A recent interview published by L'Équipe, the French sports paper, with RFRSH co-founder Jakob Lund Kristensen, revealed a number of interesting facts about the org's relationship with Origen.

The League of Legends brand has been revived as part of RFRSH’s entry into the European LCS, or LEC as it may or may not be known, and Kristensen took some time to speak with the paper about his vision for the project and how it had come about in the first place.

The team behind Astralis will be the one behind Origen

He details conversations with Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martinez, how they came to revive Origen and more besides, but some of the most interesting section of the piece, which can be found in full here, concern the way RFRSH intends to cross its CSGO and League projects. While Kristensen is clear he feels different brands are the way to go in different games, he is equally emphatic about the value of sharing information and facilities, to create a culture of excellence.

When asked about working and training methods for his new team, for example, he was emphatic that they path that had worked for Astralis would be followed by Origen.

He said: "Everything will be the same. The team behind Astralis will be the one behind Origen. I also want our two trainings to work together, to share their problems, their solutions. It seems important to us. I think Astralis will bring a lot to Origen, but the opposite is true, too.”

Patience is a virtue

Similarly, the patience that marked the early years of Astralis has been promised to the new League project, with RFRSH understanding success is not achieved overnight.

Kristensen said: “I think that Astralis is showing what can be done by putting the right things in place in these areas.

"We want to build Origen in the same way. And I do not care not to play the final in the first year, if we take the time to build to fight for the title in the following.”

There are moments of corporate forgetfulness, of course, not least where Kristensen gives RFRSH credit for Emil ‘Magiskboy’ Reif’s resurgence, when in reality that move only happened due to the team being abandoned by Markus 'Kjaerbye' Kjærbye at the last minute and needing a replacement. It’s clear the process is trusted, though, with retired handball player and RFRSH Sport Director Kasper Hvidt having developed an entire program for success, based on way more than just clicking on faces for a few hours a day.

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Kristensen said of the ethos, “Quite simply, Kasper Hvidt was asked, ‘If you had to build a new team with everything you learned from Astralis, how would you do it?’ He has developed a program of several tests - physical (fitness, co-ordination, reflexes, nutrition, lifestyle ...), mental (work with psychologists), motivation - that all players will pass. We will build our team like this and I expect to be surprised.”

With this level of structure and thought, as well as the confidence to back it up, Astralis have risen to the top of European CSGO in no time at all and Origen arrive in League with a fair few advantages over their CS brothers. Their brand is more established, their money is in place and they already have the lessons of the Astralis time to set them in good stead, meaning the rest of League should probably be looking over their shoulders. The Vikings are coming…

Image credit: Astralis, RFRSH