The Samurais are back on top of Europe… for now. After defeating both Fnatic and Team BDS, G2 Esports is leading their group in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Summer Season, maintaining an undefeated record with just one match remaining. In an exclusive interview, the team’s jungler, Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan, sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss his recent results, his growth from international play, and what lies ahead for him and his team this season.

You went 0-3 against BDS this year. How does it feel to finally beat them?

Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan: “It’s really great, especially since they were the only team we hadn’t managed to beat this year. That makes the win even more satisfying. Our early games were still a bit shaky, but we managed to turn things around in the mid-game, and that’s what matters most.

In Game 1, BDS was in a good position and Caps struggled a bit. Do you think this reflects the limits of mid-tier teams, who have strong mechanics but struggle to capitalize in the mid-game?

SkewMond: In the first game, we had to play a bit slower, but we managed to scale and execute our game plan. We played well around the bot side, made a good swap, and Yunara got a strong lead. We waited for the right moments to engage, and when we caught Corki, it really opened the game up. After that, we won all the teamfights and it snowballed from there. As for mid-tier teams, Caps just didn’t have his best game — that happens. But their players clearly have great mechanics, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the LEC. The difference was that we played better macro and rotated more effectively across the map.

Did you expect your matchup against Fnatic? Were you surprised that they didn’t put up more resistance?

SkewMond: It was pretty similar to our game today against BDS. The early games weren’t completely one-sided — we made a few small misplays that slowed things down. Fnatic even played their early games pretty well in both matches. But once we reached mid-game, after about 15 minutes, we found picks thanks to vision gaps, and that’s when things turned. Once we got momentum, we took control and really outperformed them.

We had only scrimmed them once in preparation, so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. We obviously knew they were strong from their LEC games and had a lot of respect for them. They’re a really good team with talented players. But like with BDS, who we also hadn’t scrimmed, it was a bit of the unknown. In the end, we handled it very well.

With this format, it can be hard to gauge the true level of the top teams since you don’t play against everyone. How do you see Europe’s overall level, and which teams could really challenge you in the playoffs?

SkewMond: To be honest, Group A is a bit stronger than ours. Aside from NAVI, the other four teams are solid. Teams like GIANTX or Vitality are real dark horses: they’ve proven it — GX took a game off KOI, KOI took one off KC, and Vitality beat KC. Every win counts.

KC and MKOI are two very strong teams, and since we’re 3-0, we’ll face one of them in the playoffs. They’re solid opponents, and even though we’re very strong right now, I don’t expect a 3-0 if we play KC or MKOI. It’ll probably be a tough match, but I’m confident we can win. The level is close between the teams, so staying focused and giving everything in the playoffs is what matters.

Since MSI, we’ve seen a lot of growth from you. Elyoya recently said that you used to spend a lot of time full-clearing camps without always reacting when your team was under pressure, but now you’ve become a more complete jungler. How do you view your evolution since those tournaments?

SkewMond: For me, it’s not just about stopping the full clears, but being more active early on. I already saw opportunities back then, but I didn’t always take them in official games. Today, it’s more of a team-wide improvement: we communicate better, spot gank angles more clearly, know when to group, and how to manage vision. It makes the game simpler, and it shows in competitive play, especially compared to Spring or Winter.

I’ve learned a lot internationally. MSI, even if it was pretty disastrous, taught me a lot, both about how I play individually and with my team. EWC was a bit of a bonus, but I was really happy we managed to beat BLG — a first for G2. Even taking games off Gen.G is a positive: they’re incredibly strong players. Overall, we’ve improved a lot as a team, and it reflects in my own performance too.

It’s still early, but if you were to go back to international competition tomorrow, would you be confident about performing better?

SkewMond: Yes, absolutely, 100%. EWC already showed that to some extent. We played against Gen.G just a week or two after MSI. In such a short time, you obviously can’t become the best team in the world — it’s a process that takes time. But we proved we can challenge them, and we even took a game off them. So yes, I’d be fairly confident. I wouldn’t say we’d be world champions tomorrow, but we could put up very strong fights against the world’s best teams.

A big topic right now is the introduction of WASD in LoL. As a jungler, what’s your take on it, especially if it ever becomes part of competitive play?

SkewMond: WASD is the new way to move without using the mouse, right? Honestly, I don’t have a solid opinion yet. I’ve heard about it and understand the change is coming, but I’m not sure what to expect in-game. If it lets you move really fast and dodge all abilities, it could be a bit broken, because currently mouse movement relies a lot on skill: your DPI, precision, even your physical state. With the keyboard, it would be more standardized. I don’t have a strong stance — I just hope it’s not too strong. And if it ever comes to competitive play, I hope ADCs can’t just dodge every skillshot in teamfights.

Anything to say to the fans to conclude?

SkewMond: As always, thanks to all the fans who support me and G2, even after our tough international results. We’ve returned much stronger than before for this Summer Split, and I hope we can continue showing good performances, qualify for Worlds, and maybe even win the LEC. Thank you for all your support.”