exceL UK is one of the clear favourites for the UKLC title this split. In their first week, they toppled inaugural tower champions Enclave Gaming and despite losing their position last week, the side remains top of the leaderboard going into week three.
Not only is this side playing well, but they are playing with confidence. As the team prepares for their round of eight match-up against MnM today, exceL’s ADC Innaxe simply said the words…
“MnM is a free win.“
He also provided a little insight into why he believes in such a bold statement, as he adds: “The academy teams have the best individual players out of the league and the best coaching staff so its only natural that they are on top.”
While this may catch people off guard, it highlights the confidence this team has in their ability. MnM will prove to be a tough challenge but as of right now, the only side to beat exceL UK are Fnatic Rising. With regards to that loss, Innaxe opens up about how he felt the game against Fnatic academy unfolded.
He says: “The loss against Fnatic Rising was pretty straightforward, the Galio pick caught us off guard. But, even then all we had to do bot was not int and we would just win.”
Unfortunately for Innaxe, exceL were unable to claim the victory in that game. However, whilst wins and losses are important in this league. Sometimes a loss can make you stronger, as you find out exactly what went wrong and attempt to fix it. This will undoubtedly be what exceL have been doing for the past six days leading up to their game against MnM.
Most players in this league have a sole motivation of winning the UKLC. Even so, not everybody prioritises victories. In Innaxe’s case, he believes that as long as his performances are the best they can be, then the victories will come and his team will get stronger.
“My motivation doesn’t change regardless if we win or lose. All I care about is how fast the team and I are progressing.” Says the Bulgarian.
With all that being said, the pressure is on exceL to beat MnM and try to reclaim their spot at the top of the mountain. Despite their loss to Phelan, MnM where considered one of the stronger sides in the league this year. The LEC academy team will need to be focused if they don’t want to be defeated.
Throughout the whole tournament, exceL UK will have a target on their back. Many organisations believe that for their teams to mount a title challenge, they must defeat the academy sides. Nevertheless, judging by Innaxe’s answers, he is more than ready to prove that exceL are the best side in the UKLC.
Don’t forget to watch all the UKLC action tonight at 6pm on twitch!
By Tom Daniels
Gromp News 