On Jun. 17, in the 2023 LCK Summer Split, Hanwha Life Esports defeated Kwangdong Freecs 2-0. Hanwha Life Esports went for late game picks in both of their wins and displayed their teamfight ability well. After the match, head coach Choi “DanDy” In-kyu and support Kim “Life” Jeong-min joined the media for an interview.
How do you feel about today’s win?
DanDy: Kwangdong Freecs had a good flow recently, and I’m relieved that we were able to beat them 2-0. We’ll try to keep the momentum and win our next match as well.
Life: We lost two games in the first week and won two games this week. There were parts that we lacked, but it feels that we’ve been improving. I feel great about turning the game around in game 2. I’ve gained confidence that we can extend our winning streak.
It seems that you’re trying to focus more on late game champions. What do you think about today’s game?
DanDy: It felt that we went for the late game too much in game 1. It would have been normal for us to give up to three dragons before we got on our feet, but fortunately, we were able to stop them from stacking up the dragons. As for game 2, we should have been able to snowball from early in the game, but we made mistakes, and there was an accident. The players did really well in game 1, and we were able to win game 2 through our teamfights in the late game.
Hanwha Life Esports is a team that’s capable of snowballing from early in the game, but you still go for late game picks. What’s the reason?
DanDy: The early game champions aren’t as good recently, and it feels that the LCK as a whole is trying to avoid those picks. The meta is going for late game picks, so we went with the meta.
The meta changes often. Do you think you can keep winning that way?
DanDy: We like the current meta, but we’re good at snowballing early as well. I also want to go in that direction if necessary. Whatever the meta, if we adapt and prepare well, we’ll be able to show a good performance.
(To Life) You’ve been doing well with Blitzcrank lately. What do you think about Blitzcrank?
Life: It’s a champion that can create many variables, so all the teams have to keep an eye on Blitzcrank. I think it’s a good pick for the team to get ahead.
You’re known for your unconventional picks. The recent meta seems to force the support players to play just a few champions. Do you think other champions can appear in the meta?
Life: If the top-tier support champions aren’t available, I believe any champion can appear as support.
Why did you pick Akali in game 2?
DanDy: I don’t think Akali is a bad pick. It was just that Zeka made a few mistakes.
Life: Practice went well with Akali, and Zeka’s Akali is always trustworthy, so we picked it.
Any last comments?
DanDy: We won two consecutive games, but we still have a long season to go. I’ll do my best to prepare well and show a good performance.
Life: Although we did win today, there were many parts that we lacked, and we were able to win out of luck. Our playstyle changed compared to spring, and we talk a lot about how we can play better. Since we started a good flow, I’ll make sure to keep it.
HLE Life: “Our playstyle changed compared to spring, and we talk a lot about how we can play better.”
