24.08.26 - 09:2024.08.2026 - 09:20·3m3 Minuten Lesezeit·
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HLE Kanavi: "My LCK adaptation is at about 80 percent now"
Kanavi spoke to Sheep Esports a few minutes after HLE's victory against T1. The jungler reflects on the series, the team’s current form, and their preparations for the challenges ahead.
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"Our champion pool is wide, so preparing for Bo5s shouldn't be a big problem"
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concluded the LCK regular season in the best possible fashion. Three days after their 2-0 victory over Dplus, the MSI champions defeated T1 by the same scoreline this Sunday. HLE also secured a top-two finish, behind Gen.G, which allows them to bypass the first round of the playoffs. Named Player of the Match, Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok spoke to Sheep Esports a few minutes after his team’s victory. The jungler reflects on the series, HLE’s current form, and their preparations for the challenges ahead.
You closed out the final match of the regular season with a POM and locked in a direct trip to Round 2 of the playoffs. Please share your thoughts on the victory.
Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok: "Today's match against T1 was an important one, so I'm glad we won it cleanly 2-0. And since it was the last match of the season, getting POM on top of that feels great too.
Today's match was effectively a crucial one with a playoff seed on the line. What kind of mindset did the team have while preparing for it?
Kanavi: It was basically a decider for second place, and it was also the last chance to check our form before playoffs, so I think we prepared really hard for it.
As a team, you also snapped Jhin's 12-game losing streak in the LCK today. From a jungler's perspective, how do you view Jhin as a champion? Do you think that losing streak was just a coincidence, and if there was a reason behind it, what would it be?
Kanavi: I think Jhin is a really good champion. I've been playing him a lot in ranked myself, and he feels strong. And that 10-game losing streak, the number isn't completely meaningless of course, but I think part of it was just an unfair narrative, so I didn't really pay attention to it.
Early in the season, you rated your own adaptation to the LCK at 50 percent. Now that the regular season is over, what percentage would you say you have reached?
Kanavi: I'd say my LCK adaptation is at about 80 percent now.
Back then, you also said that you take the lead on early-game setups while leaving mid and late game macro to your teammates. After repeatedly facing strong teams in the Legend Group, how has that shotcalling split changed?
Kanavi: In the early to mid game, the laners share everything about their situations and I build the setups around that. And the mid to late game, we still work through together as a team, same as before.
You have shown great mid-jungle synergy with Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo this season. When it comes to judging who moves first and who takes the initiative in a given situation, what has changed the most compared to the start of the season?
Kanavi: If anything has changed, it's that we've both clearly gotten better as the season went on. And as our form improved, we started winning fights one by one, and with those winning experiences to build on, we've gotten better at trusting each other and going in.
With the direct trip to Round 2, you have earned extra preparation time. During this period, what would you most like to refine as a team?
Kanavi: First of all, we obviously need to keep our individual form up through playoffs. If everyone maintains their individual form, the game honestly solves itself, so I think that's the most important thing.
In a previous interview, you described Hanwha Life as a team that is definitely closer to a sword. Now, with playoffs ahead, are you focusing more on sharpening that sword or on shoring up your stability?
Kanavi: Obviously the best approach is to add more stability without letting the sword go dull, so I think we need to work on both.
Looking at today's Hanwha, would you say the team is still a sword, or more of a shield?
Kanavi: I'd say our team is still a sword.
In the playoffs, you will be playing best-of-fives, and with Fearless draft in effect, champion pools and preparation will matter even more. How confident are you in the team right now, and do you consider yourself the type of player who is stronger in a series?
Kanavi: I think our champion pool is wide, so preparing for Bo5s shouldn't be a big problem. And everyone plays well in big matches too, so that shouldn't be an issue either. I'm looking forward to the playoffs ahead.
Then would you say you personally prefer best-of-fives?
Kanavi: Hmm, for me it's about the same either way.
In that case, which team is Hanwha most wary of right now?
Kanavi: We recently lost twice in a row to , so I'd say Gen.G is the team we're most wary of.
Hanwha Life has already secured its spot at Worlds. In that situation, does the team's mindset toward these playoffs change at all, and what is your biggest motivation right now?
Kanavi: We're locked in for Worlds, but I still think winning the LCK is a huge achievement in its own right, so we'll keep working hard with the LCK title in our sights.
Looking at the entire season, if you could pick one MVP within the team, yourself included, who would you give it to?
Kanavi: I'd give it to Zeka. Mid is the hardest and most important role, and he's played well all season. He's also first in POM points on our team, so I'll go with Zeka.
You closed out the regular season with a win in the final match. Please say a word to the fans who supported you all season.
Kanavi: We've been through a long season together with our fans, and from their perspective, there were probably good moments and some disappointing ones too. But I think we wrapped it up well with a clean 2-0 at the end. We'll prepare well for the remaining playoffs and for Worlds, and we'll show you an even better side of us. Thank you, always.
Zeka said the team earned some vacation time with this win. What do you want to do during the break?
Kanavi: During the vacation, I'll mostly just be lying around.”
