as the mid laner he wants to solo kill most heading into Round 2.
How does it feel to close out Round 1 with a win?
Heo "ShowMaker" Su: "It was the last match of Round 1, and winning 2-0 feels amazing. I think we'll have to keep working hard to put up good results in Round 2 as well.
What was the key to today's win?
ShowMaker: For Game 1, I think our topside had a really strong performance. In Game 2, every lane played well, which is how we were able to win.
Game 1 had a lot of skirmishes, at what point did you feel like you could win?
ShowMaker: After we took one teamfight, and then Lucid (Choi Yong-hyeokon) Lee Sin insec’d the enemy Lucian in bot, after that I felt like Zeri/Yuumi really got going, so that's when I thought we'd win.
You played Annie into Ryze in Game 1, how did that matchup feel?
ShowMaker: Personally, I think Ryze is actually the better side against Annie. I did think Ryze should be able to dictate things, but the Annie had Lee Sin attached to her, and that one mid gank picking up a kill was really huge for Ryze's lane.
There were some close calls in both games, what feedback would you give?
ShowMaker: Honestly, there's not really much to fix about the players' play. I think it was more that we got a bit unlucky in certain moments or were just slightly off on the details; it's the kind of thing that'll work itself out if we just keep grinding.
Were there any moments where you felt your form was really on?
ShowMaker: When I was playing Ahri in Game 2, there was a point where we backed off from Rift Herald, and I noticed the enemy bot lane and mid had to base. So I went in alone, killed the Xin Zhao, then took Herald right after. I think that play really blew the game open.
Your drafts have looked much sharper recently, what changed?
ShowMaker: We really tried hard internally to get on the same page about the draft. We took the concepts we already understood and established broad criteria, like, in this situation we pick this champ, and in that situation we pick that champ. We talked through it a lot and built our own set of rules—almost like a mechanism or algorithm for designing our drafts—and we've been applying that in matches. It's been working well, so I think we've organized it nicely.
How does the synergy with the current bot lane compare to playing with Lucid?
ShowMaker: The synergy's been good. Overall, since they are both pretty young, they really shine in fights. It's kind of like, even when everyone's low HP and things look sketchy, instead of running away, they'll stay in and split the aggro until the very end. That's their strength.
Looking back on Round 1, what was the biggest takeaway?
ShowMaker: There are no easy teams. Every single match had moments where things felt dangerous, and we managed to pull through a lot of tough games. I really felt like the top of the LCK has leveled up a lot. Going forward, I felt like we’d need to keep polishing things up to maintain a high standing.
Round 2 opens with Gen.G, how are you preparing?
ShowMaker: Honestly, when we beat Gen.G, I think we were kind of struggling internally, figuring out our prio-picks and our playstyle, so I think we were a bit lucky to win that one. Round 2 is where it gets real, so we'll bring our best.
Any personal goals for Round 2?
ShowMaker: Personally, to perform consistently every game without any dips, just be a constant. As a team, the goal is to maintain a high ranking like in Round 1 and make it into the Legend group.
Is there a player you really want to solo kill in Round 2?
ShowMaker: I think Zeka (Kim Geon-woo) is the mid laner in the best form right now, so if I can solo kill him, that'd basically prove I'm the one in the best form, right? So I'd love to.
Any message for your international fans?
ShowMaker: "I'm always so grateful to our international fans for supporting us. Thank you so much for all the love. Going forward in Round 2, I'll show you some great performances and work hard to put up good results."