, who had been undefeated since the start of the LCK Season. After losing to T1 in their second match, HLE went on a seven-game winning streak to finish first, tied with KT, with eight wins, one loss, and four maps dropped each.
" Geon-woo spoke with Sheep Esports. He reflected on his performance on Aurora, the importance of the bot lane, and his desire for revenge against T1.
You finished Round 1 with a win, ending tied for first with KT. Could you share your thoughts on today's victory first?
Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo: “Well, first of all, I'm pretty satisfied that we beat KT 2-0 when they were in sole possession of first place. And KT had been on a roll lately, riding that momentum with a perfect record, so I felt like it was the right time to break that streak, and we did, so that feels good.
There were a lot of fights today. What would you say was the key factor behind the win?
Zeka: Which game?
You can go through each game if you'd like.
Zeka: Sure, for each game, in Game 2, we got an advantage around the first Drake and things kind of popped off from my perspective, but botlane played the 2v1 so well that I'd say the game was won from bot side. It made things really comfortable to play. And in Game 1, we kept fighting around the dragon and Aurora got really big; top and mid got fed, so I think we were in a pretty good spot.
You beat KT, who you were competing with for first and second place. Was there anything specific you prepared for today's match?
Zeka: Well, from watching KT's games, their top-side moves really well and is super flexible, so we spent a lot of time thinking about how to counter that, whether through drafts or in-game play. That's mainly what we practiced around..
Credit: Riot Games
Like you said, you won through a lot of fighting, but on the other hand, is there any part of you that wishes the games were closed out a bit cleaner?
Zeka: Hmm, in Game 2's case, we had a pretty big lead, but the game dragged on a bit longer than it should have. Still, I don't think they really had a window to come back, so I think we played it fine. Game 2, yeah. So it wasn't the cleanest close-out, but —
Do you personally prefer these fight-heavy games, or do you lean more toward games where you just outscale and finish cleanly?
Zeka: Honestly, when you win a fight-heavy game like this, there's a sense of pride that we won because our fighting was good. And since the meta right now is pretty fight-heavy anyway, winning those fights lets us feel like our team really performed well, so I like that.
Your Aurora form has been absolutely insane lately. Fans can't stop talking about it. Is there a secret to your Aurora that you could share, maybe a key tip?
Zeka: Well, Aurora as a champion is pretty straightforward, and she hits hard, but she's also kind of simple in that way. She's a champion where missing your Q is a huge damage loss, so in teamfights you want to poke first with your W and things like that, I'd say the key tip is using W well. You really have to use it well.
In a previous interview, you mentioned the team was still building synergy. But right now, you're showing really strong play and teamwork. Where would you say you are in that process, and how did you get on the same page so quickly?
Zeka: Hmm, honestly I still feel like there's a lot we're lacking, so I'd say we're about fifty or sixty percent there. But basically, since we've been playing a lot of matches, during the LCK Cup we didn't have many games and got eliminated early, so we didn't really have time to build that synergy or gain experience. But this time, with games coming one after another, picking up wins and building momentum, things have gotten better.
Now that Round 1 is over, as you head into Round 2, is there anything specific the team wants to improve on, or any particular goals you've set?
Zeka: Hmm, there are a few things that didn't go well for us in Round 1, and I think we need to address those properly. And actually, our next match is against T1, and it's the start of Round 2, so I think if we just build on what we did in Round 1 and improve a bit, I think we can beat T1 too.
Like you said, you've got the T1 match coming up. In Round 1, the result was a bit disappointing. How are you planning to prepare for that match, and is there a particular way you expect the series to play out?
Zeka: T1 seem to be playing really well again, so they're definitely a threat. In Round 1, I think we made a lot of individual mistakes, and our form wasn't great, so, and even today there were some mistakes, so I want to clean those up and hopefully get some revenge against T1.
Here's a lighter question. Is there a champion that's not seeing much play in the LCK right now that you'd love to see come back into the meta?
Zeka: Hmm, I think it'd be fun if a mid assassin meta came around. It feels like it's been a mage meta for years now, so... It'd be cool to see situations where you get to pull out Zed or Fizz, that'd be fun for viewers too, I think.
Since we're a global media outlet, do you have any message for your international fans?
Zeka: I'm really grateful to everyone overseas who always supports our team and me. Thank you so much. Round 1 is over now, and I hope we can finish Round 2 strong and put on a good showing at an international event.”
