Thanks to LL staff I've had the opportunity to conduct several player interviews during this year's IEM finals. It's about time they've seen the light of day. Since some time has passed, I will skip the questions that are now irrelevant and only present the most interesting ones, otherwise they are largely unedited. Hope you enjoy!
HKES Godkwai (note: we conducted it without translator)
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When did you start playing League?
5 years ago. Before the Taiwan server, I played on the NA server.
And when did you decide to go pro?
During first season on Taiwan server.
How hard is performing at an international tournament like here compared to home?
Here there's a huge stage, different from LMS. There's a lot of people supporting esports, it's different.
Did you scrim any European teams outside of this tournament?
No.
Is there any prestige with competing here, do you feel happy about ability to play at IEM?
I think it's special because it's our first time playing in IEM as a team, so many people came to see our games, it means something special.
Yesterday you played pretty defensively. Was that a plan for the start, or did you just fall behind and had to play from behind?
We know H2K's early game is very strong so we tried played defensively, and we hoped our late game would be better.
You have the most experience as a pro in your team right now. Does that play into team dynamic, does everyone listen to you?
Let's say everyone has their own opinion. *laughs*
You used to be somewhat of a Vayne specialist, obviously you haven't played her in a year. Do you think you could ever pick her in a pro game again?
Nowadays her laning phase is not strong enough because even enemy support just presses R and she's done. *laughs*
5 years ago. Before the Taiwan server, I played on the NA server.
And when did you decide to go pro?
During first season on Taiwan server.
How hard is performing at an international tournament like here compared to home?
Here there's a huge stage, different from LMS. There's a lot of people supporting esports, it's different.
Did you scrim any European teams outside of this tournament?
No.
Is there any prestige with competing here, do you feel happy about ability to play at IEM?
I think it's special because it's our first time playing in IEM as a team, so many people came to see our games, it means something special.
Yesterday you played pretty defensively. Was that a plan for the start, or did you just fall behind and had to play from behind?
We know H2K's early game is very strong so we tried played defensively, and we hoped our late game would be better.
You have the most experience as a pro in your team right now. Does that play into team dynamic, does everyone listen to you?
Let's say everyone has their own opinion. *laughs*
You used to be somewhat of a Vayne specialist, obviously you haven't played her in a year. Do you think you could ever pick her in a pro game again?
Nowadays her laning phase is not strong enough because even enemy support just presses R and she's done. *laughs*
HKES Maplesnow
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How long did you play League and when did you decide to go pro?
I started playing 4 years ago. Back then I had a friend who also played Leauge of Legends and it was also around the time LMS was first starting and there were qualifying matches in Taiwan. This friend asked me if I wanted to get together, get a team and try to qualify, and we did, we qualified and that's how it started.
And how do you enjoy life in esports so far, your career as a League of Legends player?
I pretty much enjoyed my entire time as a professional gamer, other than some instances when I've had arguments, or when in trying to improve at the game some quarrels have come up. Other than those times, I've enjoyed my time as a gamer.
This is your first international tournament, how different is it compared to playing home?
In LMS we play in a small studio that is closed off for spectators. Here the stage here is very big, and also we can feel the passion of Polish fans for the game.
I wanna ask about the Gragas pick. Do you think he's a strong top laner, or is he just a pocket pick you're comfortable with?
I feel that when you pick Gragas, especially into enemy team that doesn't have that good of a mid game, you can disrupt your enemies and make them fall behind. He's also good against tanks so if the enemies pick a tanky toplane, you and your jungler will have more pressure in the top side of the map.
Going back to LMS, do you think this experience will help you? And how far do you think you can go, do you think you can win Summer Split?
Having come to IEM has been a big help overall for the team in various factors. Just the level of competition and the level of scrims we were able to get, we got to play some very good teams and we were able to pressure the, that was very good experience. And being able to play in an arena that was open and had a lot of fans, it was very atmospheric, it was also a big help to us. Looking forward towards Summer Split, I hope we can get top 2.
I started playing 4 years ago. Back then I had a friend who also played Leauge of Legends and it was also around the time LMS was first starting and there were qualifying matches in Taiwan. This friend asked me if I wanted to get together, get a team and try to qualify, and we did, we qualified and that's how it started.
And how do you enjoy life in esports so far, your career as a League of Legends player?
I pretty much enjoyed my entire time as a professional gamer, other than some instances when I've had arguments, or when in trying to improve at the game some quarrels have come up. Other than those times, I've enjoyed my time as a gamer.
This is your first international tournament, how different is it compared to playing home?
In LMS we play in a small studio that is closed off for spectators. Here the stage here is very big, and also we can feel the passion of Polish fans for the game.
I wanna ask about the Gragas pick. Do you think he's a strong top laner, or is he just a pocket pick you're comfortable with?
I feel that when you pick Gragas, especially into enemy team that doesn't have that good of a mid game, you can disrupt your enemies and make them fall behind. He's also good against tanks so if the enemies pick a tanky toplane, you and your jungler will have more pressure in the top side of the map.
Going back to LMS, do you think this experience will help you? And how far do you think you can go, do you think you can win Summer Split?
Having come to IEM has been a big help overall for the team in various factors. Just the level of competition and the level of scrims we were able to get, we got to play some very good teams and we were able to pressure the, that was very good experience. And being able to play in an arena that was open and had a lot of fans, it was very atmospheric, it was also a big help to us. Looking forward towards Summer Split, I hope we can get top 2.
H2K Nuclear
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First I wanna ask about your time in Sbenu, when you had a 15 game losing streak. Now you're in a team that is gunning for the top spot. How much different is playing in that environment?
When you're on a very low ranking team it's very difficult to think about things other than winning, because you want to win, you need to win. But when you're on a team that's already winning, you have the freedom to think "oh what can we do to become even better”. So instead of just winning you can think of how can we improve other things and how can we become better as a whole. That's the main difference that I feel.
Going back, when did you start playing League?
About 5 years ago.
And when did you decide to go pro?
When I was high in the ladder and I started running into other pros, that's when I decided I wanted to go pro.
What do you think about European solo queue in comparison to Korean?
Back in Korea, solo queue was a very good practice tool. But in Europe, scrims are a much better practice than solo queue. The main reason is because in European solo queue you see a lot of picks that aren't used in competitive play, so you don't get to practice against what's in the meta, you play against too many different things.
About IEM, a lot of teams seem to be playing more defensively compared to how they play in their home league. Is there any difference playing here compared to LCS or LCK?
Personally, I was a little bit nervous at first because of this big stage and big crowd, and that's the big difference I felt compared to LCS. It's actually a lot more comfortable to play at IEM than in Korea.
Why?
I feel a lot more comfortable both at IEM and in LCS compared to Korea because back in LCK I've played against a lot of players that are well known, famous, very good and players I've looked up to, so I felt nervous and pressured when playing against them sometimes. Now that I'm playing in Europe I've not only become more used to playing on stage, but I've also become more comfortable in my own play.
I read in an interview you did back in 2015 that you wanted to be the best AD Carry in the World, do you still think you could be the best in your role?
Yes, I definitely still want to become the world's #1 AD Carry and I'm gonna put time and effort in order to do so.
I know that back then you looked up to Deft, is there anyone you look up to now?
It's still Deft, I still look at his games and learn a lot from watching them, so I still look up to him.
What do you think about AD Carry meta right now? Do you think it requires different skills than it used to traditionally?
Previously you didn't need to play AD Carries that can innitiate very much, but nowadays it's very difficult for an ADC to have influence on the game if they don't play something with an innitation skill, that's the big difference.
Back in Korea you used to receive fanmail. Does it still happen?
I still receive it every now and then.
Do you have any big achievement in your career so far you are most proud of?
I haven't been a progamer for very long and I've had a lot of tough experiences in Sbenu, but all the experiences both then and now are precious to me and I think the current moment in my career is probably the one I'm going to be proudest of.
How is playing with Chei?
When I was in Korea I always thought that Chei was a good player, but now that I'm playing with him on the same team I felt that no only is his play still very good, but his decision making is also very good. So I'm very satisfied to play with him.
When you're on a very low ranking team it's very difficult to think about things other than winning, because you want to win, you need to win. But when you're on a team that's already winning, you have the freedom to think "oh what can we do to become even better”. So instead of just winning you can think of how can we improve other things and how can we become better as a whole. That's the main difference that I feel.
Going back, when did you start playing League?
About 5 years ago.
And when did you decide to go pro?
When I was high in the ladder and I started running into other pros, that's when I decided I wanted to go pro.
What do you think about European solo queue in comparison to Korean?
Back in Korea, solo queue was a very good practice tool. But in Europe, scrims are a much better practice than solo queue. The main reason is because in European solo queue you see a lot of picks that aren't used in competitive play, so you don't get to practice against what's in the meta, you play against too many different things.
About IEM, a lot of teams seem to be playing more defensively compared to how they play in their home league. Is there any difference playing here compared to LCS or LCK?
Personally, I was a little bit nervous at first because of this big stage and big crowd, and that's the big difference I felt compared to LCS. It's actually a lot more comfortable to play at IEM than in Korea.
Why?
I feel a lot more comfortable both at IEM and in LCS compared to Korea because back in LCK I've played against a lot of players that are well known, famous, very good and players I've looked up to, so I felt nervous and pressured when playing against them sometimes. Now that I'm playing in Europe I've not only become more used to playing on stage, but I've also become more comfortable in my own play.
I read in an interview you did back in 2015 that you wanted to be the best AD Carry in the World, do you still think you could be the best in your role?
Yes, I definitely still want to become the world's #1 AD Carry and I'm gonna put time and effort in order to do so.
I know that back then you looked up to Deft, is there anyone you look up to now?
It's still Deft, I still look at his games and learn a lot from watching them, so I still look up to him.
What do you think about AD Carry meta right now? Do you think it requires different skills than it used to traditionally?
Previously you didn't need to play AD Carries that can innitiate very much, but nowadays it's very difficult for an ADC to have influence on the game if they don't play something with an innitation skill, that's the big difference.
Back in Korea you used to receive fanmail. Does it still happen?
I still receive it every now and then.
Do you have any big achievement in your career so far you are most proud of?
I haven't been a progamer for very long and I've had a lot of tough experiences in Sbenu, but all the experiences both then and now are precious to me and I think the current moment in my career is probably the one I'm going to be proudest of.
How is playing with Chei?
When I was in Korea I always thought that Chei was a good player, but now that I'm playing with him on the same team I felt that no only is his play still very good, but his decision making is also very good. So I'm very satisfied to play with him.
H2K Chei
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How long did you play League and when did you decide to go pro?
I played a couple times on American server before the Korean servers existed and once they opened Korean servers I've been playing ever since. I didn't set out to become a pro gamer, but my ranking went up and I started playing against a lot of pros. Bang was the first person to ask "Do you want to be a pro gamer?", I took a training test and that's how I started.
You've spent a long time in Jin Air. Did you at any point think that you could become the best team in Korea?
I think it was difficult to think that we could become the best team in LCK, but we definitely thought we could become one of the better, higher ranked teams.
And now you're on a team that could win EU LCS, is that any different?
When I was in LCK we always thought it would be difficult to win, but now that I'm on H2K which is a very strong team it's definitely a possibility that we can win EU LCS, so that's the difference.
What do you think about European solo queue?
The main difference is that people never surrender in European solo queue. In Korea people surrender and open mid very quickly but in Europe people will play to the bitter end, so I think that people here have stronger mental fortitude.
You think that because you don't realize they are flaming all the time.
*laughs* I actually haven't experienced flaming as much as people being very sarcastic, you would make a bad play and everyone will react like "nice play", "good job", things like that.
Is there any achievement in your career that you are proud of?
I think my proudest achievement is when we were playing in the qualifier for World Championships, we played against CJ, went to 5th game, blind pick, and won. That was my proudest moment.
I played a couple times on American server before the Korean servers existed and once they opened Korean servers I've been playing ever since. I didn't set out to become a pro gamer, but my ranking went up and I started playing against a lot of pros. Bang was the first person to ask "Do you want to be a pro gamer?", I took a training test and that's how I started.
You've spent a long time in Jin Air. Did you at any point think that you could become the best team in Korea?
I think it was difficult to think that we could become the best team in LCK, but we definitely thought we could become one of the better, higher ranked teams.
And now you're on a team that could win EU LCS, is that any different?
When I was in LCK we always thought it would be difficult to win, but now that I'm on H2K which is a very strong team it's definitely a possibility that we can win EU LCS, so that's the difference.
What do you think about European solo queue?
The main difference is that people never surrender in European solo queue. In Korea people surrender and open mid very quickly but in Europe people will play to the bitter end, so I think that people here have stronger mental fortitude.
You think that because you don't realize they are flaming all the time.
*laughs* I actually haven't experienced flaming as much as people being very sarcastic, you would make a bad play and everyone will react like "nice play", "good job", things like that.
Is there any achievement in your career that you are proud of?
I think my proudest achievement is when we were playing in the qualifier for World Championships, we played against CJ, went to 5th game, blind pick, and won. That was my proudest moment.
H2K Odoamne
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You've played against HKE 3 days ago and today you've rematched them. Was preparing for a rematch any different than preparing for them for the first time?
No, I don't think so. We just kind of had more sample sizes to see, we saw them play against M19. We just saw more of what they do. So I don't think it was any different preparing for today, we mostly analysed our game against them, everyone still had a feeling of how they're playing so it wasn't too hard to prepare for it.
Do you feel like IEM is a prestigious tournament, is it anywhere to close to Worlds? Or is it just a chance to play against teams you usually don't get to?
Sadly, I think IEM Katowice is not that big just because there's always teams that drop out of the event and that's a really sad thing. I would want it to be as prestigious as possible, have all the best teams from all the regions and have a mini-Worlds, or MSI or something like that, but right now with the teams that are coming it's not as prestigious as it should be.
Jankos obviously has a lot of fans playing in front of his home crowd, did it get into his head, or did he play as usual?
I think he got a bit hyper today because of them, because of all their chants and stuff, so they kinda made him do some mistakes just because he wanted to show off. Overall I don't think it affects him that much, I think he's used to it and it makes him play better most of the time.
I want to talk about LCS now. What do you think about the current league format? Do you like it?
I think the system is pretty OK, I like it, it's a good change from the last one. I like the fact there's no BO2 anymore. The only issue I have is there's not that many games, I would wanna play more games in LCS because that's only way you get more experience, because the scrims don't mean much. I think the group system is an interesting thing.
H2K are in top 4 right now, but you have two new teammates, the entire botlane, and Febiven is back. Do you think these changes are holding you back and perhaps you will do better in the summer split?
G2 has been playing for over a year now with the same lineup so it's a lot easier for them to just keep improving on something while we had to start from scratch. Now we are getting where we will keep on improving. Those changes definitely made us not a true number one, we have good players so it puts as at a high level, but now its up to us to put more time in practice to become better and better.
Can you tell me who is shotcalling right now?
Right now it's mostly me, Jankos and Chei, we are the most vocal ones and I think it's going well so far. I want maybe Chei to shotcall more because I feel like he's really, really smart and I think we're gonna get to that point soon.
Is it any different having two Koreans in a team than one?
I think it's actually better because they can speak to each other in Korean and its easier for them to understand between themselves and it doesn't really bother us because we know they're doing their thing. I think overall having two Koreans makes the language barrier a lot of easier, while if there's only one then he would be forced to try to understand English.
But isn't it a problem that they just talk to each other and don't force themselves to understand the rest of the team?
I don't think it's an issue because they just talk in Korean during the laning phase, but when it's a team thing they would both speak English. When it's just two of them they will speak Korean, but if there's something involving for example them and Jankos, they will speak English. It's just a comfort thing.
When did you start to play League?
I was 14 or 15, in Season 1, 7-8 years ago.
And when did you decide to go pro?
I managed to get pro in Season 5, this is my third year. I didn't really ever decide to be one, I was just being competitive and I wanted to be good at the game, and one day it happened that I won some tournaments and got into LCS.
You've actually spent pretty much all your career in one team, your teammates were changing, but you were always at the core of it. Do you think it's any different than for the players who change teams all the time?
I don't think so, changes like these between teams are necessary. It just so happened that I stood in one place and other people came to me instead of me going to other teams, I think it's just coincidence.
Nuclear and Chei versus your previous botlane. Is it any different playing with them than with Forgiven, Freeze and Vander?
Forgiven and Vander were more aggressive, maybe a bit more dominant, but I would take our current botlane over our old one every day.
No, I don't think so. We just kind of had more sample sizes to see, we saw them play against M19. We just saw more of what they do. So I don't think it was any different preparing for today, we mostly analysed our game against them, everyone still had a feeling of how they're playing so it wasn't too hard to prepare for it.
Do you feel like IEM is a prestigious tournament, is it anywhere to close to Worlds? Or is it just a chance to play against teams you usually don't get to?
Sadly, I think IEM Katowice is not that big just because there's always teams that drop out of the event and that's a really sad thing. I would want it to be as prestigious as possible, have all the best teams from all the regions and have a mini-Worlds, or MSI or something like that, but right now with the teams that are coming it's not as prestigious as it should be.
Jankos obviously has a lot of fans playing in front of his home crowd, did it get into his head, or did he play as usual?
I think he got a bit hyper today because of them, because of all their chants and stuff, so they kinda made him do some mistakes just because he wanted to show off. Overall I don't think it affects him that much, I think he's used to it and it makes him play better most of the time.
I want to talk about LCS now. What do you think about the current league format? Do you like it?
I think the system is pretty OK, I like it, it's a good change from the last one. I like the fact there's no BO2 anymore. The only issue I have is there's not that many games, I would wanna play more games in LCS because that's only way you get more experience, because the scrims don't mean much. I think the group system is an interesting thing.
H2K are in top 4 right now, but you have two new teammates, the entire botlane, and Febiven is back. Do you think these changes are holding you back and perhaps you will do better in the summer split?
G2 has been playing for over a year now with the same lineup so it's a lot easier for them to just keep improving on something while we had to start from scratch. Now we are getting where we will keep on improving. Those changes definitely made us not a true number one, we have good players so it puts as at a high level, but now its up to us to put more time in practice to become better and better.
Can you tell me who is shotcalling right now?
Right now it's mostly me, Jankos and Chei, we are the most vocal ones and I think it's going well so far. I want maybe Chei to shotcall more because I feel like he's really, really smart and I think we're gonna get to that point soon.
Is it any different having two Koreans in a team than one?
I think it's actually better because they can speak to each other in Korean and its easier for them to understand between themselves and it doesn't really bother us because we know they're doing their thing. I think overall having two Koreans makes the language barrier a lot of easier, while if there's only one then he would be forced to try to understand English.
But isn't it a problem that they just talk to each other and don't force themselves to understand the rest of the team?
I don't think it's an issue because they just talk in Korean during the laning phase, but when it's a team thing they would both speak English. When it's just two of them they will speak Korean, but if there's something involving for example them and Jankos, they will speak English. It's just a comfort thing.
When did you start to play League?
I was 14 or 15, in Season 1, 7-8 years ago.
And when did you decide to go pro?
I managed to get pro in Season 5, this is my third year. I didn't really ever decide to be one, I was just being competitive and I wanted to be good at the game, and one day it happened that I won some tournaments and got into LCS.
You've actually spent pretty much all your career in one team, your teammates were changing, but you were always at the core of it. Do you think it's any different than for the players who change teams all the time?
I don't think so, changes like these between teams are necessary. It just so happened that I stood in one place and other people came to me instead of me going to other teams, I think it's just coincidence.
Nuclear and Chei versus your previous botlane. Is it any different playing with them than with Forgiven, Freeze and Vander?
Forgiven and Vander were more aggressive, maybe a bit more dominant, but I would take our current botlane over our old one every day.
M19 Kira
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How long have you been playing League?
I've been playing since Season 1, but at that time I played only normal games. I started playing ranked games in Season 2.
And when did you decide to go pro?
Exactly at the end of Season 2 after I played different game, Bloodline Champions. I got to a LAN, took third place and after this I wanted to try myself in League. I found a team, progressed and that's why I'm here.
I wanna ask you about LCL versus EU LCS. When most European fans think of Russia they obviously think Moscow 5, Gambit, but you can't really play in EU LCS now because you have your own region and because of visa issue. Do you wish you could play in EU LCS, or do you like having your own region?
This problem has two different sides. From one, good players from CIS can play in their league so it progresses, on the other side these players could play in EU LCS and progress much more international sense, so it depends. For Russia, of course it's better.
You have played at a lot of different tournaments, locally, at International Wildcard, at Worlds and here. Is competing at all those different events different, or pretty similar?
I think when you play a game, everywhere it's the same. There's different players and different playstyles, but you play a lot and you see a lot of playstyles in solo queue, so you can adapt.
So you don't think anything special about competing here, it's just another League tournament?
It's another League tournament with really good teams from different regions and really good players.
I've been playing since Season 1, but at that time I played only normal games. I started playing ranked games in Season 2.
And when did you decide to go pro?
Exactly at the end of Season 2 after I played different game, Bloodline Champions. I got to a LAN, took third place and after this I wanted to try myself in League. I found a team, progressed and that's why I'm here.
I wanna ask you about LCL versus EU LCS. When most European fans think of Russia they obviously think Moscow 5, Gambit, but you can't really play in EU LCS now because you have your own region and because of visa issue. Do you wish you could play in EU LCS, or do you like having your own region?
This problem has two different sides. From one, good players from CIS can play in their league so it progresses, on the other side these players could play in EU LCS and progress much more international sense, so it depends. For Russia, of course it's better.
You have played at a lot of different tournaments, locally, at International Wildcard, at Worlds and here. Is competing at all those different events different, or pretty similar?
I think when you play a game, everywhere it's the same. There's different players and different playstyles, but you play a lot and you see a lot of playstyles in solo queue, so you can adapt.
So you don't think anything special about competing here, it's just another League tournament?
It's another League tournament with really good teams from different regions and really good players.
M19 Likkrit
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How long have you been playing League?
I started playing League in Summer 2013, so it's been 3.5 years for now.
And when did you decide to go pro?
The same minute I started playing League, because I quit World of Warcraft to play League and I decided I wanted to be a pro.
And how long did it take you from starting to reach high rank?
It took me around two months to go from Gold 5 till Diamond 1 99 pts, which would be Challenger right now.
So last season you won LCL, right now you're in the middle of the pack. Is it because you're having trouble, or is it because entire league got better?
Actually it's not about the league getting better, it's about us having a really bad start. Because we didn't really have a break during the whole previous year, we took a break for New Year's Eve, so we only started training in January. We just didn't have time to prepare. We're just in a very bad shape at the moment, but we're getting better really fast.
You've played in LCL, you've played in IWC, you've played at Worlds, you've played here in IEM. Is playing in all those environments different, or is it similar everywhere?
LCL last year was completely different because regular part of the season was online, so playing LAN when we came to Wildcard tournament for the first time was completely different for us since we didn't really have a lot of LAN experience like teams there did. But second time when we came to Brazil and won the Wildcard we were completely fine since we had experience from Mexico. Coming here we had not good expectations since we're not a really great team now, but we're getting stronger, so maybe next time.
Right now you have your own CIS league, but most European fans remember when Gambit and Moscow 5 were winning all around Europe, obviously you can't really do that right now because you have your own League, and there's the visa issue. Do you like having your own league in your own region, or do you wish you could compete in EU LCS?
As for me, I'd really prefer to play in LCS since the general level of the league is much higher than in CIS. But playing in your home region has its own pros, you live near your family and most of your real life friends are much closer to you in terms of distance. And living in Russia is completely different from living in Europe and I kinda like it, so I like playing in LCL but I'd prefer to play in EU LCS.
Do you think there's any prestige with IEM tournaments, do you feel honored to be able to play here, or not necessarily?
Well, we were really looking forward to this tournament since it gave us an opportunity to practice versus stronger teams and have another tournament practice. But the problem is, IEM has very bad timing at the moment since it's in the middle of our national league and if we come to IEM, we sacrifice some of our "power", since we could train more, use more time practicing and be in a better environment for us. But, as for me, I don't regret coming because another tournament experience is very good. But I didn't really like that so many teams dropped out so it became completely different. We don't have NA teams or China teams, it's different from what I expected, now it's like "European pride", EU has a chance to win a tournament... Overall I'm honored to be invited to IEM, but I wish teams here were stronger. Although it doesn't make much different for us since we lost even to the weakest of them.
Were you able to scrim all the teams that came here?
Well, we haven't scrimmed all the teams, but most of them agreed to practice with us and it was a really good expierence for us, and I hope for them as well.
Do you ever scrim EU LCS or EU CS teams?
We prefer to scrim versus European opponents, but the thing is, we are not playing really well right now, so we can't really play against strong opponents. We are not really scrimming LCS at the moment.
I started playing League in Summer 2013, so it's been 3.5 years for now.
And when did you decide to go pro?
The same minute I started playing League, because I quit World of Warcraft to play League and I decided I wanted to be a pro.
And how long did it take you from starting to reach high rank?
It took me around two months to go from Gold 5 till Diamond 1 99 pts, which would be Challenger right now.
So last season you won LCL, right now you're in the middle of the pack. Is it because you're having trouble, or is it because entire league got better?
Actually it's not about the league getting better, it's about us having a really bad start. Because we didn't really have a break during the whole previous year, we took a break for New Year's Eve, so we only started training in January. We just didn't have time to prepare. We're just in a very bad shape at the moment, but we're getting better really fast.
You've played in LCL, you've played in IWC, you've played at Worlds, you've played here in IEM. Is playing in all those environments different, or is it similar everywhere?
LCL last year was completely different because regular part of the season was online, so playing LAN when we came to Wildcard tournament for the first time was completely different for us since we didn't really have a lot of LAN experience like teams there did. But second time when we came to Brazil and won the Wildcard we were completely fine since we had experience from Mexico. Coming here we had not good expectations since we're not a really great team now, but we're getting stronger, so maybe next time.
Right now you have your own CIS league, but most European fans remember when Gambit and Moscow 5 were winning all around Europe, obviously you can't really do that right now because you have your own League, and there's the visa issue. Do you like having your own league in your own region, or do you wish you could compete in EU LCS?
As for me, I'd really prefer to play in LCS since the general level of the league is much higher than in CIS. But playing in your home region has its own pros, you live near your family and most of your real life friends are much closer to you in terms of distance. And living in Russia is completely different from living in Europe and I kinda like it, so I like playing in LCL but I'd prefer to play in EU LCS.
Do you think there's any prestige with IEM tournaments, do you feel honored to be able to play here, or not necessarily?
Well, we were really looking forward to this tournament since it gave us an opportunity to practice versus stronger teams and have another tournament practice. But the problem is, IEM has very bad timing at the moment since it's in the middle of our national league and if we come to IEM, we sacrifice some of our "power", since we could train more, use more time practicing and be in a better environment for us. But, as for me, I don't regret coming because another tournament experience is very good. But I didn't really like that so many teams dropped out so it became completely different. We don't have NA teams or China teams, it's different from what I expected, now it's like "European pride", EU has a chance to win a tournament... Overall I'm honored to be invited to IEM, but I wish teams here were stronger. Although it doesn't make much different for us since we lost even to the weakest of them.
Were you able to scrim all the teams that came here?
Well, we haven't scrimmed all the teams, but most of them agreed to practice with us and it was a really good expierence for us, and I hope for them as well.
Do you ever scrim EU LCS or EU CS teams?
We prefer to scrim versus European opponents, but the thing is, we are not playing really well right now, so we can't really play against strong opponents. We are not really scrimming LCS at the moment.
UOL Sheepy
+ Show Spoiler +
You beat Flash Wolves back at IEM Oakland and this time you've lost to them. How much different was playing them this time?
Flash Wolves has been considerably stronger this tournament, last time they had a different ADC and just the ADC change has tidied up the entire team a lot. The botlane is way stronger, top lane we were consistently beating in scrims back in Oakland, and usually only their midlaner and jungler were outstanding. But now the entire team is really strong, they're very focused. They're strong individually, they know what they want to do, but they also have strong team identity, to know what to do as a team. They have been showing to be extremely strong this tournament, I think they are favorites to win. I think the changes came from the different ADC and a lot of practice.
This isn't your first international tournament, at this point is it any different than just preparing for LCS?
I have to say that once we went onto stage, the things you see you are already kinda know, so I was not too suprised or anxious, or excited. However it's still a tournament, so you are feeling a little bit of excitement. But I slowly fall into the area where it's just all about the game and that we only want to improve. There are different tournaments coming, there will be playoffs, perhaps MSI, there will be Worlds qualification, maybe other tournaments as well. Right now we're basically focusing on how we play the game and everything else becomes less and less relevant.
You think there's any prestige to winning IEM compared to winning in LCS?
Yes. First up, I think IEM is absolutely fantastic. I really, really like this tournament because it's an international event, before we have one week, we actually have time to practice other teams, which is a fantastic experience. But also of course there's prestige, we're all fighting for the cup which so many other teams have gotten before, like SKT. Although competition this time is not so popular, I still think this tournament itself is very important and prestigious.
Do you think ROX Tigers could repeat what KT Rolster did 3 years ago, when they won IEM but didn't necesarily do all that well back home in LCK?
I'm not too sure, KT was a little bit different. But if ROX Tigers met Flash Wolves in the final, I think that would be an amazing series. I think with Asian teams, when we're watching them and I talk with my team, they don't seem that strong, but when you're actually playing against them you really feel how controlled they are and how aggressive they can be at the times when they know they can win. I think this will be a really exciting top4 and perhaps ROX can pull it off.
How do you rate your teams performance? Do you think you could've went farther in the tournament if you haven't met Flash Wolves so early?
I think we could've gotten farther in the tournament regardless of who we faced, I think Flash Wolves are really strong right now. But even against G2 I think we had a really good shot of making it, we were very comfortable going into the games with the draft. But I think we just need more practice right now, there was still stuff that is very basic that we ended up not executing properly, like any kind of combos where you just need to aim properly and wait for your moment. Maybe it's a little bit of nerves and usually the only fix to that is just practicing harder and putting yourself in a stronger mental state.
Going to EU LCS, G2 seems to be ahead of everyone while you're competing with H2K and Misfits for the second spot. Do you think there's more to the story than the results tell, do you think it's closer?
Yes, I do think it's a little big closer in EU LCS than it seems, I think we are close to G2 as well. We didn't play H2K much so I'm not sure how strong they are. But I think if we start practicing like we have been for this tournament and keep improving, then in matches against us G2 will not be as favorable as everybody thinks they are.
G2 obviously has the advantage that they are still using the same squad whereas you've been changing all the time, do you think that plays a big part in why they are ahead right now?
A lot of people ask me if that's a big factor, if people staying together makes the team stronger. Obviously there is some truth to that. But I think also that if you're a newly formed roster, depending on how you practice and how talented everybody is, you can easily overtake that. But I'm really not to sure about that one, I think I need one or two more years to see if older squad that stays together longer is stronger than a newly formed team. Right now I think it's about equal and it's all down to practice.
When did you decide to become a coach?
I was playing myself before, I was a jungler. At some point I realised I was not only playing but also doing a lot of managing stuff, like trying to get us into tournaments, smaller tournaments like Black Monster Cup...
When was that?
That was 3 years ago, I had the managing job, the coach job and I was a player as well. I wasn't performing very well so I stepped down but I still wanted to be in the team, and push it ahead because there were a lot of people I thought were very talented like Vizicsacsi, Hylissang and PowerOfEvil. With them I just wanted to see the team develop further so I took on the managing role mainly and later focused on coaching. And it's really important to have this outside perspective who can help you improve yourself, help you stay on the way towards improvement.
How do you enjoy your career as an esports coach? Is it how you imagined it?
Yes, I really like how it is, right now I really enjoy my job. I didn't have any expectations going into being a coach, I just kinda wanted to do what I wanted to do at that moment. But now I really feel like I'm at the place where I want to be and the only thing right now I'd like to do more is work even harder so that we can earn more success which the team is deserving in my opinion, just by the talent that they have. So if we work harder, I'm really sure this will pay off.
Flash Wolves has been considerably stronger this tournament, last time they had a different ADC and just the ADC change has tidied up the entire team a lot. The botlane is way stronger, top lane we were consistently beating in scrims back in Oakland, and usually only their midlaner and jungler were outstanding. But now the entire team is really strong, they're very focused. They're strong individually, they know what they want to do, but they also have strong team identity, to know what to do as a team. They have been showing to be extremely strong this tournament, I think they are favorites to win. I think the changes came from the different ADC and a lot of practice.
This isn't your first international tournament, at this point is it any different than just preparing for LCS?
I have to say that once we went onto stage, the things you see you are already kinda know, so I was not too suprised or anxious, or excited. However it's still a tournament, so you are feeling a little bit of excitement. But I slowly fall into the area where it's just all about the game and that we only want to improve. There are different tournaments coming, there will be playoffs, perhaps MSI, there will be Worlds qualification, maybe other tournaments as well. Right now we're basically focusing on how we play the game and everything else becomes less and less relevant.
You think there's any prestige to winning IEM compared to winning in LCS?
Yes. First up, I think IEM is absolutely fantastic. I really, really like this tournament because it's an international event, before we have one week, we actually have time to practice other teams, which is a fantastic experience. But also of course there's prestige, we're all fighting for the cup which so many other teams have gotten before, like SKT. Although competition this time is not so popular, I still think this tournament itself is very important and prestigious.
Do you think ROX Tigers could repeat what KT Rolster did 3 years ago, when they won IEM but didn't necesarily do all that well back home in LCK?
I'm not too sure, KT was a little bit different. But if ROX Tigers met Flash Wolves in the final, I think that would be an amazing series. I think with Asian teams, when we're watching them and I talk with my team, they don't seem that strong, but when you're actually playing against them you really feel how controlled they are and how aggressive they can be at the times when they know they can win. I think this will be a really exciting top4 and perhaps ROX can pull it off.
How do you rate your teams performance? Do you think you could've went farther in the tournament if you haven't met Flash Wolves so early?
I think we could've gotten farther in the tournament regardless of who we faced, I think Flash Wolves are really strong right now. But even against G2 I think we had a really good shot of making it, we were very comfortable going into the games with the draft. But I think we just need more practice right now, there was still stuff that is very basic that we ended up not executing properly, like any kind of combos where you just need to aim properly and wait for your moment. Maybe it's a little bit of nerves and usually the only fix to that is just practicing harder and putting yourself in a stronger mental state.
Going to EU LCS, G2 seems to be ahead of everyone while you're competing with H2K and Misfits for the second spot. Do you think there's more to the story than the results tell, do you think it's closer?
Yes, I do think it's a little big closer in EU LCS than it seems, I think we are close to G2 as well. We didn't play H2K much so I'm not sure how strong they are. But I think if we start practicing like we have been for this tournament and keep improving, then in matches against us G2 will not be as favorable as everybody thinks they are.
G2 obviously has the advantage that they are still using the same squad whereas you've been changing all the time, do you think that plays a big part in why they are ahead right now?
A lot of people ask me if that's a big factor, if people staying together makes the team stronger. Obviously there is some truth to that. But I think also that if you're a newly formed roster, depending on how you practice and how talented everybody is, you can easily overtake that. But I'm really not to sure about that one, I think I need one or two more years to see if older squad that stays together longer is stronger than a newly formed team. Right now I think it's about equal and it's all down to practice.
When did you decide to become a coach?
I was playing myself before, I was a jungler. At some point I realised I was not only playing but also doing a lot of managing stuff, like trying to get us into tournaments, smaller tournaments like Black Monster Cup...
When was that?
That was 3 years ago, I had the managing job, the coach job and I was a player as well. I wasn't performing very well so I stepped down but I still wanted to be in the team, and push it ahead because there were a lot of people I thought were very talented like Vizicsacsi, Hylissang and PowerOfEvil. With them I just wanted to see the team develop further so I took on the managing role mainly and later focused on coaching. And it's really important to have this outside perspective who can help you improve yourself, help you stay on the way towards improvement.
How do you enjoy your career as an esports coach? Is it how you imagined it?
Yes, I really like how it is, right now I really enjoy my job. I didn't have any expectations going into being a coach, I just kinda wanted to do what I wanted to do at that moment. But now I really feel like I'm at the place where I want to be and the only thing right now I'd like to do more is work even harder so that we can earn more success which the team is deserving in my opinion, just by the talent that they have. So if we work harder, I'm really sure this will pay off.
UOL Vizicsacsi
+ Show Spoiler +
When did you start playing League and when did you decide to go pro?
I started to play in Season 2, at the beginning of it. I also started attending university shortly after and I studied for 2.5 years. That's when I had the chance to go pro and I decided that I should take it because it's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, meanwhile I can always continue my studies if I want to.
Well, how is your esports life? Do you like it, do you think you've made the correct decision, is it like you expected?
Yes, I think I definitely made the correct decision because ever since I entered the esports scene I've learned a lot about myself, about everyday life somewhere else than my home. It's definitely a great experience and I also really enjoy playing and just being in the scene.
What do you think about the LCS format right now?
I'm not the biggest fan of two groups because we have less chances to play against top teams. For example we only played G2 once and they are strongest team in the league, so I would love to play them twice because that's where we can learn the most from. Apart from that, the change to BO3 is definitely good because games can't close with 1-1 draw which is bad.
You've actually beat Flash Wolves to win back in Oakland and now you've played the rematch, and lost. How different was playing them now versus then?
They were way stronger than before. That's partially because they've changed the ADC who is outright better, but also because there are leagues going on right now. EU LCS, LMS are all going on and every team is practicing on daily basis while at IEM Oakland the seasons just ended. The level is just way higher right now for every team that attended IEM Katowice, and Flash Wolves just looks to be at another level than everyone else right now, their macro decisions and team cohesion is just great to see.
How is playing in IEM overall, is it much different than playing in LCS?
It's not much different when we go on big stage, but before it was a bit different since we had to use in-ears and played at a small stage without any crowd. But other than that it's kinda the same as at LCS, you just go on a stage, set up your gear and play.
So you don't feel any prestige from competing here, you don't think that this experience is special in any way compared to your usual games?
No, it's kind of the same.
I started to play in Season 2, at the beginning of it. I also started attending university shortly after and I studied for 2.5 years. That's when I had the chance to go pro and I decided that I should take it because it's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, meanwhile I can always continue my studies if I want to.
Well, how is your esports life? Do you like it, do you think you've made the correct decision, is it like you expected?
Yes, I think I definitely made the correct decision because ever since I entered the esports scene I've learned a lot about myself, about everyday life somewhere else than my home. It's definitely a great experience and I also really enjoy playing and just being in the scene.
What do you think about the LCS format right now?
I'm not the biggest fan of two groups because we have less chances to play against top teams. For example we only played G2 once and they are strongest team in the league, so I would love to play them twice because that's where we can learn the most from. Apart from that, the change to BO3 is definitely good because games can't close with 1-1 draw which is bad.
You've actually beat Flash Wolves to win back in Oakland and now you've played the rematch, and lost. How different was playing them now versus then?
They were way stronger than before. That's partially because they've changed the ADC who is outright better, but also because there are leagues going on right now. EU LCS, LMS are all going on and every team is practicing on daily basis while at IEM Oakland the seasons just ended. The level is just way higher right now for every team that attended IEM Katowice, and Flash Wolves just looks to be at another level than everyone else right now, their macro decisions and team cohesion is just great to see.
How is playing in IEM overall, is it much different than playing in LCS?
It's not much different when we go on big stage, but before it was a bit different since we had to use in-ears and played at a small stage without any crowd. But other than that it's kinda the same as at LCS, you just go on a stage, set up your gear and play.
So you don't feel any prestige from competing here, you don't think that this experience is special in any way compared to your usual games?
No, it's kind of the same.