Last split, Team Roccat had an underwhelming performance where the team ended up in eight place.

Under the leadership of new coach Jakob ”YamatoCannon” Mebdi, the squad will now prove that the spring was only a glitch in the plan.

– Lolesports ranked us in ninth place which was a bit comical, but it will be fun to shock people, Mebdi tells Aftonbladet Esport.

Team Roccat was named as one of the teams to look out for during the Spring Split 2015, but in the end they couldn’t live up to the expectations and ended up in a disappointing eight place. After Jakob ”YamatoCannon” Mebdi arrived in the organization he said that ”everyone feels this is a new Roccat”, and tonight they’re set to prove the doubters wrong after working hard to overcome some of the issues from the last couple of months.

– There were a lot of positive things about the old Roccat, the players especially. I think everyone we’ve scrimmed against notice a huge difference because we’re striving to play with a lot more finesse now. Everyone will notice it, we’ve really started rolling and acknowledged the previous problems. We’re working on it and slowly but surely we’ll become really great, he tells Aftonbladet Esport.

”Steve exceeded my expectations”

He’s especially happy about the new top laner Etienne ”Steve” Michels who they picked up from Team LDLC only weeks ago.

– When we recruited him I thought I had found a mechanically gifted player that would be surrounded by great players who could teach him the competitive side. But as soon as we started scrimming he exceeded my expectations. Right off the bat he was great at the game and I’m really pleased with him.

YamatoCannon thinks the Summer Split will be harder than the spring, since the squads have gotten a chance to work out the kinks in the lineups.

– Last split many teams changed a lot of players, and you could tell the quality wasn’t that high. Now the teams have started rolling with the new lineups so the quality will be raised.

– But you still recognize the players in the teams. You can anticipate what Forg1ven will do for Gambit and it’s the same with Fnatic. This split will be tougher but I feel we know which teams will be the hardest to face.

”Should have a chance to make it to Worlds”

After last season, the expectations on Team Roccat might be lower. But Mebdi seems to think that a lot of experts underestimate the lineup.

– Lolesports ranked us in ninth place which was a bit comical, but it will be fun to shock people. The expectations seem to be lower but I think that’s a positive thing.

How important is it for you to get a good start?

– Of course it feels great to get a good start, but for me the whole split is a process where scrims are as important as the LCS games. It’s all about what you take away from the games. I think we’re guaranteed to end up in playoffs and it’s there where it matters the most what we’ve taken away from the games we’ve won or lost. Sure, I want a good start, but H2K and Gambit are two good teams and anything can happen. But against Gambit we have an advantage and against H2K we’re even so I think it’ll be two good games.

And even though they might be overlooked in the rankings, YamatoCannon has set the bar high for his new organization.

– I feel we have a good chance of making it to Worlds. We have a talented roster and an organization that backs us up. As long as nothing shakes us in the middle of the split, you can’t prepare for everything, we should have a chance at making it to Worlds.