Movistar KOI secured a hard-fought victory over Team Vitality, booking their ticket to Nice. This Friday, the Spanish squad will face Natus Vincere in a decisive match for a spot at the LoL World Championship.
Reflecting on the past series and the regular season, MKOI head coach Tomás "Melzhet" Campelos Fernández admitted that despite the win, the quality of their execution left much to be desired: "We played really bad, and the enemies played worse." The split proved difficult due to a compressed schedule and a poor start (0-3 in the first week), which forced the team to accelerate their preparation. The main challenge right now is staying calm during games. A perfect example of this was game five of the series, where the team showcased composed communication and smart macro decisions—specifically, proper side lane assignment after securing Baron Nashor, which prevented the opponent from flanking them.
Regarding the upcoming clash with NAVI and the key jungle matchup, Melzhet highly rates the opponent, noting their individual skill level despite a lack of team experience. The coach is confident in his team's superiority, emphasizing that this is the only right mindset for competing. The main storyline of Friday's match will be the duel in the jungle between Enes "Rhilech" Uçan and Javier "Elyoya" Prades. Despite his respect for Rhilech, Melzhet did not hesitate to call Elyoya the best jungler in the West, capable of beating anyone as long as he remains confident.
The strategy behind the crucial draft was the foundation of their victory in game five. The coach highlighted several key adaptations during the pick and ban phase:
- Prioritizing the Kalista-Renata Glasc duo in the bot lane and target-banning Ziggs to avoid range disadvantage issues.
- Flexibility in the jungle pick thanks to prepared options (Wukong, Sejuani, Cho'Gath), which allowed them to confuse the opponent.
- Picking Anivia as the ideal counter to the enemy Nautilus and Aurora, since her wall completely blocks their engages.
- Banning Azir and Hwei in the second phase, forcing the opponents into a disadvantageous frontal assault due to a lack of range.
Speaking about the roster's future and personal struggles, the head coach admitted that keeping the current five-man lineup in 2027 will be extremely difficult due to contracts expiring at the end of 2026 and expected interest from other clubs. The current season has been psychologically taxing due to sky-high expectations following last year's successes. Because of the team's struggles, the coach had to cancel his trip to the Madrid event and dedicate all his time to work, meaning he hasn't seen his family in three months.
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