In a dominant 3-0 sweep over University of Western Ontario, Maryville University was crowned as the 2019 College League of Legends Champion. The victory was the second championship for Maryville University in three years. In 2017, MU defeated Toronto Esports, largely due to the performance of at-the-time Top Laner Tony "Saskio" Chau.

Saskio moved to AD Carry this year to make room for freshman talent Aiden "Niles" Tidwell, and is the only player in the organization to start for both iterations of Maryville University's championship teams. Saskio joined Inven Global after MU's victory to discuss his role swap, his post-graduation plans, and the development of collegiate LoL esports. 

I'm here with Maryville University ADC Saskio. In your last championship two years ago, you played Top Lane for the team. How was the process of switching positions on the team?

Going into this year, we had three Top Laners: Niles, Derek "West Coast Carry" Micheau, and myself. However, there was only one Bot Lane duo on our roster. During my time as a Top Laner, I was actually playing a lot of AD Carry as well. I duo queue'd a lot with University of California Irvine  Support Lyubomir "BloodWater" Spasov when I tried grinding for the 2018 NA Scouting Grounds.

This year, it was easy for me to make the swap so that there would be two AD Carries on our team. That way, Marko "Prototype" Sosnicki and I could compete for the spot to see who fits better in the team.

Players are more willing to switch roles in the collegiate scene when compared to other levels of competitive LoL. What do you attribute this to?

Most of the top talent is signed by an LCS team, an Academy team, or an amateur team. Because of this, it's hard for collegiate teams to find talent that actually wants to go to school at the same time. Sometimes, you have to work with what you already have.


Did you expect to beat University of Western Ontario in such a one-sided fashion?

We scrimmed them this whole week, and most of the scrims went in our favor. It was probably around 80/20 for us, so we were surprised they beat UCI to go to the Finals. When they beat UCI, we knew we had a really good shot at the championship.


You got a chance to see everything UWO had against UC Irvine. Did their having to pull out all the stops play a big part in how easily you guys won today?

Yeah, we also saw a lot of what they had to offer in scrims. They did pull out a few weird picks on stage, but once we saw how they played, we were feeling good heading into our match.

How does this championship compare to your first in 2017?

During my first championship, I was a lot more ecstatic because we went up against a really tough opponent in University of Toronto. This time around, it felt like we were expected to make the Finals. It didn't feel as great since we 3-0'd, but obviously, it was great to win it all.

You are the only player on the current starting roster for MU that was also a starter during your last championship. Have you been able to teach any of your younger teammates as a senior?

When Niles came in, I worked with him a little bit to get him on his feet in regards to communicating as a Top Laner in a competitive setting. After a couple of months, he was good to go and West Coast Carry helped shape him up.


You're about to graduate, congratulations on that. What is your major?

Business Administration.


After you graduate, what are you looking to do in the near future?

Recently, I made a free agent post as I look to try and go pro in the NA Academy League. However, not a lot of teams are making changes until the 2019 NA Scouting Grounds, because that's when all contracts usually end. Going into the next couple months, I'm looking to apply to more collegiate teams and pursue my Master's Degree or intern as a Player Coach for an academy team. I'm not looking to work a normal job just yet.

How do you feel you can apply what you learned as a Business Administration major to pursuing a professional career?

Mainly, what I learned at Maryville University was time management and discipline. It wasn't about the classes, really. I learned a few things in class, but I feel like I'll only apply 5% of what I learned in class. Mainly, it was about having to balance everything and stay on top of everything.


Do you think that that you can reach a new level by having more time to focus on the game post-graduation?

Going into this summer, my father already agreed to let me sit at home and grind it out for Scouting Grounds while I apply to colleges. If the college opportunities don't pan out, then I'll be going all-in on Scouting Grounds.

What position will you be focusing on for this year's attempt at Scouting Grounds?

I'll be grinding two or three roles...probably Top, as well as AD Carry and Support.


We've seen the collegiate LoL scene grow a ton since your last championship. What's been the biggest change you've seen in the past few years that gives you hope for the future development of college League of Legends?

The thing I see developing in collegiate esports is the talent pool. Each year, the competition becomes better and better, and that's something I want to see continue to grow. I want to see collegiate LoL become a potential pathway to the NA Academy League.


Thanks so much for the interview, Saskio. Is there anything you want to say to your supporters?

Thank you to everyone who watched. Thank you to my parents for supporting me, even though they may not be here today. I hope to do more things soon.