Competing at their second international event of the season,
have secured a place in the quarterfinals of the
Esports World Cup. After opening their campaign with a defeat to
on Thursday, the Chinese side bounced back by eliminating
to book a quarterfinal clash against defending champions
.
Despite an inconsistent season, JD Gaming have shown encouraging signs of progress throughout the tournament. They will, however, face a significant challenge against Gen.G with a roster that remains relatively inexperienced on the international stage. That is particularly true for support
, who is competing in only his second international event following
First Stand only a few weeks ago. After JD Gaming's victory over MIBR.LOS, the Chinese support spoke with
Sheep Esports about the team's performance and the challenge that lies ahead.
How do you feel after todayâs games?
Zhao âVampireâ Zhecan: âI am feeling decent right now. We lost the first game against HLE but managed to come back in the second match to qualify for the playoffs.
What do you think was missing in your game against HLE?
Vampire: We didn't handle their draft really well. And our tempo was too slow. We didn't deal with it correctly, and it caused too much trouble and too much tempo loss for us, which resulted in them snowballing out of control.
How do you feel about playing your second international tournament?
Vampire: I'd say that the biggest experience I've gained so far from the international stage is just being able to play against a lot of teams from different regions. They have different visions on the metas, different champions, and drafts. It's honestly very different to play against all these different metas.
Who would you say is the biggest support in the competition now, and where would you rank yourself among them?
Vampire: In an international stage like this, it's really hard to rank any of the support players because everyone has their highlights, and everyone is really strong. I'd say that I'm also up there among the best. So it's really hard to rank everyone. I'll say that everyone is kind of on the same plane here right now.
How do you feel about the current meta in botlane with more and more mages being played there?
Vampire: The meta changes every single patch, and right now this is simply how the meta is going towards. But I'd say that our team is pretty happy with the meta right now.
Who would you like to face the most during the tournament?
Vampire: I would say T1 because itâs a team that we actually haven't faced yet on the international stage, so they are definitely a team that I really want to play against. And their AD Carry and support are both incredible players that I really look up to, so it would be a joy to be able to face them on the main stage.â
