HLE Kanavi: "We're right there with KT in terms of momentum. [...] It'll be a great series"
Kanavi spoke to Sheep Esports in an exclusive interview, reflecting on HLE's win against Nongshim RedForce and looking ahead to the challenges to come.
00
Share
Credit: Gégoire "Aries" Bgz
"Our team's late-game focus was really good, and that's how we won"
still managed to secure their sixth consecutive victory in the LCK Season this Wednesday (2–1). With five wins in a row, HLE have further solidified their second place in the standings, just one week before a top-of-the-table clash against
this Friday. The team’s jungler spoke to Sheep Esports in an exclusive interview, reflecting on the match and looking ahead to the challenges to come.
Can you share your thoughts on the win?
Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok: “Well, it went 2-1 today, so it was a bit tough, but still, winning feels good.
What do you think was the key to winning?
Kanavi: I think our team's late-game focus was really good, and that's how we won.
How did you plan to deal with the opponent's aggressive style, and were there any moments during the games that felt tricky for you?
Kanavi: Nongshim is also a team that's strong in the early game, so I think we were really mindful of that. In Game 2, they had more of a late-game comp but still managed to grab early leads, so that part was a bit tricky.
In Game 1, during the early top-side dive, you went for a gank from the side. If you could go back to that situation, is there anything you'd do differently or improve on?
Kanavi: I don't remember the exact details, but I think I used my abilities well, so I'd just probably do about the same. It just played out that way.
HLE is known as a team that wins through top-side firepower. But today it seemed like you went bot-side a lot more than usual. Was that kind of tactical shift something the team specifically prepared for this match?
Kanavi: How the game plays out changes depending on the comp, and since the comp we prepared today was more specialized for playing through bot, I think that's just how it ended up.
Game 1 was a really clean win, but Games 2 and 3 had a lot more fighting. From your perspective in-game, compared to Game 1, what do you think caused those games to go longer?
Kanavi: In Game 1, we got early leads and won pretty easily, but in Games 2 and 3 the opponent picked up some advantages too, and their comps were solid, so yeah, it ended up being more back-and-forth.
Looking back on your performance, is there anything you felt was lacking or that you'd like to improve?
Kanavi: In Game 2, for example, I think we were a bit split on when to contest objectives, so we need to work on that. And in Game 3, we played a comp we don't usually run, and things kind of went wrong early on, so we need to fix that, too.
You recently described the LPL as the sword and the LCK as the shield. So what kind of team would you say HLE is?
Kanavi: Hmm, based on what I've seen so far, HLE is definitely the sword. Yeah, that's the vibe.
Your next opponent is KT Rolster, who are currently sitting in first place and are known for their mid-to-late macro. What kind of series are you expecting against them, or what mindset are you going in with?
Kanavi: KT Rolster is on a 7-game win streak right now and playing really well, but we're right there with them in terms of momentum, so when two teams riding this kind of momentum clash, I think it'll be a great series.
Is there a champion that doesn't see much play in the LCK right now that you'd like to see come back into the meta?
Kanavi: Hmm... Lee Sin. I wish they'd buff him. He's fun to play, but the champ just isn't in a good spot so I can't really pick him.
I think Oner played him recently, didn't he?
Kanavi Yeah, yeah. But he doesn't come out much.
Do you have any message for the international fans?
Kanavi: For international fans, there aren't many chances to see us outside of international events, but we'll be competing in more of them now, so I hope to see you all more often. Thank you for always cheering us on.”
