Taiwan is on the rise, and CTBC Flying Oyster are ready to show how far they’ve come. Carrying the hopes and dreams of the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), CFO now dive straight into battle, aiming to make history once again at Worlds 2025. In an exclusive interview ahead of the Swiss Stage, head coach Wong "Chawy" Xing Lei sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss playing best-of-ones, the opponents they’re watching out for, and the team’s goals for the tournament.

How has practice been going for you, and how are you feeling ahead of Worlds 2025?

Wong "Chawy" Xing Lei: “I’m really excited for Worlds, especially for the best-of-ones in the first two games of the Swiss Stage. That hasn’t been our strongest point—we’re better in Fearless draft, best-of-three, or best-of-five formats. So we’re preparing really hard for the best-of-one.

How do you expect the Swiss Stage best-of-one format to affect games, particularly regarding your two toplaners?

Chawy: We're going to see which opponent we are matched with and see which toplaner goes well against our opponent’s. That's how we'll pick. In the past when we had best-of-three or five, we could actually just swap players whenever we wanted. But right now it's only best-of-one, so we have to think through it really hard.

This time, CFO enter Worlds with higher expectations—many fans see anything below a top 8 finish as a disappointment. Do you agree with that sentiment, and what are your goals for the tournament?

Chawy: I kind of agree because we did pretty decently this year, so the expectations are pretty high for us. We’ll do our best and hopefully not let the fans down. Swiss Stage is something where anything can happen, right? If you get pretty decent draws, anyone can make it to top 8.

How do you think your team matches up against LCK and LPL opponents?

Chawy: When we play with Fearless Draft, we can maybe take a game or two off them. But in best-of-one, our team usually isn’t as prepared because our players need some warm-up—their mechanics and hands are still a bit stiff, so they’re not used to it. That’s something we need to figure out how to improve. Our recent scrims with LCK and LPL teams have been pretty bad. Their condition is really, really good, and I feel like at Worlds, whoever has the better meta read is going to have the advantage.

What has your win rate against LCK and LPL teams been like?

Chawy: Against them, maybe 0%. Because it’s best-of-one, it’s not like you can burn their champion pool or use specific strategies. Best-of-one is more about pure mechanics, so it’s not going to be easy. To contextualize though, it’s only been a few days, so nothing to worry about for now, it’s a small sample size.

With four CFO players and even yourself having contracts expiring after Worlds, does this tournament feel like a do-or-die moment for the team?

Chawy: Not really. What I want for the team and the players is always to just enjoy the moment and play our best in the next match. We don’t aim too far ahead or think too much about the future. We just hope to enjoy the remaining games we have—and who knows what will happen afterward.

Would you like to continue working with this roster in the future?

Chawy: 100%. I think the atmosphere within the team—how we hang out and enjoy each other’s company—is something very, very rare.

The LCP has officially overtaken the LTA and LEC in Riot’s power rankings ahead of Worlds. How do you view the region’s overall level, and do you agree that the LCP might be the third-best region in the world right now?

Chawy: I would say the LCP, LTA, and LEC are pretty close. I don’t think we’re definitely better than the other regions. We just happened to have better results and performances at MSI and First Stand, but I feel like they are also pretty strong.

Which Western teams are you keeping an eye on, and do you think they have a good chance to go far at Worlds?

Chawy: To be honest, I feel like over the past two years, FlyQuest might be the best Western team out there. G2 hasn’t been performing very well, although their condition has been improving a lot recently. But I think FLY has been really, really consistent. A lot of Eastern teams are also afraid to face them—especially last year when they played against Gen.G, with all their weird picks and their ability to come back. So FLY is definitely a team we’re all afraid of.

What are your thoughts on Team Secret Whales and PSG Talon heading into Worlds? Given CFO’s dominant run, do you believe the other two LCP teams can also perform well at the tournament?

Chawy: Definitely. TSW has very young players—the whole team is really young—so they might lack experience, but they’re not afraid to take fights, and their teamfighting is really good. PSG has been struggling in best-of-three and best-of-five formats, but in best-of-one they usually win the first game, so I’m not too worried about them in the Swiss Stage.

How do you feel about your current read on the patch and the meta?

Chawy: I’m not very confident, because we used to feel really good before we came over and started scrimming LPL and LCK teams. Then we realized we still have a long way to go, so let’s see what we can do in the remaining few days of practice.

You seem more reserved about your expectations this time compared to MSI, where you were more outspoken. Is this change in tone due to nerves or pressure going into Worlds?

Chawy: More people are watching CFO now, and they’re expecting us to reach top 8 or maybe even top 4. So the pressure is definitely on us—we really don’t want to let our fans or viewers down, especially since it’s been a long time since our region made it to the quarterfinals. The stress is definitely there, but we want to make them proud.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?

Chawy: We’ll do our best and hopefully bring back pride to the LCP and our region.”