" Min-hyeong and his teammates got their revenge this Friday, May 1.
Right after the win, the three-time world champion AD Carry of HLE spoke with Sheep Esports about his support’s picks in the series, the victory, and his approach to playing weakside.
You kicked off Round 2 with a win today, and on top of that, you got your revenge from Round 1. Can you share how you're feeling about today's win?
Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong: “Before the season started, I was aiming for a perfect record, and T1 were the ones who put a scratch on that, so I'm happy I got to get revenge on them. This round, I want to go undefeated, and yeah, I'm really happy we won today.
In the last interview, Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo said he'd love to get revenge on T1. That was your only disappointing result from Round 1. Looking back on that match, what felt off, and what did you focus on the most to prepare for today's match?
Gumayusi: In Round 1, I think there were some things I didn't do well around the bot lane draft, so today I tried to focus more on that. Because of that, I think we got a lot of advantages in the early bot lane matchup and in the draft.
In this series you went with Lucian and Alistar. It looked like Nami was an option too, but you still went with Alistar, what was the thinking behind picking Alistar?
Gumayusi: I thought Nami would be at a disadvantage in the laning phase, and with a champion like TF on the other side, I figured Nami would be uncomfortable to play.
The flash lvl.2 gank Kanavi pulled off in game 2 was on a perfect timing. Was that a spur-of-the-moment call, or was it something the team planned out beforehand?
Gumayusi: The enemy's positioning and ward placement were pretty predictable, so we found an opening and set it up to get a good kill out of it.
In Game 1 today, Yoo "Delight" Hwan-joong was roaming around a lot. In the last interview, I asked him about the "Support, just watch me!" meme, and he said if he can't look after you, he'll just ditch you cleanly. Were there moments today when you were left alone and wanted to say "Hey, come back and help me out"?
Gumayusi: Honestly, I'm fine even if he doesn't babysit me. Actually, I think it's better when he can look after the other lanes more, and I'd love to see even more good plays come out of that.
You're someone who handles 1v2 situations really well. Any tips on how to survive or play around those situations?
Gumayusi: First of all, I think the basic prerequisite is that you need to be winning the 1v1. It's not like you just tough out every 1v2—you only send the support to roam when you're in a position where you can actually hold on your own.
Having played with T1 for so long, you know each other inside out. When you play against T1, does knowing them give you an edge, or does it actually work against you since they can read your moves too?
Gumayusi: I think we both know each other's strengths really well, and we were both playing while feeling out those strengths. So I wouldn't say there's a clear advantage or disadvantage; it's kind of like both sides have an edge and both sides don't.
Round 2 has just started. In Round 1 you were aiming for a perfect record, what goals do you have for Round 2?
Gumayusi: Well, obviously I want to go undefeated in Round 2 as well, and with MSI, Road to MSI, coming up, I think the goal is to stay in peak form until then.
Gumayusi's tiger pose
After today's win, you did the tiger celebration. Was there a meaning behind it?
Gumayusi: Nah, I just thought it'd be cute, so I went for it.
So, is there a player this round that you really want to solo kill with your own hands?
Gumayusi: Hmm, I'm not really that greedy for solo kills, so I just want to keep playing well, that's all.
Lastly, do you have any message for the international fans cheering from abroad?
Gumayusi: I'm always grateful to all the fans supporting us from everywhere, and I'll keep doing my best so we can make it to MSI for sure. Let's go!”
