It’s only been three weeks since the 2023 Spring Split began, but fans and analysts alike are already crowning FlyQuest the best team in North America League of Legends, and for good reason. The team has rolled every challenger they’ve faced so far, dropping star-studded teams like Team Liquid, Cloud9, and now, Evil Geniuses.
From veteran Impact to rookie sensation VicLa, and phenom AD carry Prince, the star unit might have one of the most feared NA rosters in terms of pure mechanics.
But although the team’s veteran jungler Mingyi “Spica” Lu believes they have already reached grand peaks for a newly-formed roster, they still have plenty of work ahead in terms of their coordination as a team.
Luckily for them, it’s only been three weeks through the spring, and he knows that while they build on their cohesion, they can rely on their destructive solo capabilities.
“We have really strong fundamentals, [and] our individual skill is very high,” Spica told Dot Esports after FlyQuest’s match against EG. “Sometimes, that covers a lot of team mistakes… I think we still have a lot to grow in terms of like team play. So far, our individual skill is just carrying us a lot more than our team skill.”
The prospect of this new roster finding an even higher gear should be a frightening future for the league, but in their next match against 100 Thieves, they’ll need to hit those new strides against two of the most legendary players in LCS history—and a pair of players Spica knows very well.
This past offseason, Doublelift made his return to pro play after a three-year hiatus and joined up another G.O.A.T. in Bjergsen taking up mid lane duties for the Thieves. Both stars are also Spica’s former teammates, and as a result, the 21-year-old can barely contain his excitement around their upcoming clash.
“Bjergsen and [Doublelift] are two of the closest people in the LCS to me, so I really wanna beat them,” the talented jungler said with a smile. “There was a chance this off-season I could have joined them, but I didn’t. I just wanna prove them wrong, like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna shit on you guys from the other side.'”
He did praise Doublelift for his solid play to start the season, along with his unrelenting mindset around growth, which has helped the veteran marksman adapt and keep up with the ever-evolving meta. Even still, he is confident he and the rest of his team will “humble” the 29-year-old, especially after his recent spicy opinions on the level of LCS play.
Related: Doublelift full of confidence after being ‘unimpressed’ with LCS rivals
Spica even said he recently had a hilarious dream where head coach Kim “Ssong” Sang-soo had him pick Lillia in his match against the Thieves.
Picking the Bashful Bloom would be an incredible call back to one of the most infamous moments in League history during the 2020 World Championship when TSM—where Doublelift, Bjergsen, and Spica were all playing—failed to capitalize on a five-man sleep from Spica’s Lilting Lullaby.
After a disappointing winless run at that tournament, Spica stuck with TSM for another two years but struggled to build any consistency due to constant League roster shifts and behind-the-scenes issues with the organization’s management. Before the start of the 2022 offseason, he told Dot Esports he simply wanted to show everyone that he was still one of the best players in the league before his contract ran out.
Back in the present, Spica is fully aware of how endless the flow of memes would be if he chose Lillia, but said he would rather get the dub with a better champion that fits FLY’s draft… but he didn’t give a definite no.
Keep your eyes open for a possible deer sighting when FlyQuest collides with 100 Thieves in the opening LCS match next weekend on Friday, Feb. 10 at 4pm CT.
