For the first time in his League of Legends Championship Series career, Omran "V1per" Shoura has donned a new jersey. The young Top Laner made his LCS debut in the 2019 Spring Split for FlyQuest after being acquired from Team Liquid Academy, but after struggling through the 2020 LCS Spring Split, Colin "Solo" Earnest began splitting time with V1per before taking the spot over entirely for the majority of FLY's first finals appearance. 

V1per is one of 10 players on Dignitas' roster, and competes for his LCS spot alongside DIG Academy Top Laner Samson "Lourlo" Jackson every week. In week 1, V1per got the start over Lourlo in DIG's first game against Golden Guardians, but DIG was unable to win its first game of the 2020 LCS Summer Split. DIG will have a chance to split the first weekend with a potential victory over TSM in its next match.

Before the start of the Summer Split, V1per joined Inven Global's Nick Geracie to discuss his benching on FlyQuest, joining Dignitas, and how the dynamic of his new environment is helping him find his footing. 

Thanks for joining me, V1per. How has the off-season been going for you personally?

Honestly, not bad. I've been playing a lot of solo queue in the off-season and making sure I go into Summer Split playing better and more consistently. It was my goal to become a more consistent player this off-season and figure out my issue with what happened on FlyQuest. I've been focusing on being a more stable player and a good teammate for summer.

Can you talk about how you ended up joining Dignitas after the Spring Split?

We were doing a 6-man roster on FlyQuest for a while, and everything was going fine. I didn't mind being part of a 6-man roster; I was all good with competing for my spot. Everything was going well with that, and then we went to the Spring Playoffs. I was the starter in our first series, and I just didn't play well at all compared to how I played in scrims, so that was really disappointing for me. I needed a new environment, and Dignitas was my option to be a part of a new environment.

What do you think you struggled with in spring, and how have you been approaching fixing those issues?

Consistency; I noticed I was really inconsistent on stage when compared to scrims. We won almost every scrim on FlyQuest when I was playing, but it was hard for me to show my skill in LCS games.

I never found out what the problem was, so this off-season I was trying to figure out what was going on and why I wasn't playing well in LCS games. It sucked, but I'm on a new team now, so I think things will be different. I do think my mid game is a slight issue, but I think that's gotten a lot better along with my 'stage performance.'

What's the dynamic in practice been like with the other 9 players on Dignitas?

We tried playing with different players for a week or two. We were constantly swapping players in and out to figure out who is the best fit for the first few weeks. That's the idea of it — weekly, we are playing to see who is the better fit. We have to keep competing for our spots and figuring out the best combos in terms of synergy. It's been pretty fun so far, honestly.

Did not playing for a majority of the post-season diminish the impact of FlyQuest's spring success for you as an individual?

Honestly, I felt like the way I played in spring had to do with my confidence. I've never been benched before, so experiencing that for the first time was a good lesson to learn. Once I was benched, it changed the way I play in LCS games. I'm not sure how exactly it affected me, but it's definitely something that I had to go through to know it was an issue.

Are there any new goals you're setting for yourself on your new team?

I just want to make a name for myself. I don't want to be the guy who is only good at Riven. I don't want people to know me as the guy who has popoffs on Riven because I know I can have popoffs on other champions consistently, too. That's the goal I'm keeping for myself — I want to show that I'm really good on other champions than Riven and that I have a lot of potential. I just want to look good.

Riven aside, you are better known for your carry champions. Dignitas' last Top Laner Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon is a carry-centric player. Do you feel this team suits your playstyle better than FlyQuest did last split?

I think the flexibility of our style is what Dignitas was looking for, so I guess they found me to be a pretty good fit. I thought I was a pretty good fit, too, as long as I improve my consistency, obviously. I think I should be able to do so this summer.

I appreciate the interview, V1per. Is there anything you want to say to your longtime fans or your new Dignitas fans?

Thanks to all of the fans for being along with me. I know people are going to be happy seeing me in LCS again, it's going to be really cool. People like watching my carry playstyle so I'm excited to bring that back. Thanks to everyone for tuning in to watch my games.

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