Esports News UK editor Dom Sacco interviews exceL Esports mid-laner Brayan “Kruimel” van Oosten and top-laner Rosendo “Send0o” Fuentes after exceL’s win at the LoL UK Masters at Insomnia62 this weekend.
On the UK Masters win
Sendo0: “We changed the gameplan and we modified a few bans here and there, and I think that worked out really good for us. I felt like they had no chance.”
Kruimel: “You don’t see those champions [I played – Ziggs and Zoe] that often, and when I picked them, I was popping off with them.
“Non-common champs I mostly play, I can play them at a high enough level. Zoe was really strong at the beginning, then she got nerfed, and I feel like she’s coming back again. It’s really solid.”
On exceL Esports’ OMEN gaming house
Kruimel: “I think practicing in our OMEN gaming house definitely made an impact.”
Sendo0: “You’re more used to your teammates, you see them every day and have synergy. The relationship you have with them, seeing them every day – you notice it in-game as well. So a gaming house helps in the long-term.
“And Kruimel and me are always being clowns in the house, when we’re not scrimming.”
On their chances in the ESL Prem finals next week
(Last time around, former exceL players Innaxe and Aux told Esports News UK they would win the Prem – and they went on to do so)
Kruimel: “I’m gonna say the same as Innaxe and Aux, we’re gonna win [the Prem] again.
Sendo0: “I hope so as well. If we play like we played this tournament, it’s definitely possible. But we shouldn’t forget about Misfits, I think they’re by far the strongest team, and they weren’t in this tournament, so I think they’ll be hard to crack.”
On taking part in the European Masters this month
Sendo0: “It’s going to be really hard, there’s going to be lots of international competition. But we’ve been scrimming with some of the best national league teams in Europe.
“We have good momentum and if we can keep that going I think we can do well in the European Masters too.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
