In the top-of-the-table clash against
, last Friday,
left little room for doubt. The reigning champions secured a convincing 2–0 victory. strengthening their position in the race for the top two spots in the regular season standings, which grant advantageous seeding heading into the Road to MSI.
With a 12–4 record — Gen.G also defeated
two days later — the team now shares the same track record as
and KT, trailing only
with one week remaining in Rounds 1–2. Having joined Gen.G last December, Park “Nova” Chan-ho reflected on the day’s match and his team’s season so far. The coach also discussed his first international experience at the First Stand and shared his thoughts on the current meta.
First of all, could you share your thoughts on today's win?
Park "Nova" Chan-ho: "I understand today's match was very important for securing 1st or 2nd seed on the Road to MSI, so I'm glad we won.
You won 2-0 today. What made this win possible?
Nova: Well, we've been losing recently, and we had a lot of internal discussions as a team. We talked extensively about the issues that came up and tried our best to fix them. I think that work was applied pretty well in today's matches.
Game 1 was a very clean game. From your perspective as a coach, what do you think allowed you to secure such a clean win?
Nova: The play was really clean across the board. In Game 1, I think we gave up maybe one tower and won everything else. Actually, I don't think we gave up anything at all. Just clean overall.
Did the draft play a role in that as well?
Nova: The draft went as we intended, I think.
Game 2 was a big comeback win. What do you think caused you to fall behind early, and what was the key turning point that allowed you to come back?
Nova: In Game 2, we actually started off well in botlane, but at the first dragon, the coordination between bot and jungle wasn't quite there. That's something we need to go back and review. I think that was the root cause of the early problems.
You only have four losses on the season so far. Looking back at those four defeats, which match do you think the team learned and grew the most from, and why?
Nova: Our first loss was the KT match, I think. That first loss was a real wake-up call for us, and the losses that came after were part of a transitional period. When we first lost to KT Rolster in Round 1, we talked a lot about where we were lacking after that defeat, and we've been in the process of fixing those things ever since. That one was probably the biggest.
So looking at today's match, would you say the team has moved past that transitional phase and is back on track?
Nova: We're getting back. What I can say for sure is that we've been feeling it even in practice. And as fans have probably noticed, one of the factors behind our inconsistent play has been the variance in our botlane, the highs and lows showing up at different times. I'd like to say that's been improving noticeably.
With three regular season matches left and the Road to MSI right around the corner, what is the coaching staff focusing on most to fully prepare for such a big stage?
Nova: Communicating a lot with the players and doing our best to improve our gameplay. That's where all our energy is going right now.
Before you transitioned to coaching, you were a player. What kind of player were you back then, and how has that experience shaped the kind of coach you've become?
Nova: Even as a player, I was always kind of the older brother figure on the team. I took on a leadership role a lot. I felt that experience would be an asset in coaching, and that was actually the biggest factor behind my decision to make the switch. I thought it was a strength I could really leverage.
First Stand was your first international tournament as a coach. From your perspective, how did the international stage feel compared to the LCK? Was there anything that surprised you, and how did facing international teams for the first time help you grow?
Nova: The thing that surprised me most was G2 Esports. I thought G2 was really smart. Even in how they played, you could see a real intelligence about the game, and I learned a lot from that. We also scrimmed a Brazilian team and one other team, and they were better than expected. The scrims were actually competitive, and that made me realize the level of international teams isn't as far off as I thought. Everyone had their own strengths, and going to an international event and learning from that was really helpful.
The Gen.G coaching staff currently consists of three people. Could you tell us what your role is and what you mainly focus on?
Nova: Since we all come from different backgrounds — Coach Lyn is a former jungler, our head coach was a midlaner, and I'm from the botlane side — we each lean into our strengths for our respective lanes. I communicate the most with our bot lane and try to help them improve their play. I also try to stay close to the players, be as approachable as possible. Player care plus botlane work — that's my main role and where my strengths lie right now.
Separate from the team's goals, do you have any personal career or life goals you'd like to achieve as Coach Nova?
Nova: When I first transitioned to coaching, my dream was to go to international tournaments — something I couldn't do as a player. I also wanted to attend an international event held in Korea. I've achieved those now. Honestly, our roster is so strong that my dream right now is to win Worlds with these guys.
I've seen you give very precise and sharp in-game feedback to the players during patches. As someone who studies the game deeply, if you had to describe the current meta in a few keywords or a short phrase, how would you define it?
Nova: A toplane meta disguised as a botlane meta? Yeah, that's kind of how it feels.
Gen.G also has a lot of international fans sending their support from afar. Could you say a few words to them?
Nova: I was actually surprised by the support. It was my first time at an international event and I realized there are so many fans. Even when the coaching staff were just walking around together, fans would recognize us and ask for photos. That really hit me — our influence is bigger than I thought, and I need to be more mindful of how I carry myself. So I'd like to say thank you to all the fans, I appreciate the support, and we'll do our best to deliver good results."
