Caliste reflects on KC's MSI exit: "For me, it's a disaster"

You seem to struggle to find your identity the moment you face the big teams — to be on the same page in-game. Why is that?

I couldn't tell you exactly. When we talk outside the game about what we want to do, how we'd want to play a given situation or teamfight, there's no problem at all. But once we're in the game — this MSI especially — we just didn't manage it at all.

Things looked like they were improving in the playoffs — you came back strong after the G2 loss. Does today feel like a step backwards?

After the G2 loss, we'd become really good. I even think we probably should have won that final against G2. We'd worked hard, found our weaknesses, pinpointed exactly what to fix, and worked on it well. And at this MSI — like I said,

For me it's a big failure, and even a disaster. The feeling that we've gone backwards.

In the games we were completely lost, not confident, not at all the team we usually are.

How was practice going? Was what you showed on stage a reflection of what was happening behind the scenes?

No, practice was going really well — although practice in general, especially at international events, doesn't mean much. But it was going great: we won most of our scrims, we played the champions we wanted, we were learning.

Did yesterday's 3-0 maybe break that momentum, if things were fine behind the scenes?

I don't think so. Even last night, after the 3-0, we scrimmed a top team and it went really well. We were confident, playing different kinds of champions like we wanted, being aggressive. But even in game one against DCG, we're just not in it — not in the plans, not at the individual level, none of it.

There have always been big expectations around you. Do you feel that pressure — that at the slightest mistake, people pile on?

Personally, I don't really care what people say. I say what I think. But what people say — honestly, I don't really care.

They can say whatever they want on social media — it won't get to me.

Everyone gives their opinion anyway. It's like people watching football: you'll always say 'why doesn't he do this, why doesn't he do that.' But it's completely different being on the pitch. People can say what they want. It won't change much for me.

After yesterday, the things that were said — none of that got to you?

No. Especially after games like that, I don't really open social media, because I know it'll always be looking for someone to blame, hunting for problems. It's just going to be far more negative than anything else. So honestly, I've got no reason to open it, especially at a time like that.

A more positive angle — G2 last year had more or less your trajectory: two lost finals, a 0-3 against NA, a flopped MSI, then Worlds quarters and a Summer title. You told me in Spring that sometimes you need to hit a wall to learn. Was today the biggest wall you could hit?

There's always worse, I think. But yes, clearly. If we want to perform internationally — and for the Worlds coming up, we'll need to qualify — we have to come back strong, work, and above all fix this one problem:

We're clearly not the same team on stage, internationally, as we are in scrims.

Can you take any positives from this?

Like I said, I try to look back over the series. Against DCG, game one — we're not in it, but we win it. We're not in it and it shows; the gameplay isn't good. In the other two games, I just think they're not [DCG] MSI level. Then the series against Team Liquid and T1 — like I said, we make mistakes that are too big, and we're not even sure what we want to do in the draft. So for me, it's just very hard. I don't really know what to take from it.

On identity — is that the biggest work left for the rest of your year? Finding that game identity, that formula in the important matches?

I think it's the biggest, clearly.

Just being confident, being able to play a classic gameplay on an international stage — being at 100%, clear on the plays we want to make, what's possible and what isn't, how we use our spells, what we want to fight for, our drafts, all of it.

We'll have to fix that.

The upside is you're back home soon for the EWC. Do you know what's next, and what are your expectations for that tournament in Paris?

Honestly, I don't really know what's next. I think we'll take a mini break when we get back, then maybe prepare for the EWC. There aren't many other options anyway — either we take the tournament lightly, or we full-focus it, and I'd be surprised if we took it lightly. So I think we'll take a short break, try to come back, and try to fix the problems we had at this MSI.

Any last word for the fans who've followed you?

A big thank you to all the fans who support us, in victory and in defeat. Honestly, I don't think we showed a good face at MSI, and I'm sorry for that. We'll try to do better at the next international events. Keep supporting us — it'll help us a lot, especially in tough stretches like this.