Yopaj interview: "We don't have to sugarcoat each other"

ESL One Birmingham 2026 didn't go entirely as planned for OG. The 7.41 patch, one of the biggest gameplay updates the game has seen in a long time, dropped on the night before OG’s elimination series against Xtreme Gaming.

We sat down with Filipino mid laner Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer in Birmingham to talk about navigating the chaos a patch such as this one brings and what makes the OG roster feel different from every team he's been on before.

Patch 7.41 landed right before you had to play with elimination on the line versus Xtreme Gaming. How does the team atmosphere change when you wake up to the new patch and see all the changes made?

I mean, we already knew that there was going to be a big patch coming before our elimination match, so we were kind of mentally prepared for it. This is not even the first time that a big patch came in the middle of the tournament. I’d say it was fine for us; we told ourselves to focus on our heroes and just not overthink it too much.

You’ve always been known for your hyper-aggressive style. How much of your natural instinct do you have to restrain now on the new patch, and how much is coach 343 encouraging you to just go wild?

I talked to our coach after the patch came out about what the least impacted heroes are for mid, but I am still figuring out what's the best and what's the worst in my hero pool right now.

Do you feel like you lost some of the 'cheese' potential overnight?

To be honest, I’m not a Huskar guy, so I didn’t even read the changes for that hero. I know Monkey King has a lot of cheese potential now. That’s a super strong hero in this patch.

You've played in international stacks and pure SEA stacks. What is the biggest difference in the 'vibe' of this OG roster compared to your previous teams, like Shopify or BOOM?

I mean, last time at Shopify, we had different nationalities, different cultures, and I think you play with them like a suburb mate. While now at OG, we are in a comfort zone, I would say, because we are all close friends and we understand each other in all aspects. We also don’t have to sugarcoat each other.

You and Tims have been a duo for years. When you both joined OG, was it a conscious decision to stick together, or did it just work out that way?

Yeah, I think Tims is the only one I always wanted to play with on any team. In Southeast Asia and outside the region. This time, I decided to play in SEA again because I wanted to play with my old teammates and with my friends.

Fire questions

Describe patch 7.41 in one word.

Good job.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you miss the facets?

Eight.

The most broken hero right now is?

Monkey King?

Which of your signature heroes has just been ruined by the new patch?

Ember Spirit.

How many hours of sleep did you get after the patch dropped?

Four or five.

More interviews from ESL One Birmingham 2026

• Tundra 33 on being the first to win on 7.41 patch, the target on their back
• Tundra bzm: “We figured out some good heroes before other teams”
• Aurora Mikoto: “We are kind of lagging behind with learning the new patch"
• MOUZ Seleri: “Chen is unplayable. Why does Venomancer have 5 spells?”
• Team Spirit Yatoro: “The problem is they didn't do it well”
• Team Falcons skiter: “We work through problems instead of replacing people”
• Virtus.pro Timado: “The team is still finding its stability, structure, and its own identity"
• Yakult Brothers Moon on communication struggles, playing with legends, and ignoring TI pressure