Following their loss to Karmine Corp in the LEC Summer 2026, NAVI's AD carry Lee "SamD" Jae-hoon gave a candid interview. The esports athlete analyzed the reasons for the team's failures, evaluated the current game meta, discussed their chances of qualifying for the World Championship, and shared his anxieties regarding his upcoming military service.
According to SamD, in the match against KC, NAVI had a strong early game but ultimately lost due to weak teamfighting in the mid-game. The player noted that matches in the European region often last longer due to a higher number of mistakes compared to the LCK and LPL leagues—one lost teamfight can cost the entire game.
He cited the low quality of scrims (practice matches) as the main reason for NAVI's instability. The team frequently makes fatal errors in the early stages, meaning they simply do not get to properly practice teamfights for the later stages. Although the first weeks of training in Berlin went well after a month-long vacation, the final week before the match was a failure.
SamD did not shift the blame onto circumstances and bluntly stated the need for individual improvement. He emphasized that he and the team's midlaner, Poby, need to seriously improve their mechanics, as both key NAVI players currently fall short of the level of the league's top players.
Despite the global dissatisfaction of many AD carries with the current state of the game, SamD has managed to adapt to the unconventional meta. After practicing champions like Viktor and Syndra, he feels comfortable playing AP mages in the bot lane. However, the player agreed that the meta featuring roaming supports who create pressure as early as level one is extremely unpleasant for top laners and junglers.
Assessing NAVI's chances of qualifying for the World Championship, SamD highlighted G2 and Karmine Corp as the undisputed leaders who are guaranteed to take the first two slots from the LEC. According to his predictions, the fate of the third ticket remains open, and the following teams could fight for it:
In the event of a successful qualification for Worlds, the Korean import most wants to test his skills against Gumayusi from the LCK, as well as face his friend Delight.
At the end of the interview, SamD touched upon a painful topic for Korean esports players—mandatory military service. This causes severe stress for players around the age of 26-27 due to difficulties with deferments and border crossings. The player admitted that he constantly keeps this in mind and feels as if he is living with a "stopwatch," having only a year or two left in reserve. This forces him to constantly feel in a hurry to achieve his career goals.
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