Taiwan is on the rise, and CTBC Flying Oyster have shown what they are made of by taking down Fnatic in their first game of the Swiss Stage. Carrying the hopes and dreams of the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), CFO now stands at 1-0, but must prepare for their next match at Worlds 2025. In an exclusive interview ahead of the Swiss Stage, toplaner Shen "Driver" Tsung-Hua sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss stress before Worlds, singing, and carrying the hopes of the Pacific.

It’s great to see you again after Vancouver! How have you been, and how have the team’s preparations for Worlds been going?

Shen "Driver" Tsung-Hua: “It’s been pretty comfortable here in Beijing—the food and the hotel are both really nice. I’d say it feels almost the same as back home, maybe even a little better. Training-wise, it’s been going okay too.

I heard you’ve been practicing your English recently. Do you feel like you’ve improved, or is it still a work in progress?

Driver: I’ve been working on it, but English is kind of difficult because there’s still a lot of vocabulary I need to learn, and my listening and understanding aren’t that good yet. I’m also learning Japanese at the same time, so it’s a lot to handle right now. I think it’s going to take me some time.

This year at Worlds, you’ll be competing both on and off the Rift since Đinh "Taki" Anh Tài will also be there. He’s known for putting on quite a show. How do you feel about the pressure of going up against him to be the biggest showman?

Driver: We’ve already battled before back in the LCP, and I have to say he’s a very talented dancer. I don’t have that level of talent—he’s really specialized in that area.

This will be your first time playing best-of-ones this year. How do you feel about that, especially since you’re sharing your position with Hsu "Rest" Shih-Chieh?

Driver: In terms of preparation, it’s mostly about deciding who’s better at playing best-of-ones. We don’t really need a wide champion pool for BO1s, so we’ll probably just decide based on our scrims and practice results.

This time around, many people see you as more than just underdogs. Back in Vancouver, you mentioned wanting to break the LCP’s top 8 curse. What are your expectations for Worlds in Beijing?

Driver: It’s just one step at a time. We’ll try to stay confident and have more perseverance. It’s definitely not going to be easy—honestly, it’ll be very difficult—but we shouldn’t think it’s impossible.

You seem more careful with your answers this time. Are you trying not to jinx yourself, or did your coach tell you to be more cautious and not sound boastful?

Driver: Worlds just has an intimidating feel to it. It’s the biggest and most difficult tournament, and it’s very different from First Stand and MSI.

Do you feel more stressed or more excited about Worlds?

Driver: I’m definitely a lot more nervous than I was at First Stand or MSI. There are so many teams, and with the Swiss Stage format, there are a lot of unknown variables. So it’s really one step at a time. I’m still looking forward to it though, and I’ll only really know whether I’m nervous or not once I step onto the stage.

What would it take to get you to sing before the end of the tournament?

Driver: You’d have to somehow take away my ability to feel shame. I’m way too shy for that. But I’ve got to say, the last time you asked me this question, I was still a noob at singing. I genuinely think I’ve improved a lot since then.

I saw some videos of you singing. You're very good. You need to be confident in yourself.

Driver: I’m telling you, I read the comments, and they were so mean I kind of crashed out. Since then, I’ve been practicing with my brother whenever I had time off, and he’s been giving me a lot of tips. I genuinely think that the next time I sing, chat will finally compliment me instead of roasting me.

Is there anything you’d like to say to the Western fans who’ve started supporting you since MSI?

Driver: Please look forward to our performance at Worlds! I’ve been thinking really hard about my celebratory dances—it’s kind of difficult. I want to do something bigger on the Worlds stage, so I’ll definitely try to come up with something interesting.

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I wish you the best of luck and will be rooting for both CFO and the LCP!

Driver: Thank you so much for your support. We’ll definitely try to work toward that goal, even though it will be super difficult. A man must dream, though, so we’ll keep moving forward with that in mind.”