Zeus spoke in an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports about the integration of the HLE's new additions, as well as his Annie pick against BRO —the first to be played in the toplane in the LCK.
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Credit: Grégoire "Aries" Bgz/Sheep Esports
"I'm feeling very confident myself, and I think my form is in a good spot"
appear to have truly found their footing. After finishing at the bottom of the LCK Cup despite being expected to compete at the top, the team secured a third consecutive victory this Thursday in the LCK Season by defeating DN SOOPers (2–0). HLE now sit in second place in the regular season standings, with four wins and one loss. The team’s toplaner,
, spoke in an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports about the integration of the new roster additions, as well as his Annie pick—the first to be played in the toplane in the LCK.
You're starting Week 3 on a three-game win streak. How does it feel?
Choi "Zeus" Woo-je: “Right now, a win streak is building up, so I'm feeling good about that, but with today's match in particular, I felt like there was a lot more room to play better, so that's a bit disappointing.
in the midlane has been performing incredibly well every single game, and botlane played really well today too, so I think that was a big part of it.
This was the first time Annie had been played in the top lane in the LCK. Can you tell us why you chose that pick?
Zeus: I figured that as soon as we pick Annie, the opponent would naturally assume that it was mid, so I thought about how to counter that. And the Annie pick itself against Gnar has a lot of room to play out favorably, so I wanted to try and take advantage of those strengths.
You played great today, but was there anything you felt was lacking with toplane Annie?
Zeus: With Annie and a strong AD jungler together, I felt like we could really kill Gnar whenever we wanted to, but that moment never came, which was frustrating. Also, very early on, the enemy support roamed up, and we took a pretty significant hit in the toplane because of that, and I think that was quite critical.
Annie and Anivia have been showing really high win rates when played top or mid. Do you think there's enough counterplay against these two champions, or do you feel they're strong enough that they might need some adjustments?
Zeus: Anivia is a champion I've genuinely loved since last year, so I just think she has really strong performance overall. Annie, on the other hand, she looks good right now because of the current meta, but honestly, normally I don't think she's that strong. I think it's because enchanter supports are showing up a lot lately, and that's why she seems so good right now.
You've only had one loss so far, it was the Week 1 match against T1. Looking back at it now, what do you think you could have done better, or what did you learn from that game?
Zeus: Going into the T1 match, there were quite a few moments where we could have won, but we didn't execute well when it was time to make plays, and we also got caught out embarrassingly easily, that's what stood out to me.
At Media Day, many teams named Gen.G as the top championship contender, and HLE also mentioned them. Who do you see as the most dangerous team right now, and including Hanwha, who do you think is the strongest team in the league?
Zeus: KT recently has actually beaten both T1 and Gen.G, and they're also really good at coming back games they were initially losing, and I think that's the mark of a strong team, so I'd say KT.
So KT is also the team you're most wary of?
Zeus: Yes.
In a recent interview, you mentioned that there was a period where you did 1v1 practice sessions with Lee "DuDu" Dong-ju, but that you no longer do that. What changed, and how are you currently working on your early game and laning phase preparation?
Zeus: Back around 2023, I used to 1v1 a lot with DuDu and it helped me a lot. Back then, I think it was because I was pretty much still a rookie, and there was a lot I wanted to figure out, so I was very proactive about it. But now there are partly the effects of the lane swap meta to consider, and having gone through that period, those experiences affected me too, and I just don't feel the need for it anymore.
During the LCK Cup season, the results were a bit disappointing. At the time, Gumayusi said, "This team is better than this result. If we had gone further, we really would have shown something great." What do you think has changed the most in the way the team plays?
Zeus: Back then, there were just too many things that weren't clicking between us. We had more time after that, so we had a lot of conversations and worked to align our thinking with each other, I felt like that process was really necessary, and back then, we just didn't have enough time for it. Right now, I don't think we're at 100% full condition yet, but still, I feel like we've come a long way.
With the additions of Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok and Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyung, as well as Coach Yoon "Homme" Sung-young joining the team, there have been a lot of changes. What role does Homme play within the team, and in what area do you feel he helps you the most?
Zeus: Head Coach Homme mainly looks at data and things like that, and shares it with the players, things like win rates and such. He points those out a lot and keeps us informed. And also, after every match, he goes through the game and highlights the key points for us to work on. It seems like that's how he operates.
Since we are a global media outlet, is there anything you'd like to say to your international fans?
Zeus: Hanwha Life is on a great win streak right now, and I think we're showing a lot of strong performances, so I'd say we're in a really confident place, and personally I'm feeling very confident myself, and I think my form is in a good spot, so please watch our games, and I think you'll see a lot of exciting matches.”
