MKERS botlaner Frederik “Guubi” Mortensen on who he wants to meet at EUM: “For a specific player I want to meet, it would be Chres “Chres” Laursen from AGO ROGUE. He is a friend of mine and Doxy’s, and it would be so sweet to win against him!”
MKERS are a relatively new face to the Italian LoL scene. Joining the PG Nationals in the summer of 2020, their roster drew much fanfare due to the players they signed. Unfortunately, MKERS fell one step short of making it to the European Masters (EUM).
Ironically, it was Samsung Morning Stars (SMS), the team Guubi was playing for then, who knocked MKERS into the Losers’ Bracket.
In a twist of fate, Guubi has found himself playing for MKERS this split, where he again knocked his former team SMS into the Losers’ Bracket during their playoffs run to the finals. While it was not meant to be as they fell to Macko Esports 3–1, MKERS made it to EUM for the first time ever.
With a lot to look forward to still, Guubi takes time off before EUM to talk about the PG Nationals finals, EUM expectations, if Click or himself plays a better Senna and the best coach he’s ever had (not Guldborg).
Thank you for accepting this interview. Congratulations on making it to EUM once again! I’d like to start with the PG Nationals Grand Finals. The games felt close despite it being a 3–1, tell us a bit about that series in general and how you saw it.
Guubi: Thank you for inviting me! Yeah, those were very close games despite the result. We lost some neutral objectives to them through ‘lucky’ steals, which ultimately costs us two games. Not our series for sure.
Of the six games MKERS have played against Macko this spring, you guys managed to only win one and the rest seemed like it came down to slim margins. Do you think this is due to a stylistic mismatch between both teams or some other factors?
Guubi: Hmmm…I think we had a very good read on Macko’s playstyle, at least in playoffs, we just did not step up on the day and we didn’t execute our plan properly except Game 1.
Speaking of Taxer, there was that clip where of you from Game 5 against Samsung Morning Stars as Tristana jumping into their base and well…dying. What was going through your mind at the time? Were you certain the game was already won?
Guubi: When I jumped I was certain it was already won…but after I died, I got a bit scared that I might have thrown the series. But we still won though, so now it’s just funny to look back at such a stupid play from me!
Overall MKERS still had a great season, finishing second and making EUM for the first time! How would you reflect on this season in PG Nationals as a whole, and what do you think of the level of competition in Italy compared to last season?
Guubi: I think the level of Italy is much higher compared to the last season, with Mads “Doss” Schwartz coming in as a big name, and obviously Christian “Taxer” Vendelbo Bylling Jensen and Rafael “Doxy” Adl Zarabi on my team. But of course, it’s not about who has the best players, it’s about who plays the best together, which turned out to be Macko in the end.
But overall I’m happy we still made EUM Play-Ins, and came second in both regular season and playoffs.
Unfortunately we’re still living in the pandemic era and it has affected different people in different ways. How was MKERS dealing with this challenge? Did it significantly impact preparations and practice?
Guubi: We did not want to travel to boot camps or a gaming house due to COVID-19 and the added risk of getting sick.
Unfortunately, we still got hit pretty hard by COVID. We had two weeks where one of our players caught it, which affected our scrim results and also our official matches.
I’m sorry to hear. On to the main topic: EU Masters. MKERS will have to play through Play-Ins this season, what teams or regions are you guys keeping a close eye on? Any players or teams you are keen on meeting?
Guubi: We are definitely keeping an eye out for LFL teams this year. All of the teams that made it to EUM, all of them seem very strong. But we also want to meet as well as defeat Prime League and LVP SuperLiga teams.
And for a specific player I want to meet, it would be Chres “Chres” Laursen from AGO ROGUE. He is a friend of mine and Doxy’s, and it would be so sweet to win against him (laughs)!
Last season with SMS, you guys surprised many people with wins over LDLC OL and FC Schalke 04 Evolution. Do you look back fondly on those victories? What are your expectations for EUM this time around?
Guubi: I do look back at them sometimes, but mostly for motivation to do better this year.
Last year we had a taste of battling with the big boys…this time around I want the full package! I think with this roster, if we fix our mistakes, we can achieve that goal for sure, and at least make it out of Groups.
And speaking of Schalke, EUM groups have been released and you will be meeting them again! What are your thoughts on MKERS’ group?
Guubi: We are definitely happy with the group draw, and it should be a doable top 2 for sure. But we obviously will aim to win every match we get into, and get that first seed before going to the Main Event!
Fair enough. It’s unlikely people will underestimate Italy this time around in EUM, what do you think of Macko and do you expect them to cause some significant upsets?
Guubi: I think Macko have very strong fundamentals, but they can also be easily exposed with their very one dimensional playstyle. However, if they figure something out during the break they have up until the Group stages, I could see them wreak havoc for sure.
“Last year we had a taste of battling with the big boys…this time around I want the full package! I think with this roster, if we fix our mistakes, we can achieve that goal for sure, and at least make it out of Groups.” — Guubi
Going into EUM, what do you make of the current state of marksmen? Are they too strong as some people say or are they weaker than people think?
Guubi: I'm very happy with the current state of marksmen, I love to be the carry and right now I’m allowed to! So I hope it stays like this throughout EUM (laughs)!
Also, with the new items like Galeforce, you can make a lot more plays and play more aggressively. Then there’s Kraken Slayer, which actually gives you the ability to damage tanks for once.
Other than conventional marksmen, you’ve also played some unusual champions (Gragas, Sion etc.) with your support Vittorio “Click” Massolo going on Senna. In your opinion, is the current bot-lane meta diverse enough to fit many different combinations or is it too restrictive?
Guubi: I think it is a bit restrictive at the moment. You can only really pick something unconventional with Senna, or if you pick Seraphine on as your botlaner. I have however, tested a few things and maybe I will pull something else out…We shall see.
Speaking about Senna, Click mentioned in an interview that he did with me that he thinks he’s the better Senna player. So here’s an opportunity: Who is the better Senna player between the two of you?
Guubi: I think it’s…very close between me and him (laughs). But right now it’s a fasting Senna meta, which means Senna’s the one places wards, which is Click’s job so he gets to play her.
Also, I am a better tank player than he is!
Shots fired! Of all the champions you play, for some reason I tend to associate you most strongly with Ezreal. What do you think of Ezreal’s current state in the meta? Any tips for our readers who might be struggling with him in solo-queue?
Guubi: Ezreal is a champion that I played a lot over time for sure. Also, I look a bit like him so maybe that’s why you associate me with him (laughs)!
But Ezreal can work in certain compositions and into certain marksmen right now. Tips for solo-queue is hard, because a lot of people associate Ezreal with being a weakside champion when he actually can be both weak and strongside. So if you are weakside, farm with max range Q’s. If you are strongside, land good poke damage and fight.
Before we end, I’d like to ask you about the coaches you’ve played under. You’ve played under Cristo, Phoma…and Guldborg, who tells me he’s the coach that taught you everything you know. How broken is Guldborg’s coaching and is he the best coach you’ve worked under?
Guubi: Mikkel “Guldborg” Guldborg Nielsen is a comedian that’s for sure, but he is not the best coach I’ve had (laughs). I would say Cristofaro “Cristo” Di Maggio takes this title.
He taught me a new way of thinking about the game. Cristo was also very good at both teaching a team and individual’s perspective of the game, as well as we can do better as teammates and other game related stuff.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Guubi: Nope. Thanks for having me, see you in Play-Ins!
