SK Gaming’s toplaner, Joel "Irrelevant" Miro Scharoll, shares insights following their 0-2 loss to Fnatic in the LEC 2024 Summer Playoffs in an exclusive League of Legends esports interview. The German player reflects on SK's playoff preparations, ambitions for the World Championship, and confidence in the team's resilience for the lower bracket and season finals.

What went wrong for SK Gaming in their 0-2 loss to Fnatic?

Joel "Irrelevant" Miro Scharoll: "I think it's hard to say right after playing without watching the games again. But from what I felt during the games, we didn’t really have the right mindset. The mood seemed a bit off, and it felt like we didn’t want to win enough. We were lacking some fire. We were just too slow on the map, and Fnatic was way faster, which is why we crumbled in the mid-game.

Were there any specific reasons behind the team's poor mindset heading into the match?

Irrelevant: I'm not sure why. It just felt weird today, and I don’t really know the reason.

SK has had a pretty poor record against Fnatic this year. How do you view them as a team? Do you think they’re a bad matchup for you or is it just coincidence?

Irrelevant: To be honest, I'm not sure what is causing this. When I play against them, I personally feel like I'm doing well, despite the end result. I can’t really speak for my teammates, though, so I’m not sure about that.

How do you view Oscarinin as a player, and how did you feel facing him today?

Irrelevant: Today, at least in my eyes, I felt that laning against him was pretty easy. Overall, I still believe he is a strong player, and definitely one of the better toplaners in Europe. Somehow though, every time we play against one another, I honestly don't know what the fuck he's doing. It feels like he's always trolling.

How do you rank yourself among toplaners, and who are your main rivals?

Irrelevant: I'm not sure exactly where I would rank myself. There are a lot of factors in this league where different toplaners excel in some areas and are weaker in others. For example, in the laning phase, I think Photon (Kyeong Gyu-tae) is probably the best toplaner, but he doesn't seem to know as much about the mid-game. In contrast to him, there are players with weaker laning but stronger game understanding. It's hard to rank yourself overall. Maybe top 3 or top 4. I’d say BrokenBlade (Sergen Çelik) is probably the best right now. He might not be the best in lane, maybe not even in the top 2, but he has a very good understanding of the game.

What is your edge as a toplaner then? What are you best at?

Irrelevant: I’d say I'm probably best at laning, but I also think I'm good at the mid-game. In both aspects, I might not be the absolute best, but I’m very high up in both.

How did SK Gaming use the one-week break to prepare for the LEC playoffs?

Irrelevant: We didn’t do anything fancy. We just scrimmed, tried to improve, and took it seriously. Our motivation is to make the Season Finals and qualify for Worlds. I think we all really want to make Worlds, and that’s the motivation we have.

What would it mean for you to make it to Worlds for the first time?

Irrelevant: I’m not really thinking that far ahead. In my career, I haven’t even won a best-of-five yet. Just winning one best-of-five would make me really happy. As for qualifying for Worlds, I’d be insanely happy. I’m not focusing on specific matchups or who I want to face right now; I’m just focused on winning and qualifying.

With your current Championship Points standings, do you feel the team’s confidence was shaken after the loss to Fnatic, or are you confident about making it to the season finals?

Irrelevant: We're confident we’re going to make it. After losses, we just get more motivated. I don’t think anyone on this team gets depressed after a loss and wants to stop trying. I believe it will work in our favor in the long run. Maybe losing the series was even good for us.

What is one thing you can learn from today’s defeat against Fnatic?

Irrelevant: There's a lot to learn from Fnatic, especially how they play the mid-game. They are a very fast team in the mid-game and play well around side lanes and their solo laners with jungle and support. You can’t just be inactive against them or you’ll lose quite quickly.

How has your role as a top laner changed this split with the addition of Rahel (Cho Min-seong) and Luon (Lee Hyun-ho), and is it harder for you to stand out now that the bot lane is getting more attention?

Irrelevant: You can shine more when you’re on a losing team and are one of the few players doing well. You’ll always look good in those situations. But now that we’re winning, it’s harder to be a standout player on the team. I don’t mind, though; I just want to win, so I’m happy with what I’ve done.

Who do you expect to face between MAD Lions KOI and Karmine Corp, and what are your expectations for that match?

Irrelevant: I think MAD Lions KOI will win. They have better team play compared to Karmine Corp, who don’t have as good team play. I would say MAD Lions will either win 2-0 or 2-1, but it’s probably more likely to be 2-1. I don't really care about who we'll play against. I just want to win. I'm confident we'll win no matter what.