If the LCK Cup did not go as planned for
(7th place), the team kicked off the
LCK Season in the best possible way,
securing a clean 2–0 victory over
on Thursday. Following the match, midlaner and veteran
gave an exclusive interview to
Sheep Esports. The 2021 World Champion reflected on the team’s difficult scrim period in the lead-up to the match, and shared his thoughts on G2 Esports’ performance at First Stand.
You beat DK 2-0 and started the season excellently. What was the preparation process that made today's victory possible?
Lee "Scout" Ye-chan: “Actually, recently, the team's level has been really poor, and over the past ten days or so,
we've had scrims that were pretty disastrous, and our results and performance have also been pretty bad. So recently we've been putting in a lot of energy together, giving feedback and working to improve, and from that perspective, today's match went better than expected early on, so we were able to win after all. And through today's match, I hope we can continue to improve and develop.
You showed good momentum early in the match. But as the game went on, things became more intense and contested. What improvements or adjustments do you think the team needs to finish games more stably?
Scout: Well, as I mentioned, our scrims haven't been very good lately, so we haven't been practicing teamfights and game management aspects very well. That's the situation, so today I expected we'd make a lot of mistakes, and that's what happened. No matter what composition we use, there will probably be some rough edges in our game management. So we played it somewhat relaxed, more freestyle-style.
You banned Ashe in both games, and yesterday it had a high pick rate as well. Why do you think this champion is considered strong in the current meta?
Scout: Well, I'm not sure yet, since it's still early in the season. But since Ashe is fairly strong early on, from the early game, the snowball from aggressive plays is quite powerful, so I think that's why she's a good pick in the meta.
You've played in both the LPL and LCK. Having faced many excellent midlaners, what differences you see between the two regions in the laning phase?
Scout: Looking at just midlaners, there's not really that big a difference. But in terms of the team, the pace is definitely faster in the LPL.
How did you view performance in the First Stand? Especially what impression did you get from play as a fellow midlaner?
Scout: Well, Caps is always someone who plays at Worlds, so I've always thought he's excellent. And in this tournament as well, I think he showed good form. And this time, G2 showed picks and plays that LCK and LPL couldn't really prepare for,
so they caught us a bit off guard in that respect. That's what I thought.
Since we're a global media, is there anything you'd like to say to the global fans?
Scout: Hmm... [laughs] Well, thank you, guys. Fighting!”
