HLE Viper | Why is Gen.G always so difficult to play against?
Post-match interview with Viper following a 3:0 victory vs T1:
Translation of the interview uploaded on Aug-29 by e-focus esports | 2024 LCK Summer Playoffs Round 2 Match 2
Q: What are your thoughts on the win?
Honestly, we reached close to the finals in the Spring season as well. But in the end, I realized that if you don’t actually progress to the finals, it doesn’t mean much. So even though we won 3-0 cleanly today, I’m not feeling particularly excited or anything.
Q: Before the match, most of the fans and LCK Crew's predictions all favored Hanhwa's victory. Were you nervous at all before today’s match?
As I mentioned earlier, since it's the second round of the playoffs there was still another chance even if we lost, so I didn’t feel too pressured. The main thing is how we get to the finals and how we perform there. Although playing my best, I tried not to focus too much on today's game in that I was ready to accept the results as it was.
Q: ADCs in both teams got the spotlight. There was a lot of attention focused on which card you would come up with against Gumayusi who showed great performance with Nilah in the previous match. What did you focus on preparing for today’s series?
Like yesterday, it seemed that the Bot lane champions supporting the team rather than hyper-carrying were being preferred in the current meta. Ziggs, in particular, is very popular because he’s an AP dealer who can clear (minion) waves quickly, fitting well with the current meta. I was curious about how the opponent would handle Ziggs, as well. I think we used him well in the first and second sets and leading up to third set to a satsifactory outcome.
Q: Speaking of Ziggs, you played Ziggs in both first and second set today. Ziggs is on a winning streak from yesterday. Fans were puzzled that DK did not ban Ziggs and continued the game. Would that be because there are more options other than Ziggs in the current meta?
Mm, because they are another team I would not know too well but I guess each party had their own reasons. I do think Ziggs is definitely a difficult pick.
Q: Was there a reason why HLE did not ban Ziggs in the third set?
First of all, after the first two sets, it felt like the opponent wanted to play against Ziggs by giving it away. For the third set, I was wondering whether the opponent had the same line of thought or whether that changed. We thought we could handle Ziggs so we didn't particularly pay special attention to banning it.
Q: We saw Vladimir in the first set. You are also really good at playing Vladimir. How did you find Doran's Vladimir today?
Honestly, Vladimir is a champion where the early game matters a lot, but since I was focused on my lane, I didn’t see much of him. We practiced him a few times, and was pretty decent. While I think in team fights we may be similar, I think Doran would play him much better as I’ve been playing in the bot lane. I just didn’t see enough to say much about it but I don't think a lot happened in team fights. But I guess he must have done well right?
Q: At about 22 minutes into the first set, all components of team fight at the dragon pit was executed flawlessly. It felt like the ideal team fight envisioned during draft was actually played out. I think that was a moment that other teams couldn't easily mimic. Why do you think the synergy among Hanwha players is so good?
We’ve been playing together for a long time, and we constantly discuss how to play depending on the composition, which aligns our views. This builds team synergy, but if not practiced, it can become stagnant or reduced. We've been focusing on it a lot in practice, so it reflects in our games.
Q: While all players did very well, Zeka particularly shined today. How would you comment on it?
In today's series, our Mid laner played a lot of crucial picks so he had to perform at a high level. Zeka's form was brilliant so I wanted to thank him for playing so well.
Q: Now there's only one match away from reaching the finals in Gyeongju. Every match against Gen.G is a difficult one so what do you think that is so?
To be honest, I think all other teams would agree that Gen.G is currently the best. They will also be preparing thoroughly one game at a time so I think it will be an exciting match. However, I hope that we will come out as the better team this time.
Q: Lastly, the fans are saying that HLE can win at this rate and I think so too. Would like to hear your message to the fans?
I appreciate fans think of us in that way and hearing that today’s performance was good. But personally, even if we performed poorly today, we still have another chance in the lower bracket. If we could make it to the finals and win, then today’s second-round match didn’t seem that critical. What’s most important now is how we use the remaining time, and I believe the strategic draft in the games will be key. Thank you.
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