"I will enjoy the competition and definitely come back with the championship trophy."
In an interview conducted on the 25th at the HLE base in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, Zeka expressed his ambition for the League of Legends World Championship.
In the LCK Summer Finals earlier this month, Zeka helped the team defeat the strong opponent GEN and won the Finals MVP. Therefore, despite participating in the World Championship again after a long time, he showed no signs of nervousness. Moreover, Zeka and another player in the team, Viper, are the only two members who have won the World Championship before. Although he and Delight are the youngest players on the team, he is the core mid-laner of the team and has rich experience in major competitions, so he is expected to become the backbone of the team in this tournament.
When talking about the most vigilant teams in the World Championship, Zeka mentioned BLG from LPL and G2 from LEC, and said he is also confident when facing GEN and T1. He believes that the victory in the Summer Finals had a positive impact on himself and the team, and this momentum will continue into the World Championship. He also mentioned that he has not forgotten the intense competition of the Summer Finals and the sense of relief and achievement from the victory. Especially when losing the second game in the qualifying match against T1, the nightmare of the Spring Finals resurfaced, and the experience of losing the second and third games consecutively against GEN became an opportunity for him to grow mentally.
Zeka said: "To break the deadlock of last season, our goal this time was to at least reach the finals, and we didn't expect to win the championship in the end. I think the consecutive victories against strong teams gave me and the team valuable experience." He also said: "In the past, we often collapsed after winning the first game and losing the second game. But maybe because of such memories of failure, even if we lose a game this season, we only focus on the next game and try to play without regrets."
Although he was born in 2002 and is the youngest member of the team, Zeka appeared very calm under the pressure of being the mid-laner. He believes that the evaluation of "If Zeka plays well, we win; if he doesn't, we lose" is a responsibility that the core of the team should bear.
Zeka said: "The mid lane is the most important lane, so such an evaluation is natural. I always try to review my performance, and even if we lose, I only think about playing well and try not to be intimidated."
He also revealed that since this World Championship will be played on version 14.18, the mid lane will undergo significant changes, so he is fully preparing for it. It is expected that AD champions will have less influence in the mid lane, and he is also trying and preparing various options.
Zeka said: "I am constantly practicing using the champions I was good at, such as Sylas and Akali, to ensure I can bring them out at any time. Because in a multi-game series, any champion needs to be prepared, so I have also prepared various unexpected choices."
Finally, Zeka thanked the fans who have always supported HLE. He said: "Even if we won the Summer Finals, I think the ultimate World Championship trophy is the most shining. I have practiced a lot, just to repay everyone with good results. This year, I will definitely come back with the championship trophy."
