Competing at their first major international event since the
World Championship 2024,
have secured a place in the quarterfinals of the
Esports World Cup. After opening the tournament with a defeat in the group stage, the Korean side bounced back by eliminating
before overcoming
yesterday to advance to the knockout stage.
Facing the newly revamped European champions following Luka "
Perkz" Perković's appointment as Head Coach, Dplus KIA looked far better prepared and far more confident in their approach. The team has adapted impressively to the current meta, exemplified by AD Carry
, who delivered standout performances on Viktor and Syndra to swing the series in DK's favour.
With that first hurdle cleared, Dplus KIA will now face Bilibili Gaming in the quarterfinals in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two organizations. The series will also mark only the second career encounter between
and
. Their first meeting came at the 2020 Mid-Season Cup, where Knight, then representing
, came out on top. Ahead of the matchup, the Korean midlaner answered three questions from
Sheep Esports.
It’s your first competition on the international stage since 2024. What does it feel like to be able to play against international teams again?
Heo “ShowMaker” Su: “It’s always exciting to play on the international stage. I am really grateful for the fans cheering for us from the crowd, so yeah I really like this feeling.
Is there any player you haven’t faced yet that you would really like to meet in the tournament?
ShowMaker: Even before the draw, I already said that I really wanted to play against Knight. Now we will face BLG, so I am really excited to play against him.
Smash played two mages in the botlane today. Did you give him some tips on how to play some champions and what do you think about his performances?
ShowMaker: Sometimes, he asks me things or I just give him some advices but overall what I teach to him is usually some cheap tricks or very small things. He’s a very versatile player, he’s very skilled and is using a lot of champions, so it’s more like tricks than real advice.”
