On Aug. 11, in the 2nd round of the 2023 LCK Summer Split playoffs, Gen.G swept Hanwha Life Esports 3-0 and advanced to the next round. They will face T1 tomorrow for a spot in the finals. After the match, Gen.G head coach Go “Score” Dong-bin and jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho joined the media for an interview.
How do you feel about the 3-0 win?
Score: As of today’s win, we’ll be heading to Daejon no matter what. It seems that it’ll be fun, so I’m happy. Aside from that, I’m glad that we won 3-0 today.
Peanut: I feel comfortable since we secured a spot in the top 3. Like spring, we can play with an easier mind in the winners’ bracket, but if we can, I want to win and secure a spot in the finals first.
You lost 0-2 in the last match of the regular season. How did you prepare today?
Score: I believed that our performance will be much better than that match since the players excel in the playoffs. That showed today.
When KT picked T1, you ended up with Hanwha Life Esports. What was your main focus in today’s match?
Score: When I heard we were facing Hanwha Life Esports, I was slightly surprised. I thought it was likely that we would face T1. After the team was fixed, I discussed how we would prepare against Hanwha Life Esports and just focused on that. We faced Hanwha Life Esports in the last week of the regular season, and we thought the bans won’t be too different from that match.
Were there any critical moments in today’s match? What did the Gen.G players do well?
Score: The players did really well until the middle of the 2nd game, but when Jayce died on the top side, the game got difficult. I gave feedback on that. That was the most difficult moment, but as Peanut stole Baron, we were able to win the game.
(To Peanut) It was a difficult game. How did you end up stealing Baron?
Peanut: Rumble died, so we were 4v5. We needed to earn enough time for Rumble to revive, and I think it was alright since we used our skills timely and saved our ults. We earned just enough time. Actually, I didn’t even think about stealing Baron, but I got lucky, and we were able to win the game. I thought that Baron fight was our last chance.
You aggressively invaded the opponent jungle. Why did you do that? How was it so successful?
Peanut: Whenever I counter jungle, I simply think that if I fail, I should accept it. I can’t always succeed, so if I play aggressively and actively, I try to raise the chances to succeed. The mindset of not attempting because it’s dangerous disappeared as I gained more years as a pro player.
You’re facing T1 again tomorrow. How do you think it’ll go?
Score: I think it’ll be fun. It seems we’re meeting T1 quite frequently. There were times we won and lost. This time, I hope we win and get to the finals first.
Peanut: In a previous interview, I had said that if we and T1 meet frequently, it means that we’re both doing really well. We’ve met at the top again, so it seems we’re both still doing well. After Faker returned, anyone can tell that their performance is much better than before, so we’ll have to see how it goes tomorrow. We’ll need to take care of our conditions well.
Which role or player is the key tomorrow?
Score: Throughout all the playoffs series, the top laners’ performance shined. I believe the top lane will be the key point tomorrow.
Peanut: Important champions appear often in the top lane, so I do agree.
What’s your score prediction?
Score: If we win the first game like today, I believe we can win 3-0. I’m happy that we won 3-0 since we have to play again tomorrow early at 3 PM. We earned a bit more time.
Peanut: I think it’ll be 3-1. As Score said, winning the first game is important. I think the draft will be really important. I watched KT vs. T1 yesterday and their draft needs to be dealt with well to win.
Any last comments?
Score: As we won today, we need to play again tomorrow. Although the players may be tired, we’ll get enough rest before we return. Many fans are cheering for us, so we can win.
Peanut: Strong ones survive, and those who survive are strong. I’ll do my best to survive until the finals.
GEN Peanut:
