Scout on facing xiye: 'As a Korean import, I must do better than my opponent'

Despite perceived downgrades to the roster, EDward Gaming have continued to win matches in the League of Legends Pro League. After a 2-0 week where they played against Vici Gaming and Team WE, EDward Gaming met with Chinese press to answer questions. All responses were translated from Mandarin Chinese to English, meaning that responses from South Korean team members are translated from Korean to Mandarin Chinese and then into English.

Coach Jeong “NoFe” Nochul, right now the tank top laners are very popular, but in the first game, EDG picked a composition without a front line. What factors allowed you to pick this?

NoFe: This patch really focuses on the laning phase, so our picks also focus on the laning phase. In the mid lane, we picked Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is capable of kiting the enemy mid [Note: WE picked Ryze in the first match]. The opposing team then left top open, leading us to pick Jayce. [Note: Jayce was a blind pick as Poppy was the last pick on red side for Team WE.]

Tian “Meiko” Ye, in the first game you guys succeeded in sneaking the Baron and enlarging the gold lead. At that time, who made the decision, and what was communication like?

Meiko: The team and I decided to sneak the Baron. At that time, we went toward the Baron pit and placed two Control Wards. We discovered the enemy’s wards couldn’t see the Baron, and Elise [Note: The opposing jungler Xiang “Condi” Renjie picked Elise this game] wasn’t nearby. Since Cassiopeia also can take the Baron really quickly, we decided to try it. At that time, the main content of our communication was just to look for opportunities to “Rush.” [Note: Meiko said “Rush” in English.]

Tong “Koro1” Yang, this is the first time you’ve debuted this season. You had a few really splendid moments. How do you evaluate your own performance?

Koro1: Today my performance was pretty good, but I was also nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve played.

What do you think of your synergy with Zhao “Fireloli” Zhiming?

Koro1: In ranked, it’s fine, but in the match it felt like we had no synergy.

How would you rate Fireloli’s performance?

Koro1: A 7.

Congratulations on your victory. Meiko, Game 1 in the first game, the bottom lane’s vision control wasn’t very good. How do you keep vision coverage and at the same time not get caught?

Meiko: At level 1, Caitlyn pushes the lane very quickly, and at level 2, Thresh disappeared into fog of war, Elise might have been near bottom lane, so we couldn’t dare to go ward. So in the early game, there was a vision discrepancy that caused us to get ganked. Later, as we leveled up, I could help bot lane push and secure vision at the same time. Cassiopeia also had an advantage over Ryze, so mid could also help us.

Hae “Zet” Sungmin, you’ve already played four games in the LPL. Right now, the patch isn’t too friendly for AD carries. How do you manage to do so much damage and also die so little?

Zet: Right now, it’s difficult to play ADC and do a lot of things, but if you just don’t die, you can find a stable way to output damage.

Koro1, in the early game, you were insanely focused by the enemy jungler, but in mid and late game you kept up and were able to contribute to the team. After dying, how did you make strategic decisions?

Koro1: After dying twice, I certainly couldn’t have a good laning phase and snowball, so I just farmed and tried to remain stable.

Fireloli, in the second game, you picked Vi. On this patch, what advantages does Vi have?

Fireloli: In this patch, the good junglers can be completely banned out, so I can pick Vi if the popular picks are banned.

Zet, after the last match, you said you weren’t satisfied with your performance. This match, do you feel like you made progress, and in what aspects?

Zet: I also feel today my performance wasn’t very good. It hasn’t been long since I switched to ADC, so my experienced as an ADC isn’t very sophisticated, and I still have to adapt.

Fireloli, how do you evaluate your own performance today? Also, do you think you’re far from your ideal level?

Fireloli: I think my performance in the first game was okay, but in the second game I made a lot of mistakes. Also, I still feel very nervous on stage. I hope later I won’t be as nervous and will make fewer mistakes.

Scout, did you feel like today Su “xiye” Hanwei pressured you a lot?

Scout: I think, in China, xiye is a very outstanding mid laner. As a Korean import, I certainly want to play better than my opponent.

In the second game, xiye picked Leblanc. How do you deal with Leblanc?

Scout: In scrims, Leblanc is banned a lot, so I almost never encountered it. I think Ryze can face Leblanc, so I picked it.

NoFe, before the new season, general public opinion wasn’t very optimistic about EDG’s new roster, but in the first week, you’ve managed to win two matches. How do you make players maintain such a high level?

NoFe: When I decided to come to EDG, I already had a roster list. When I saw the players on the list, I already thought they could get good results together. The first week also supports this. Now the team is heading in the direction I want to develop them in: a direction that gives priority to communication.

You can follow Kelsey Moser on Twitter @karonmoser.