League of Legends Championship Series (
LCS)
I want to talk about Jatt’s spoof between Games 2 and 3. Do you have any words for him after he soured the mood before Game 3?
Sean “Yeon” Sung: “No, he's fine. We won the series and didn't lose because of him; that's all that matters. Honestly, I didn't want to do a long interview, so I was like, ‘Oh, I can't do this interview anymore.’
Would you say your cortisol spiked in the last 15 to 20 minutes of Game 4 up until you glided all over C9?
Yeon: Yeah, the longer the game went, the more tense I was, for sure. I was still very hyped up and full of adrenaline after the game.
In a pre-match interview, the coaching staff mentioned early-game plans were the key to beating Cloud9. Without leaking any strategy, how did you develop and execute these plans?
Yeon: Honestly, we didn’t plan anything special for Cloud9. We mainly executed the basic early-game sequences we usually use. I’d say it wasn’t very C9-focused; it was more about our own early-game focus. I think we failed our early-game processes, which sucks. In almost every early game, we started behind, but we came back. I think we lost one or two Dragon fights and then one fight at Raptors. Throughout the series, our early game was somewhat subpar, even though we were playing to our regular stuff. It just didn't go our way.
How did TL manage to climb from these deficits so consistently?
Yeon: Once we started falling behind, we try to look for cracks in the game. For example, I think
(
Brandon Villegas) did a great top look when we gave the second Dragon in the first game, if I recall. Yeah, I think it was the first game; Jose got a kill on toplane, which was extremely good for the game. If we hadn’t looked for that one, the game would have been quite difficult. It's not like we gave up a Dragon for free; luckily, we actually got something on the other side of the map.
I don't know if creativity is the right word, but where does the decision-making to find these cracks come from? Is it something you've been working on, is it team-related, or does it come from certain players’ individual prowess?
Yeon: We definitely do practice it, but I think all of our players are very creative. I would say Jose,
(
Lim Hyeon-seung), and
(
Jo Yong-in) are especially creative players. They like a lot of freedom, so they can always make comeback plays easily. These three are very good at it, and I’d give them credit.
You're heading into Atlanta for a shot at the NA’s first seed at Worlds and an LCS championship. Team Liquid last won a split in Spring 2024, though you won Lock-In.
Yeon: Yeah, the First Stand tournament, yes, that one as well. I’d say the 2024 split was more memorable.
What’s the difference between winning Lock-In and a split?
Yeon: Honestly, I didn’t feel much… I wouldn't say the word “pride", but I’d be way more excited if I won a Summer Split going to Worlds than I did before, especially in front of a big crowd. I played one final at CBLoL’s home arena and the other at the LCS arena in Spring, so I'm excited to try to win a big stage final.
I actually wasn’t aware. You've never felt the… I mean, I'm sure there were fans at both venues, but an arena’s crowd must be different, right?
Yeon: Yeah, I played in the Spring at Arizona one and lost; I got second place. Then in the 2023 Summer Finals, I got third place after losing 2-3 to NRG. I haven't won on a big stage yet. Those are my only two big-stage moments in the LCS.
Why do you think this is the moment to break this split championship drought and bring back another split trophy?
Yeon: I've just been telling Quid for a couple of months now that he's due for a win. He hasn't won a single final, and I haven't won in a fat minute as well. I think we're all due for a win.
I don't know how superstitious you are, but some people like avoiding certain stuff. The mentality to block out the outside noise is important. How do you prepare mentally if you’re due, and how do you and the team block the noise?
Yeon: There are definitely some superstitious people on our team, but I'm not really superstitious. I'm more like, do whatever you have to do, and the job is right in front of you. It's just one more three-game series. That's what I'm focusing on. I would say some other teams are very superstitious, but I don't know what would be superstitious around this time. I'm sure there's nothing bad. I hope not.
There’s this interesting statistic on social media. It’s the first time in LCS history that the league will send the same Top 3 from Spring to Worlds. Across the playoffs and the year, we've seen an excellent level from the 3 teams. Why do you think this is the moment for North American fans to rally behind their region at a hometown World Championship?
Yeon: I think we've been closing the gap very slowly. NA has had somewhat decent performances against Eastern teams, especially
; they did very well at MSI. I think that the gap is definitely shortening in
League of Legends. I hope we can perform very well. There's nothing I’d really ask for more than you guys cheering us on and, hopefully, us actually achieving something in NA Worlds.
Finally, is there anything that you are looking forward to at the World Championship? You've already locked an appearance in the Swiss Stage, and will skip the Play-Ins. Is there anything you'd like to face or experience, and what would you like fans to do to motivate you and help you enjoy playing Worlds at home?
Yeon: I really do hope that we get a lot of support. I’m already so supported by all the fans, especially the Team Liquid fans. And I really do hope that I do well. This has been my goal for a very long time; for like three years now that I've been playing, I've been waiting for the moment to play at NA Worlds. So I really hope I have a strong performance during that time.”
