VIT Lyncas Explains Game 3 Seraphine Pick – LEC Versus Playoffs Interview

Team Vitality fell to Karmine Corp in the lower bracket of the LEC Versus Playoffs, in a do-or-die BO3. The series had started on a positive note for Linas “Lyncas” Nauncikas and his teammates, who took the opening game before eventually losing 2–1. After the match, the Lithuanian jungler reflected on how the series unfolded, his synergy with Marek “Humanoid” Brázda, and his perspective on the jungle landscape in Europe.

You were 1–0 up in the series before losing 2–1. How did this defeat feel today?

Lyncas: Pretty bad, I guess. We were 1–0 up and the second game was quite good. We were in good spots in the game, but we just didn’t find any fights. All the fights we did take were kind of s**t. Then Game 3, we just got stomped. It sucks that Game 3 was such a stomp. From my side, it didn’t really feel like there was anything I could do in that game, so yeah, it feels kind of s**t.

Ilyas: In Game 3, you played the first Tier 1 Seraphine ADC.

Did you originally plan to play her with Ashe in bot lane, or was it always intended for Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság? What happened in the draft?

Lyncas: We didn’t really neglect the idea of having Ashe–Seraphine, but at the same time, Carzzy is a really good Seraphine player, so it was also an idea to put it on AD carry. There was a lot of talk in the draft room between players and coaches that it might be a good draft.

LYNCAS LIVES pic.twitter.com/unsOJGg7Cy

— LEC (@LEC) February 22, 2026

I don’t think we would lack damage if we got to mid game and were just slightly behind. Our draft would have been pretty good, and the Braum pick was good. But when you get stomped like that, it doesn’t really matter.

Karmine Corp and NAVI both dropped from the upper bracket. Would you have preferred facing NAVI instead of KC?

Lyncas: NAVI is probably an easier opponent just from team skill, but we saw it against KC; two games were super close. We saw in the series that two games were super close. They were better today. In the end, if you want to go far, you need to beat the good teams. If we can’t win this one, we can’t really go too far.

You were one of the few teams to beat KC in the regular season. Did you review that game before this series?

Lyncas: We reviewed it the same day we played it, so we didn’t review it again. We tracked patterns and what they did well or badly, just to be aware of things we could punish.

Ilyas: Earlier this year, Fabien “Neo” Devide (VIT’s owner) said that with a more aggressive, carry-oriented mid laner you’d be able to express yourself better.

Do you feel that with Humanoid?

Lyncas: Yeah, Marek is for sure a good addition to the team. It has been easier for me with him this split. I would say I had a pretty good showing overall. Our team’s potential is just higher with Marek.

Ilyas: Does it directly change your gameplay as a jungler?

Lyncas: Marek, from his experience and skill, is much better in mid game than Czajek (Mateusz Czajka). I have fewer tasks overall. I can focus more on myself, especially going into mid and late game stages, compared to last year.

Ilyas: The jungle role seems to be entering a new cycle of dominant young players in the LEC, like you, Rudy “SkewMond” Semaan, or Enes “Rhilech” Uçan.

What allowed the gap with veterans like Martin “Yike” Sundelin, Javier “Elyoya” Prades, or Iván “Razork” Martín to close?

Lyncas: The new junglers are just pretty good. SkewMond had a good year, and he’s on a good team with G2 and very experienced players. Rhilech also had a very good first split even if he is out today. Jungle in Europe has always been one of the most stacked roles, so it’s usually quite close, just good players.

What would be your top three junglers of the LEC so far?

Lyncas: Yike has been playing pretty good, SkewMond is good, and Elyoya is good. [It’s] probably those three.

After this loss, you’ll have more than a month off before Spring. What are your plans?

Lyncas: We didn’t think much about it because we’re aiming for Barcelona. The Spring Split is quite fast, around a month. We’ll have to talk with the team, but from my side, I’ll just keep playing, keep watching better teams play, and try to improve.

I’ll probably go back home for a bit, but since we’re out early, we’ll likely be back in Berlin earlier than other teams, maybe two weeks before the split starts. So it’ll be a short trip home.

What changes would you like to see within the team heading into Spring?

Lyncas: We need to improve our champion pools. I feel like sometimes we were short on that in some roles. And we definitely lack discipline. In Game 2 today, we had so many silly deaths that shouldn’t happen. For example, after we got a triple kill mid lane around minute 12, we made a bad map play, didn’t recall fast enough, overstayed and died. If you want to be a top team, you have to be very precise and disciplined.

Ilyas: You’ve said that you have a bigger champion pool than many LEC teams.

Would that have made a difference today in a BO5 series?

Lyncas: It’s hard to say. In best-of-fives, especially in Game 4 or 5, drafts become weird because of OP champions and how you build comps around them. KC also has good champion pools. In Game 3, I felt like we didn’t have too many options, at least from my side. Even though we didn’t really get to see the draft play out because we got stomped early, it felt like we lacked some options.

You’ve spent five splits in the LEC with Team Vitality and never finished higher than top 6. Does that frustrate you?

Lyncas: Of course. You always want to aim higher and do better each split. But this roster has the highest potential of any roster I’ve been on here. I hope throughout this year we can become a consistent top 3 team.

Last Czech-In of the LEC Versus with @Humanoidlol and @fleshyylol: A sad result but a lot more to prove in Spring. pic.twitter.com/FrgcxeKlZ4

— Team Vitality League (@TeamVitalityLOL) February 22, 2026

If we won this matchup against KC, we’d be instantly top four and one of the favorites to go further. It’s frustrating to finish early, but we just have to get better and improve. There’s no point staying in a negative mindset.

Do you have any major regrets about this best-of-three or the one against KOI?

Lyncas: The KOI series with the Chronobreak was weird, but if we were better, we would have won. We still had two more games. Today, in Game 1, I could have played better, but overall in the first two games, I felt like I played well.

In Game 3, I didn’t have many options, maybe on the second dragon fight. I’m thinking about that one. Maybe I could have executed better. I think that fight was misplayed and it shouldn’t have gone that badly. But overall, it was very hard.

Any final words for the fans?

Lyncas: They’re probably quite disappointed with the best-of, since we were 1–0 up and quite close. I’m disappointed as well. From my side, I’ll make sure to do everything I can to get better. Hopefully, Spring and Summer are longer splits and we can scale up and have a better showing.