackies: I wouldn’t say there was anything different than usual mentally speaking. I went into it like I do every game. I don’t know—I just finished playing, so I still need to review it myself, but something was definitely off in my gameplay today.

Do you blame your coach for making you play the Corki-Azir matchup?

Jackies: No, I don’t mind playing Corki to be honest. I actually think he’s a fun champion. The matchup itself is boring, but at least I made it exciting—I think we were trading flashes at level 4, so that was fun. But yeah, I don’t think this game was a draft issue.

How confident are you that you’ll be able to turn things around before playoffs? You have a week-long break now—what’s the plan to fix the issues you’re facing?

Jackies: That’s hard to say—if I knew, we wouldn’t have any issues in the first place. But I’m still quite confident going into playoffs because I think our team is well put together, both personality-wise and in terms of the staff we have. Everyone is hardworking, so if we can identify the issues and figure out how to fix them, I believe we can do it quickly. We have about a week and a half before our next games, so that’s plenty of time. Hopefully, we can get back to our Week 1 form.

In week one, you had a relatively easier schedule, facing Rogue and SK. Your losses, however, came against teams like MKOI, G2, and Fnatic—teams considered among the best in the league. Right now, many see GX as just outside the top four. What do you think needs to change for you to break past that barrier and consistently beat these top teams?

Jackies: Some of our games against top teams were actually close. Against KOI, for example, I think we should have won—it was a bit of a throw. If I remember correctly, we had Nash and Atakhan, and our draft was pretty difficult to play. So that loss didn’t surprise me too much because it was more about execution, and those kinds of mistakes can be fixed quickly.

However, the G2 and Fnatic games were different. We crumbled from minute two, and I don’t really know why. That’s the kind of issue we need to figure out. But like I said, we’re hardworking, and we’re good at identifying problems. Now that it’s playoffs—where the matches matter even more—we'll have to work even harder and I believe we can fix those issues. Looking back, our game against KC was by far our cleanest, and they were supposed to be a very strong team. So I think we have it in us—we just need to find that form again.

This is your second year in the league. Would you say the overall level has gone up compared to last year? Some people feel the peak level has dropped, but the average level has improved. Do you agree?

Jackies: Yeah, for sure. I think there are maybe two or three weaker teams, but the rest all have their strengths. Today, for example, Vitality played very well and caught us off guard. So I’d definitely say the average level is higher. As for the top level, it’s kind of inconsistent. Some days, a team looks incredible—like Fnatic against KC, they looked like they had Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) in every position. Even in our game against KC, I think we played really clean. Then there’s G2, who sometimes are just completely megasmurfing—like they did against us. So at the top, it fluctuates a lot, but overall, the average level has definitely improved.

Have you approached your second year in the LEC differently? Last year was your rookie season, a time for discovery, but now you’re coming in with high expectations. Has that changed the way you see things?

Jackies: It's very different, definitely. As a rookie, you don’t really know what to expect—not just in terms of games but also everything behind the scenes, like apartments, the studio, the office, and how scrims work. Now that I know how everything functions, my approach is definitely different. Last year, our goal was just to make playoffs. This year, it’s completely different because I’m on a team that wants to win no matter what. It’s not about just making playoffs and doing our best—it’s about winning. So my mindset coming into the split is way, way different.

GIANTX is reportedly one of the teams with the lowest-budget roster in the league, yet you’re still performing well. Do you feel like you're here to call out overpaid and badly made teams?

Jackies: I don’t think it really matters for us. That’s what I like about our team—we aren't here just for the money. Everyone really wants to win, no matter what, and that’s why we chose this team. I’m just happy with the team and with what GX has pulled off this season.

Playoffs mean the start of Fearless Draft, which has been a big talking point. How do you feel about this format? Are you excited?

Jackies: I’m definitely excited for Fearless, especially because of its impact on midlane. There are a lot of one-tricks these days, so there are definitely ways to punish certain players. For me, I think I can play almost anything—of course, there’s the meme about my mages—but still, I feel like I can pull off a lot of different picks. I’m especially excited for best-of-fives because that’s where you can really punish teams. Best-of-threes still feel pretty similar, by game 3 you get 30 bans, but best-of-fives are where things get really interesting.

How is the team atmosphere right now? You started 3-0, but then had back-to-back 1-2 weeks. Has that affected the mood, or are you all still as motivated as before?

Jackies: The motivation is still there no matter what—I don’t think that’s going to change in our team. That’s one of our strengths. Of course, things could be better. Going 1-2 twice isn’t great, but it’s not like we’re going to implode. We’ll be sad for a bit, sure, but then we just refocus on playoffs, start practicing, and make sure we don’t repeat those mistakes.

Do you have anything you want to say to your fans before we close?

Jackies: Yeah, of course. Thanks to everyone for cheering. I feel like I’ve gained way more fans than last year, especially in the studio, and it’s really nice to see the support on Twitter too. Sorry for playing a bit like a piggy this week, but I’ll make sure I fix things up for playoffs, 100%."