Ask The Pros: Fnatic's Rekkles
Ask The Pros is an ongoing series on Lolesports where we ask a pro player questions from the community. The player then picks the next pro the community will get to ask questions. Be sure to follow us on Twitter to submit your questions for the next Q&A!
In our last Ask The Pro interview, we talked with Giants Gaming's mid laner, Isaac "PePiiNeRo" Flores about dominating mid lane. He also had a question for his surprising rival, Fnatic's Martin "Rekkles" Larsson (who recently did an AMA on Reddit).
PePiiNeRo: Why can ADCs buy Life Steal items, but mid lane champions can't buy Spell Vamp?
Rekkles: Good question! I've never really thought about this, to be honest. AP carries and AD carries are very different. APCs bring high burst damage, while ADCs bring more consistent, mediocre damage (for the most part). That typically means that Life Steal is a necessity for ADCs, just like how AP carries need Zhonya's Hourglass to get out of tough situations.
Professionally Rekkles
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Varin: What was the first ADC that you were pro-tier at?
R: When I first went pro in Season 2, I didn't play meta champions -- just whatever I enjoyed playing. Over time, I learned that being the best at the current meta champions was an important skill for a professional League player. So I had to drop my babies, Ezreal and Vayne.
However, whenever they are in the meta, I'm able to play them really well without practice!
Bozhan: Does your training routine ever become a bore? How do you keep it fun?
R: Sometimes it feels like you just play to play, rather than play to improve. Our coach Louis "Deilor" Sevilla helps us continuously find ways to improve and pulls us aside to talk sense into our heads, when it's needed. He's definitely a great asset for me, and I think the others feel the same.
I really like LoL, but sometimes playing it doesn't feel very productive. That's when I look to brainstorm about ideas I have with a teammate, or watch VODs of other ADCs or games in the LPL and LCK.
Senpai: If you could play on one Chinese or Korean team for a day, which would it be?
R: I really enjoyed my time in Korea during our boot camp there last year. I want to learn Korean so I can play and live there one day. I don't think China is right for me (I'll get enough of Deft at Worlds), but Korea doesn't sound that bad.
However, I'm nervous about going that far away from home, so this idea will have to wait.
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Ruso: What was the most important thing you learned during your time on Elements?
R: I learned a lot of valuable things about myself, mostly as a person.
We had a lot of issues, and I didn't have the same personal relationships with my teammates there that I had with my old Fnatic teammates. So when problems came, we -- specifically myself -- had a very hard time solving them. I had to go out of my comfort zone to find a solution, which usually ended up with me and the others being extremely frustrated with each other as we slowly solved the problem.
I grew a lot as a person. I learned how to solve problems and, just in general, be more professional and open-minded about things. That's something I wouldn't have if I didn't join Alliance/Elements.
I don't have any regrets about the decisions I've made. Just how I've handled things along the way.
Arabian: What do you most want to improve as a player before Worlds?
R: Learning how to put on my "carry pants" without playing a [protect-the-ADC] composition. I feel like I've already improved a lot since I joined the team, but there's still a lot of room to grow. I'm working really hard to stay in shape and be as good as I possibly can be once Worlds comes around (if we manage to get there).
Rekkles With Others
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Maik: What do you think about Jesper "Niels" Svenningsen as a player, and as a person?
R: In our game against Origen, Niels outperformed me. With the resources he was given and with the ones I was given, he did a better job. However, we still ended up on top and I learned a couple of valuable things from him, so I'll try to come back stronger the next time we face off in the EU LCS.
I'm quite happy about recommending him to Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martínez last year when he created Origen. I think he deserved the opportunity to play with players of their caliber, and I'm proud to see him succeed. Even if we're not the closest of friends, I highly respect him.
Potato: Did you expect Isaac "PePiiNeRo" Flores to play ADC against you?
R: Definitely not. I didn't actually notice that they had swapped until a minute into the game. When I met him last year, he occasionally played ADC when mid was taken in Solo Queue, but I never expected him to be confident enough to pull it off in the LCS. The fact that I got killed in our 2 vs. 2 made me feel a bit ashamed, but he was quite impressive...
Perhaps I'll have to go mid the next time we play them, otherwise I'll never get my revenge!
Rekkles in Bot Lane
Cregson: How can I improve my trading in lane?
R: If you feel like you're weak in an area, you should apply focus points before each game, such as: "This game, I'm going to trade at every given opportunity".
This will result in you failing, most likely. However, with time, you'll get the hang of it and will know when it's good to trade and when it's not, without heavily impacting your other skills, such as farming or positioning.
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Dusk: What is the most important quality you look for in a support partner?
R: Being on the same page is a huge priority for me -- on champion choice, playstyle, and when to be aggressive and when not to.
I feel like this is something me and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim already had from the get-go. While there are, of course, things to improve on, we had a very similar idea about how things should go from the start.
Rekkles Running Wild
Laura: How the hell are you so attractive? [[{"fid":"17110","view_mode":"full","fields":{"format":"full","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/full_width_scale/public/rekkles3.png%3Fitok%3DrhzPIPxD","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-full","height":"401","style":"font-weight: lighter; float: right;","width":"300"}}]]
R: Swedish genes are the best genes.
Oskar "G0DFRED" Lundström: Let's go karaoke! What's your favorite karaoke song?
R: Give me the place and time and I'll be there. Snart skiner Poseidon!
Cristal: Will you marry me? Also, what's your favorite book?
R: Maybe! *wink* I've always been a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi books. Reading has always been an interest of mine -- something that I brought with me when I went pro and still do whenever I feel stressed out.
The Eragon Series always stood out to me. It's a shame there's only one movie, because the books are actually extremely insightful and interesting.
Victoria: If you had to choose one champion to play forever, who would it be?
R: The reason I started playing ADC to begin with was Vayne's release. She was also the first champion I ever played, so she'd easily be my number one choice.
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LoLesports: Which pro player would you want to answer questions next? Would you like to ask him anything?
R: Cloud9's mid laner: Nicolaj "Incarnati0n" Jensen. How different is it to play Solo Queue in comparison to competitive, and how different is it to play at home in comparison to on the NA LCS stage? (I miss you, Nico!)
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Daybreak Games. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
