[Exclusive] "Everything combined makes my playstyle the way it is" Team Vitality Hylissang speaks on his legacy as a veteran and development of the new roster

League of Legends

5 Apr

Foo Zen-Wen

Team Vitality Zdravets "Hylissang" Iliev Galabov sat down with Strafe Esports following their Playoffs Upper Bracket loss to Team BDS to speak on the team's continued development, their challenges thus far, as well as his evolving role as a 1st generation veteran of League of Legends

[Interviewer] Hello. How are you doing?

I’m good, I’m good. Thank you. And how are you?

[Interviewer] I’m good myself, thank you. First off, I wanted to start by saying commiserations on your loss today. That was a close-fought series. Heading into today’s series, what was the gameplan heading into game 1?

Yeah, I mean, I think they went very straightforward with the first three picks. We kind of knew what was coming on 3 because they picked Zeri-Naut I think, and we wanted to answer with the Braum on our side.

And we had Azir already, so we just needed a semi-strong AD Carry on our side, and we could win front to back very easily with the Braum in front and the Azir behind. So, that was our plan going into the game […] actually, they had Xayah first game, no?

[Interviewer] Yeah, it was Xayah-Naut.

Yeah, so that’s why they picked Vi on 3. So, it was very predictable that the Vi was coming and we…we knew that already in draft, and then we just picked Ezreal, that is more mobile and is also good into Xayah and good with Braum. So, our idea was to just play front-to-back and be there on objectives and just have a stronger teamfight composition than them.

[Interviewer] I see. Could you also take me through games 2 and 3? You guys had the early lead in both games. What happened in that sort of mid-game that got away from you guys?

Well, Game 2; they caught us on bot and Photon tried to buy a lot of time. And then we rushed Nash - and that backfired as well. So, we lost Nash, we lost a lot of kills, and after this, it was kind of hard to play. But before that point, we were fine in the game – we were just struggling a little bit to move our champions, but for sure, we will learn from this how to play the mid-game better, mid to late game.

And then after, they stole the Nash and then we died on bot and killed us all. So that was kind of GG. We couldn’t bounce back from this situation. And then in Game 3, it was fine. I think we played good. I think I got caught once at Raptors and they got a little bit back into the game. They got control over top side.

We also didn’t feel like we were making progress in the game even though I feel like the game was completely fine. But yeah, after we couldn’t execute Nash with the Xayah feathers. Because we saw them mid, we thought we can burst Nash. But we had too much damage that Xayah E couldn’t be called back. We couldn’t get another Xayah E so it was kind of 50-50 and we lost it. And after this, it was harder to play again.

[Interviewer] Ok, I also wanted to ask. There’s a specific issue that comes from playing Team BDS; which is that Adam brings a very specific champion pool. Asking from the point of view of an opponent, does that present a unique challenge in terms of drafting? Where you have to be aware of the Olaf, the Garen, and the Darius. Whereas normally you don’t have to be as wary against other top laners who don’t pick these champions. Because I saw that it ate a few of your bans.

Yeah, for sure BDS is a team that revolves around top lane. Because if Adam is ahead on his signature picks, then it’s kind of hard to move around the map, because he just wins top, then takes tower, then he starts roaming – and then no one can play the game in a way.

So, I think we kind of try to get him off comfort, but maybe we’re trying to do it too much. But I think we just haven’t practiced against these picks to know for sure. And we don’t really want him to be on comfort. I feel like Photon in these games was doing very well when he was playing more standard matchups. And that was one of our strategies.

[Interviewer] Can you also speak to me on the synergy of the team? Because you guys had a fairly quiet Winter Split, but you guys have really improved a lot coming into Spring Split. So, can you speak on the development of the team? Especially as this is your first year coming into Vitality from MAD Lions.

We kind of have the same coaching staff plus Carter and now Vizicsasci is now helping for this split. I think we’re learning new concepts very quickly, but we’re still lacking a lot of fundamentals as a team. It’s kind of like we’re moving in the right direction, but it takes time, and that’s why we’re struggling sometimes in some points of the game.

Just because we’re kind of a new team together. So, it’s not clear cut what we should be doing, what everyone is doing, and it just takes a bit of time. But I’m sure that we will bounce back from this loss and we show a better Vitality for the next opponent.

[Interviewer] You spoke about it being a new team, but there’s one team member that isn’t new, that you’ve been partnered with for quite a while. Can you speak about your relationship with Carzzy? How is the relationship between you guys in-game and out of the game? How do you guys play off each other?

I mean, I think I’ve played like what now… two years with Carzzy? This is my second year. It feels like we’ve obviously played for forever. Maybe it’s my third? I don’t know, I lost track of time. So, I don’t know, I feel like I’ve played with Carzzy forever.

I feel like he, he knows what I want to do in the game, and I know what he wants to do in the game. So, it’s very nice that we have this energy already and he’s very chill outside of the game. Very funny. Can sometimes be a bit emotional when we don’t do well, he gets that very easily. But other than that, I feel like the guy is very, very cheerful, and good. So, I like him a lot.

[Interviewer] Speaking on as well, in terms of longevity, you’ve been playing for quite a number of years now in the LEC. I believe it’s now coming on 10 years since you started. 2014 was Unicorns of love. So, can you speak on your own personal motivation for competing at this, at the highest level of League of Legends? What is your driving factor?

I mean, I like to be loyal, and I like to improve on whatever it is wherever I am. So, right now, I’m on Vitality and I want to like fix like all the problems we’re having, and I want to like, to improve even on the good things we’re doing so that they are the best way it can be.

So, I feel like this is one thing that really drives me forward is that I have a lot of knowledge and experience of the game so I can help my teammates to see the game as I do and then improve on it. And I really like that, that I can do that.

And in this team with the coaching staff, I have it very easy, and I have a lot of space to move the team in the right direction or in the direction that I would like it to be. So, this is something that I really like. I’m working on myself every day as well.

This is something that is also motivating me and every challenge that goes my way, it’s making me even more hungry. And I think in generally, I’m very passionate about the game and I feel like these losses that are coming right now can only, how to say, like, make me more hungry to improve and like keep going forward.

[Interviewer] Do you think you still have many, many years left in you, in the tank?

I mean, I don’t know what’s the limit since I’m like the first generation of esports in League of Legends. So, I don’t know what’s the limit but I feel like I am not stopping anytime soon.

[Interviewer] Still keeping it on you as well, you have a very unique reputation as a very aggressive player with your playstyle. Could you speak a little bit on the challenges of treading that fine line?

I think there is a lot of things you have to keep in mind or that I do keep in mind like spells, cooldowns. Even how aggressive is my opponent or like how he answers to my positioning or to my clicks, like how he responds. Everything combined makes my playstyle the way it is.

I feel like I know when I can move forward, even when I’m weak in a way, and I know when I’m weak and I’m not sure if the enemy knows. So, I keep trying to ask him if he knows that I’m weak and if he doesn’t know, then I get a lot of information by just like his clicks and stuff. So, it’s just a lot of things that I, I don’t even know how to explain it.

[Interviewer] It’s just like a feel that you have. Ok, final question, I wanted to ask, coming off of MAD Lions last year, where you guys managed to win Spring and attended both MSI and Worlds. What’s the international viability of this new Vitality roster?

I mean, right now, if we played international teams, I think we’re going to get stomped just because we’re not that experienced of a team and we struggle against European teams. So, I can imagine that it will only get harder against international teams.

But I think after some times, after like, let’s say half a year, then I think we will be much, much, more likely to take on international teams more consistently.

Team Vitality will play tomorrow against MAD Lions KOI, bringing a rematch for Hylissang against his old organization. The series is an elimination one, meaning that Playoff lives are on the line for both teams. For the lates updates on the LEC, follow the official Twitter/X here.

Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

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