G2 Hans Sama: “I don’t think there’s a clear top 1 botlane in the LEC right now”

This Saturday, G2 Esports won the first playoffs match of the LEC Spring Split against Fnatic (3-1), in a very intense series. Therefore, the Samurai advanced to the Upper Bracket Final. They’ll face their next opponent (KC or MKOI) on Monday, for a ticket to the MSI and the final of the Split. With the ADC – named MVP of the match – Steven “Hans Sama” Liv, we discussed the series, his progress on hyper carries, the struggles of G2 this split, the level of their botlane compared to others, and his eagerness to cook Caliste on Monday. Ethan: The series was very intense, very entertaining too for the audience. Because there was a lot of action on both sides, very close games, teamfights that were really well played. It was very interesting.

How do you feel after today’s series?

Hans Sama: It was a banger series. I was yelling in games. When we were winning teamfights, I was yelling here and there. I was in mode… “Holy shit! What the fuck?” I was really into it. I was having a lot of fun. It was really a banger almost every game. Maybe not the second or the first game, but after that it was really a banger. We were really thinking about how to win in terms of strategy. And in teamfight, we were really ready to skillcheck them. And it was really a crazy BO, a lot of emotions, it was super close but we managed to play better than them in teamfight. Especially since we were really behind in terms of gold, in terms of pressure, and we managed to overcome this. I’m super happy with this performance and I think I’m also happy with my individual performance in teamfight, I think I was pretty comfortable most of the time. It’s a good series for me. Ethan: On Xayah, in official matches overall, you didn’t show the best performances historically… I even remember, I think it was at Worlds where you got flamed quite hard for your Xayah. And today, you finally got your pop-off moment on the champ. You made a move that was very clutch, which I think wins you the game.

ABSOLUTE CINEMA pic.twitter.com/gzEPZ87vqK

— LEC (@LEC) May 24, 2025

Does it feel good to finally ease your mind on Xayah?

Hans Sama: Yes, for sure, I have a lot more confidence on Xayah, but not only on Xayah.

I think that on almost all ADCs that are a little faster, a bit of the same caliber as Ezreal, champions that do a lot of damage in teamfights, I think I’m much more comfortable on these champions than in previous years. Champions like Xayah, Kai’Sa, Ezreal, where you really have to be frame perfect in teamfights. Also Caitlyn… All the hyper carries, I’m pretty comfortable now, because I took quite a bit of time to work on it.

And I think it gives me a lot more confidence when there are BOs like that where there is a lot of teamfights. And specifically Xayah, I think I have a lot of confidence playing it. The laning phase wasn’t really great, but I think the laning phase is one of the easiest things. I think the teamfight is more hard. Because you have to make the most out of all your spells and everything, your ulti too. But I think that I’m pretty comfortable on the teamfight champions. Before it was more like Kalista, Draven, stomp lane, but now it’s a little more different. I can play all these AD Carries better. It’s a bit of a small evolution. Ethan: I know that you have trained your mechanics a lot since last year, that you were making a lot of clicks, that you were doing everything to really train yourself as much as possible handwise. Is that really what made the difference, the fact that you trained your fingers as much as possible?

How do you explain your evolution on hyper carries?

Hans Sama: It’s also the way I see teamfights. The way I am talking in teamfights. As soon as I see a teamfight, I’m like “Ok, I should do this, my team should do this…” So, it gives me confidence too and also… Yes, mechanics are very important to always move, in fact and to be really always present to make a big burst and everything. All this, while analyzing the spells they have. Even today, it’s not really perfect, I’m still trying to train on that because it was a big weakness for me. I think that in Winter, I’ve shown many times that I can carry a lot of teamfights with Ezreal. That was a bit of the moment’s champion because it was a OP last split. He got nerfed a bit, but of course I can still play it. There are also many ADC who joined the league. It’s also inspiring to see people like Supa, last year Noah, Ice, Rahel and then Caliste. They are great on the things they do. So I need to improve on a lot of things so that I can compete well against them. But yeah, for example Caliste is super good at team fighting, that’s for sure. And I have to work on that too.

Ethan: To talk a little about G2 this split,because you’ve went from favorites for years to even fight to qualify for the playoffs in the regular season. From an outside perspective, I have the impression that you have had a lot of hard time to find your identity, to find the good picks in draft, to adapt to the meta etc.

Have you really been able to fix what you were missing during these two weeks of preparation, and how do you explain your struggles this Split?

Hans Sama: During these two weeks of preparation, we worked on a lot of things related to how we communicate in game. The way in which we approach the games, it’s not good. Because we ask so much questions in game that it feels like we do not have any confidence. We need to have much more confidence in ourselves because in game, we are like “Do we do that? Shall we do this?”. It is already too late, the play is already over. We are not fluid enough when there’s things like that and so we work a little bit on this thing. The way we say things, we have to be more confident. To avoid flooding the communication. And have a little bit more of this thing where we’re connected all together because it’s easy for us to go back at a stage where we’re just playing solo queue. We have a bit of this bad habit, we’re all just farming and we don’t do anything actually. It’s a question of mental that we also need to strengthen and we attack all these things as a team. What’s good is that we know what kind of weaknesses we have, it’s really obvious and we attack them. These last two weeks we’ve been doing this. It doesn’t mean that every day is positive. I think there are a lot of days where we have to be honest and brave at saying the things in our head. Yes, it will bring some emotions including frustration but you have to to do it because it is important to say things to each other, so things can change.

Because currently we’re not the best team in Europe or of the world, at all. We lost to KC and yes we have to change things and we must say to ourselves the things that are perhaps not simple to hear. And I think we’re on the right track. Everyone gives it their all.

  Ethan: I have the impression that you and Labrov, since the BO5 in the upper final against KC, you didn’t necessarily shine as much. And today You were facing what everyone considered to be the best botlane of the split. And you really got the upperhand overall in the series. Not necessarily in early game, but I think it’s also because of the game plan which was more focused top on your side and more bot on theirs. In the end, you always manage to recover and in teamfight it was clearly you who had the edge. Whether it was you or Labrov you’ve had many clutch moments.

Do you think that at your peak you have what it takes to be the best botlane in the league? And what are you missing to constantly be at the level you proposed today?

Hans Sama: So I would say that we are 100% towards the top botlane in the league in terms of laning phase. Of course, Fnatic, everyone says they’re the best botlane in the league, but I think also that it’s a bit of a “team thing”. Like they’re just playing around bot, it’s really obvious. Their jungler will come to dive bot, they just have to play aggro and play well mechanically. I think our approach to the game isn’t really to always play aggressive bot, it depends a lot on the draft, so we prefer to go with this idea of playing a little bit of everything. We’re not always going to play the same champions, sometimes we’re going to path topside, sometimes we’re going to play a little bit around the mid, a little bit around the jungle. Ethan: It’s true that you do fewer Kalista/Draven centered drafts… Hans Sama: And also, we don’t force drafts to have a solid botlane. For example, the last draft where we played Kai’Sa-Leona, it’s not the strongest lane. But I think our ability to be even in lane is rather ok. As a result, I think we’re still a solid botlane. I also think that we can learn a lot more.

I don’t think there’s a clear top 1 botlane in the LEC right now. I think there are none that truly stands out honestly. Maybe there was the others years, but not this one.

And for us specifically, I think we always have to work. I’m pretty confident in my skill and the skill of Labrov to be good laners actually. You just have to work on it. We had become better in the lane on some of match-ups than last split. So it’s pretty nice. Even we can play a Senna who is a little weaker in lane, but we still manage to put the pressure on. I think we have a good laning phase. Of course, if I play Draven, Kalista, now it’s easy to win the lane…

Entered the Labrov James zone 🤣

Caps Recaps without Caps with @Hanssama and @Labrov12 pic.twitter.com/fnYgq6Hhcd

— G2 League of Legends (@G2League) May 24, 2025

Who do you think will take the win tomorrow, KC or MKOI?

Hans Sama: I think it will be KC. I think they are so much stronger in teamfights, so much stronger in early game. I think that in laning phase, they have much more agency. So, if they find good drafts, I think KCORP will take it. Ethan: And I guess you are eager to meet Caliste again, especially after he’s been making a tiktok out of his outplay against you… Hans Sama: That’s for sure. I have to challenge myself once again to beat him, to destroy him. It’s always fun. Unfortunately, last time, he cooked me a bit in the midlane. Next time, I’ll cook him.