T1 captured Guangdong Freecs in the 2nd game on the 7th day of the ‘2023 LoL Champions Korea (LCK)’ Spring Split held at Jonggak Roll Park on the 26th and won 3 consecutive victories. The ban-pick that caught the opponent off guard and the in-game play that perfectly connected it to victory showed exactly why T1 was called the championship candidate.

The following is the full text of the interview with ‘Bengi’ director Seong-Woong Bae and ‘Owner’ Hyun-Jun Moon.

Q. With the win over Guangdong, you have continued your winning streak. How do you feel about winning?

Coach Bae Seong-woong: Today is the third match, and I saw it as a very important point in gaining momentum. I think it helped a lot in preparing for the next game.

‘Owner’: I watched a lot of Guangdong replays, but I thought ‘Youngjae’ was a good player, so I was wary. I think this result came about thanks to watching a lot of replays. It feels good to win cleanly with a score of 2:0.

Q. You brought out a variety of champions, but I want to hear about your ban/pick direction.

Director Bae Seong-woong: Actually, in the first set, it was easy to choose because it was the blue camp. I practiced for the second set, and the results came out well, so I think I came out in a good way (even in the competition).

Q. The match ended in the 50th minute with the 1st and 2nd sets combined.

Coach Bae Seong-woong: Actually, I prepared a lot of Caitlyn-centered combinations since the last World Championship, but it didn’t work out, so I couldn’t show it. I came to the LCK this time and I did what I practiced before as Caitlyn was released, but it came out well and I think the game ended with a sense of speed.

Q. It’s not an easy meta to dive in, but T1 snowballs really well with dives. How did you prepare for today’s match?

‘Owner’: I think there is a limit if you keep doing the same thing. A mid-set or Caitlyn support came out to break through that limit. Also, we prepared picks that could put pressure on the bottom to dive, and it worked out well, so I think we went on a lot of dives.

Q. The next opponent is Dplus Kia. It’s a showdown between undefeated teams.

Coach Seong-Woong Bae: I know that D+Kia has good momentum, but we are thinking of D+Kia and preparing for it, so I don’t think it will be an easy game. No worries in that respect.

‘Owner’: D+ Kia said in an interview that they preferred blue after seeing us, but we ended up playing blue because our opponent chose red a lot. We’re good at both blue and red. In the case of D+Kia, they seem to prefer Lucian-Nami.

Q. Where do you think the winner will be?

Director Bae Seong-woong: D+ Kia plays Lucian-Nami a lot, but I haven’t seen any other combinations yet. I think there must be something prepared. First of all, I think you will know by watching the game.

‘Owner’: I think the most important thing in the current meta is the jungle-bottom, so I think the match will be the jungle-bottom. It seems that a well-designed ban pick can lead to good results.

Q. If you prefer Deplus Giara Lucian-Nami, T1 seems to prefer AD supporters.

‘Owner’: In the case of ‘Keria’ Min-seok, the champion pool is very wide. He’s a friend who has done AD a lot, so he’s good at dealing with AD champions. The practice yielded good results. Because of that, I gained trust, and it seems that one-handed supporters keep coming out.

Q. The current momentum of T1 reminds me of last year’s spring.

‘Owner’: I don’t even think of last year’s spring, but anyway, good results are coming out, so my desire to win is growing. I hope it’s a spring where you can learn even if you don’t win, and it seems to be moving in that direction.

Q. Any last words you want to say?

Coach Bae Seong-woong: The team that wins the match against D-Plus Kia will rise to first place. It’s an important game to do well in the spring and build confidence. I will prepare well to win in order to gain momentum.

‘Owner’: I don’t think there is much data because Dplus Kia continues to win in the same pattern. If I get data and get good results, I think I’ll win first place and gain a lot of confidence. We will prepare well and try to win. 메이저놀이터