Q: What are your thoughts on advancing to the semifinals?
Kim Jeong-soo: It was very difficult to advance, but I'm glad we ultimately won. I want to say to the players, everyone worked hard.
Q: Contrary to expectations, the match was very intense?
Kim Jeong-soo: Firstly, we indeed made quite a few mistakes in execution. The opponents picked some off-meta champions that don't belong to the current version, and we kept adjusting according to their picks, but some areas were not handled well. I think the early team fights were the most crucial in the match.
Q: Was it difficult to maintain match form due to the long break?
Kim Jeong-soo: I can't say there was no impact at all. For example, in the first game, the players seemed a bit rusty in coordination and communication since it had been a while since we played a match. However, from the second game onwards, everyone gradually adapted. But playing again after 15 days was indeed a bit challenging.
Q: Has the tournament version changed a lot?
Kim Jeong-soo: The Worlds version changes almost every week, and this situation has been ongoing from the past. Previously, dive compositions were very strong, but now poke-based compositions are also quite good. OP champions are constantly changing, so we must continuously adapt to version changes and train accordingly.
Q: What did you say to the players after losing each game?
Kim Jeong-soo: First of all, they are all very skilled players, and their late-game management is excellent. I reminded everyone not to make overly risky plays in the early game. Although those plays might be correct, we still hope to play a bit more steadily and focus more on mid-to-late game management.
Q: Were some games lost due to players' impatient plays?
Kim Jeong-soo: Of course, players do make mistakes. In the games we lost, they were indeed a bit overly aggressive, frequently engaging. They should have been calmer, but at the time, everyone was just saying to engage first, and no one stopped it. So I told them, someone needs to step up and stop it, and let everyone play calmly.
Q: Did you show some instability when facing opponents' unconventional picks?
Kim Jeong-soo: Some people might think so, but actually, we've trained a lot with our semifinal opponent T1, so I think there won't be too many issues when facing T1 in the semifinals.
Q: Have you scrimmed a lot with T1?
Kim Jeong-soo: In the last two days, our final scrims were both with T1. We've indeed scrimmed a lot with T1, and we're very familiar with each other. In the current Worlds version, we've trained a lot against each other, so we know each other very well, and we need to prepare well for the semifinals.
Q: Do you think the laning between Kiin and Zeus will be crucial?
Kim Jeong-soo: Every lane is important, and both Kiin and Zeus are very outstanding players, so the key is who can manage their state better on the day of the match and who can stay more focused mentally. That's the focus of their matchup.
Q: Did you gain anything from today's match?
Kim Jeong-soo: Today, there were many very special hero choices, and we mainly discussed the issues in team fight operations after the match. After the game, we kept talking about the details of the operations, so we will thoroughly review today's match and prepare well for the next one.
Q: Do you think there will be similar strategic changes in T1's matches?
Kim Jeong-soo: Even if there are some strategic changes, they deviate from the mainstream version choices. Therefore, we will still focus on training with the strong heroes of the current version to prepare for such situations. At the same time, we have also prepared some special choices, so ultimately, whoever is better prepared will have the advantage in the match.
Q: How is the overall state of the team currently?
Kim Jeong-soo: Regarding food, our manager takes great care of the players' diet. To maintain a good state, the players also go out for walks during breaks, spending about 20 to 30 minutes walking when they go to restaurants to eat, breathing fresh air, and relaxing. We get along very well with each other, and we often laugh together during breaks.
Q: What is your prediction for the semifinals?
Kim Jeong-soo: Of course, T1 is a very strong opponent, and we have faced each other many times this year, in 2024, so we are very familiar with each other. Teams that make it to the World Championship semifinals are all outstanding, and we are a strong team as well. So as long as we prepare seriously, I believe we can win the match. Although it might not be easy, and the match might go to five games like today, my goal is to win the match 3-0.
Q: Predictions for WBG and BLG?
Kim Jeong-soo: I don't think it will be one-sided, but overall, I think BLG has a slight advantage.
Q: What is most important for you on the road to winning the championship?
Kim Jeong-soo: We need to prepare seriously as we did before, and in the coming week, we will continue to work hard in scrims with the players while managing our condition. There are only six games left to win, so I hope to win the last matches of this year with the players and take the championship.
Q: Are the scrims going well?
Kim Jeong-soo: We have done a lot of scrims, and the results are neither particularly good nor bad, just average. The performance in scrims is quite good, but we encountered some difficulties in actual combat today. However, we are constantly working hard, and overall, the situation is quite good.
