Interview from theScore esports Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten moved to H2k-Gaming with two goals: to get back on the international stage and to be a better teammate. The star mid laner joined The Nexus podcast to discuss all things European LoL, the upcoming Rift Rivals tournament and his past with Fnatic. He also touches on his recent stint into leadership and interest in self-motivation literature. With an upcoming rematch against his old team Fnatic, podcast hosts Gabe, Josh and Ryan delved into the relationship between Rekkles and Febiven. Rekkles originally told theScore esports Febiven was his favorite teammate. Flipping the script and asking Febiven the same question, we got a pretty similar response. “I think since the beginning, when I didn’t even know Rekkles, I was really into this guy, he was like an idol,” Febiven said. “He was already so good and his personality was really nice to see. So young, so good, I just saw myself a bit in him. When we met, you know when you meet someone and it instantly clicks? I had this with him. It’s pretty rare that you have this… I think we just really respect each other as players. “I feel the same way.” he continued, “he was my favorite teammate for sure, until now. I still miss playing with him because he’s really good and he is a really good person. He’s so motivating to be around. He’s like a brother, you know?” Fnatic and Febiven’s downturn in form resulted in the team missing Worlds 2016, after making semifinals the year before. The team lost their all-star duo of Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon and Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin, as well as Bora “Yellowstar” Kim, and never fully recovered. Febiven was candid about his own part to play on the downfall of Fnatic’s competitive success, telling theScore esports he used that as motivation to become a better player. “I realized [in 2016] I could have done so much better as a teammate and as a player. It was one of those moments that you look back and you see that you could’ve done things so much better and you feel really hurt inside if you’re really honest with yourself, because you know that if you did more, you could’ve potentially carried your team to Worlds and you could’ve played at Worlds instead of sitting at home and losing in the gauntlet.” Not making it to international events in particular aggravated Febiven, which he said gave him newfound motivation to get back on the world stage. “It gets kind of boring when you’re at home doing nothing and there’s no competition. and when you see the international tournaments, you want to get back on track, especially when I went to Worlds in 2015 and not 2016. It really hit me.” “For example, when I went to all the tournaments in 2015, you really think you’re up there in your skill level, which I felt like and I think I was. Just being able to travel and play against other teams and other regions, you get so much better as a player as well, and I really felt like I deserved it but I didn’t. It was a fight with myself … When you think you’re good enough to play in international tournaments, you actually get really mad and want to make sure you’re there next time.”