G2 Esports reclaimed their throne this Sunday, in Madrid. With a clear 3-0 victory against Movistar KOI in front of the Spanish crowd, the Samurai have been crowned LEC Summer champions 2025. Right after lifting his 8th title, Hotspawn sat down with Steven “Hans Sama” Liv to discuss: the significance of this trophy, his improvement on hyper carries, the criticisms he faced throughout his career, his competitor mentality and Draven getting buffed right on time for Worlds…

Ethan: Congratulations on the win.

What is your feeling as you just lifted the trophy?

Hans Sama: I’m just too happy actually. In fact, we came a long way. We lost two finals. In the end, we finally won the third and… I’m really happy for Labrov and Skew because it’s their first title. I don’t know how many titles I have, but I’m super happy because the evolution of the team has been really… It’s been hard, but we’ve reached a better level and it’s really rare for a team to get to a better level. And for it to be so obvious because in my previous teams, it’s sure that there were times when you can’t progress all year long. You maybe play less well or you have a playstyle that’s really centered on just one thing. In fact, you one trick one thing, and yes maybe you get better. But I think it was really something different this time and that gave us a lot of confidence to win this final. I’m happy with that.

Does this one have a particular importance for you personally too?

Hans Sama: A big importance, that’s for sure. For me personally because I feel like, every year, it’s hard to stay at the top. I have to put myself into it to progress myself, because I’ve been here for a long time, that’s for sure. In terms of ADCs too, there are always ADCs who come, who are a little younger. There are so many ADCs that I remember from before, but there are new ones that come every time and every year. It’s always challenging because there are always people and teams, which come and bring something new. And for me, I just have to keep improving. I even take my off-time to improve too, and also it’s fearless. As a result, I really have to give it my all to learn the champions that I wasn’t very strong with.

But this year, for example, I’ve really improved on Ezreal, Zeri, Xayah. I think I was doing a bit of sh*t on these champions.

Ethan: It depends when…

Hans Sama: Yes, it depends when, but I wasn’t on point on these. But now I think I’m really three times stronger at these championships thanks to the Fearless. And that’s why for me, winning the title this year is different. This is a new step. A step for me to become stronger.

Ethan: This year you spent a lot of time improving on your mechanics and on the champions who are a little more teamfights-oriented. Especially because the lane is much less important than before and that was your biggest strength before.

Do you miss the meta where the lane was much more important? Especially since now you’ve developed your playstyle in teamfight, you’d be very complete…

Hans and Labrov
Photo Credit: Kirill Bashkirov

Hans Sama: I find that there’s still a bit of laning in this meta. Of course, there are swaps where you see that there are ADCs solo in toplane level 1. It’s the new fashion now. But I feel like there is still some laning phase. Labrov and I, we work a lot on that, we give each other a lot of trust.

I think that even internationally, we could hurt the best botlanes in the world, for sure. In terms of trades, we manage to win back-to-back trades. In laning phase, I can consider myself and Labrov at the top. But it has to be consistent and we really need to keep the right mindset together.

Then, for Worlds, the laning phase… It’s going to be important because you have a lot of people who play differently. You have people who will go for Ezreal/Karma, Caitlyn/Karma, really early game. And who are going to push you to play differently, because in Europe, it’s not really like that.

Ethan: Or some might, lane alone against the top…

Hans Sama: That’s right, they’re going to come up with different things and, you have to be ready for it.

Ethan: To talk a little more about yourself, you’ve been playing competitively for ten years. There are a lot of people who doubted you during these ten years. Whether it was during your time with Team Liquid, whether it was at some Worlds where you had underperformed a bit… Even recently some people were able to say that you were being carried by BB and Caps or that the new wave of ADC was going to take over…

How do you deal with so much criticism, how do you keep your mental up, never doubt yourself, and continue to improve? Because in fact, you become stronger and stronger…

Hans Sama: Honestly, there are always doubts. All the time there is always stress, there is always the negative aspect. That’s for sure. What should I do after that, what could I do better? Of course, there are times when I say to myself: I messed up big time. I’m not strong enough. And what am I going to do next? That’s what’s most important to me. What I have learned over the years also in competition. We are in 2025, I started competing in 2006, and it is still the same thing. I played tennis, I worked hard to become a tennis player. It didn’t work. I played League. I competed on League. And it’s the same thing. You will always have doubts. Everything you do. But it’s, what do you do after? Are you going to give up or are you going to come back stronger? I think that these moments of doubt, it’s nice that they are there. Because there are moments when I only win, when we only win, and it’s much harder to learn something sometimes. When you’re only winning, there are times when you’re like, ok we’re just winning. Maybe we had to learn about this or that, but I think we had to have a little bit of spice, you know. Things that are a little more negative, you lose a game, you feel a little more… Like what is actually going on? I think frustration is important as a competitor.

As a competitor, I always feel frustrated. It’s hard, because I prefer to be happy, but it’s not how it works. And I use that strength to train, to get stronger.

It’s been 10 years of career, and there are times where… Overnight, you can become a star. Everybody loves you, because you smurfed. Or another day when it really sucks. It makes sense, you play badly during important games, it’s normal that there will be criticism. I’ve had criticism… I don’t know, there have been so many in my career, but I always try to get back on track. I’m trying to come back stronger. And yes, it motivates me for next time. I think there was a big story where I can’t play the champions like Ezreal, these champions with a bit of mobility, in fact. I’ve only played Draven, Kalista, Varus. Yes, I’m strong on these champions, that’s for sure. But yes, I’m really taking my time to learn different champions, to be really perfect on it. In fact, I mentally project myself in the champion. I’m like: ‘Ezreal, Ezreal I’m going to destroy everybody with this champion’, I’m in this mindset, and I’m getting to smurf a few games. After that, I get to smurf in a best-of-five against Fnatic, in a teamfight. Whereas it’s the first time I’ve played this kind of champion [in competitive]. It’s the same for Xayah, it’s the same for the others. I try to push myself on the things that I’m not too comfortable with. And I also have time. Time is nice.

To conclude, Draven is getting buffed next patch, do you plan to play it at Worlds?

Hans Sama: Yes, if someone plays it, it might be me, if it’s viable. Yes, I think my Draven is famous. It was banned at Worlds 2023. I used to play Draven all the games in scrim…

Ethan: There’s also the MSI 2024 against Jackeylove… Where you exchanged Kalista/Draven and beat him everytime.

Hans Sama: Kalista-Draven, 3-0 against Top Esports, I’ll never forget that. Also it was the Poppy pocket pick of Miky… It was incredible. In fact, they got into our game. It’s a game I’ve been playing since 2014, as a Draven-One Trick. But yes, I’ll probably play Draven again. I’ll see if it will be viable first, test it in scrims. And yes, I hope I’m about to go crazy with it.