Doblepost, pero w/e, cosas de hoy:
Sneaky hablando con Travis sobre el nuevo parche:
Sneaky on the upcoming patch: 'They're really interesting changes, not necessarily bad
Entrevista a Inori, habla sobre C9 Challenger, la victoria sobre TSM y mas:
Phoenix1’s Inori talks about tilting TSM, the upcoming promotion tournament and more
One of the hottest names in the NA LCS right now is Rami “Inori” Charagh of Phoenix1.
The jungler has had a lot of hype around him this split, and while he was playing well, his performance against TSM in Week 8 was definitely his breakout party as he carried Phoenix1 over the undefeated juggernauts.
We caught up with Inori to talk about the big win and a lot more.
The opportunity with Phoenix1 was the biggest of your career, and yet it was put on hold for weeks due to visa issues. What was that time like for you?
It was really disheartening. It was sad to have to watch your team lose games that you could probably win.
Were you able to find anything positive during the time?
I think it just hurt the team more because the team was really reliant on me. It threw me a lot of frustration and the team, and it made the team environment more complicated. After I started to play more, it started to ease its way to be more comfortable.
The Rengar game against TSM was your coming out party. Were you ever able to actually appreciate what was going on in the moment?
It was just such a surreal moment. From Game 1 to Game 2, the shift in the crowd was huge. I think in Game 1, no one was clapping for us. After we won Game 2, it was a huge difference. The second we got on stage we heard all the P1 people yelling and screaming. It was such a cool experience.
I don’t think they were prepared for it at all. I think they’re just not used to losing. When they were losing the game, they weren’t prepared for it at all. They didn’t know how to react to it. It was a new experience for them. Shotcalling was so off. They tried to do a two-man Baron when they weren’t even out of the game yet, and right after that Baron, it was over after that. That’s not something you’re supposed to do, and to see a top team do something like that is kind of sad because that’s such a low tier thing to do. I think mostly Rengar just tilted them. They didn’t know how to play from behind, especially against Rengar. I think it’s just because Doublelift is the ADC and he is also the main shotcaller, his mindset was just so off that game.
You started off Game 3 by getting two kills mid and then proceeded to taunt afterwards. Did you do this because you knew they were tilted at that point?
After the 2v2, I’m like, they have to be out of their mind tilted right now because that was just so sad for them. To lose a 2v2 like that is the worst possible outcome. I spammed the emote just because I love doing stuff like that. I think it’s fun, good for the game and good from the spectator viewpoint. Maybe I’ll inspire other players to be more cocky like that because I think it’s fun and it’s good to do stuff like that. It’s not meant to be disrespectful at all to the players. It’s just something you do for the spectators to have them enjoy the sport a lot more.
You are getting most of the credit for the TSM series, but Choi “Pirean” Jun-sik played a huge part in the win. Were you surprised by his performance?
I think he’s had a confidence issue going from the start, but over time he’s been inspired by how I play against top tier junglers that he’s even himself getting the confidence that he needs to play against them. Now, whenever we’re playing against a top tier team, he’s always like: “Who is this guy? I’m better than this guy.”
You mentioned on Twitter that you received death threats after taking down TSM. What’s up with that?
People were really upset that we were the ones who beat them, and people online are most likely more immature. It wasn’t a one-time thing, it was like 20 people saying stuff like that. I just stopped looking at those kinds of things because they are just really negative. I don’t take it too seriously because you can say anything online.
The Rengar pick was a shocker for everyone. Are there any other surprises you would love to pull out?
I think I kind of did something different that a lot of people are now looking at. I think a lot of people are too used to just going wards and building Sightstone on junglers, but then they saw my series where I literally never bought a ward and I just went red smite and skipped Sightstone. I think doing that style enables you more to play a carry role in the jungle, and I think that unlocks a lot of champs that people probably thought weren’t viable in competitive. I’m always looking to change things up. Maybe next week I’ll pull out a different champion. Rengar’s just my signature champ that’s always there. He might come out again, too.
Is it safe to assume that you think you’re the best Rengar in North America?
I definitely think I’m the best Rengar just because I’m not afraid to go full damage.
Doublelift recently said that he would put you guys right there with Team Envy. Is that where you see yourselves?
We’d be above Envy. We’d be like where they are or one win ahead of them, but I still think we should aim higher. I think this team could be a top three team, definitely.
What’s it like having your fan base grow over the course of the summer?
I think it’s fantastic to just have the support from fans. The first week of LCS was so bad. The first week I went, we had so little people, but over time it was growing. I think it started with three one day, 10 the next and then 15 and it just kept growing. It was a nice experience because I’m really appreciative of the support we get.
Where do you rank the top junglers in the NA LCS right now?
I’d rank Reignover number one just because of how consistent he is. He might be on a really good team, but he gives a lot to that team and carries them a lot of the games. Maybe over time I can be better than him, but right now he’s one of the junglers I’d have to give respect to. Under him, I think would be me and Dardoch. I think we’re pretty even, me and Dardoch. I think he’s a really good jungler and I have a lot of respect for him, too.
There’s a good chance that you guys will have to play in the promotion tournament. With Challenger being strong this year, are you guys nervous at all?
I think the Challenger teams are good, but they aren’t that good. Playing on stage, there is always that different experience. Cloud9 is the only exception because they already have veterans that won’t crack under pressure. You don’t know how TLA will react when they play on stage. It’s a different vibe, it’s a different experience. I’m not too worried about the teams, to be honest. C9 Challenger will be the harder one, and even them, they aren’t that much better. After beating TSM, I feel pretty strong and feel pretty confident in my team. I’m not too worried.
You’re confident in your team, but can you see a scenario where someone like Echo Fox lose their NA LCS spot?
Yeah, that’s the sad part. I think Echo Fox is really gonna have to up their game. They have to win two best-of-fives which is pretty scary. At least for us, we’re only going to need to win one, but they have to win two which is so, so scary. I hope they can stay in the LCS, but they really need to up their game because I definitely can see anyone of the three of us losing.
Speaking of the Challenger scene, Cloud9 announced that their team would be made to grow local talent, and yet all they did was throw a bunch of veterans on the team for what looks to be a quick money grab. How does that come off to you?
I don’t think it’s cool at all. I think Riot should have some rules against that kind of stuff. When you look at Challenger and you see a team full of former LCS players, it just seems like a boosting thing. I don’t really like it. I feel like it’s kind of weird for the Challenger scene, especially for Challenger teams. I think Dream Team was a good team full of Challenger players, but they had to play against Cloud9 and they lost because of that and now that whole team is just done. I think it’s not really fair to some of the Challenger teams, but if there’s no rules against it, I can’t really say much because they just did what was legal.
Entrevista a Jensen, hablando sobre el split y sobre el impacto de Reapered en el equipo:
Cloud9 continued its intriguing summer split of the North American League Championship Series by winning both of its Week 8 matches against EnVyUs and Phoenix1. C9 clinched a playoff berth over the weekend and is in third place, one game ahead of Team Liquid with one week of the regular season remaining.
After a third place finish in the spring regular season, Cloud9 lost its quarterfinal playoff match and then made some major roster changes, including the transition of long-time shot-caller Hai “Hai” Du Lam to the newly-formed Cloud9 Challenger team. For a team that was reliant on Hai for a long time, the transition has gone relatively smooth.
Slingshot’s Vince Nairn had the chance to talk to Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen over the weekend about the split, looking ahead to playoffs and the addition of Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu as coach.
Vince Nairn: Any takeaways from the win today?
Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen: I would say, since there’s a new patch, the mid lane meta changed a bit. We were one of the few teams to actually understand the meta better than other teams. For example, other teams didn’t know how to deal with Malzahar, and we found a pretty good pick into it.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the results. We still have some improvements to make in the early game, especially, but I think we’re on the right track.
VN: With P1 coming off the win against TSM, what was your reaction to that? Did that change the way you were approaching this match?
NJ: In a way, it changed it, but we weren’t too worried. We were looking at some of their picks, and we thought, “Rengar snowballed out of control.” Ideally, that shouldn’t happen. We thought TSM’s draft wasn’t the best. I feel like they didn’t adapt to the meta too well. They picked Taliyah into Malzahar — which is good early on — but later in the game, Malzahar destroys the game, basically. I think we understood the meta a lot better than TSM, in this instance.
I wouldn’t say we were scared. We knew as long as we played our own game, we’d come out on top.
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VN: Now that you’re in the playoffs, obviously the fight for third place is still alive. What’s the ideal scenario for you next week, in terms of placing and what side of the bracket you end up on, or are you guys even worried about that at all?
NJ: Personally, I’m not too worried. I think we definitely don’t want to face TSM in the semifinals. I think we want to be on the other side of the bracket. I don’t really care too much about the lower-tier teams, like who we face. It doesn’t really matter too much to me cause if we’re gonna to worlds, we have to beat some of the better teams.
VN: What are your thoughts, overall, on the announcement from Riot about the possibly huge changes to the lane swapping meta and how you think it will affect you guys?
NJ: It’s definitely a big change. It’s a bit surprising, but I’m not really too worried about it. I don’t like lane swaps that much,in the first place because there’s nothing worse than when the enemy support comes mid and just bullies you. I’m kind of glad about it, in a way. We’ll see how it turns out.
VN: Do you think it’ll affect your team’s mentality much? I know that it’s difficult to say, because you haven’t had a chance to practice anything, but, in general, do you think it’ll change what you guys do a lot?
NJ: I don’t think it’ll affect us too much. It’ll just change the meta a bit. I think ranged supports might be a bit stronger because melee supports can’t just avoid the early, rough laning phase. I’m not too worried about it.
VN: How have you guys kind of come together overall? You had a lot of talented players, but there were obviously big changes (from last split). How did you guys come together, throughout the course of the split?
NJ: Way back in Korea, when we started scrimming, we didn’t do too well. Then, as days went by, we actually became really, really good in Korea. We had a really, really good win ratio against the best teams. When we came back to NA, I don’t know what happened. We just started playing worse. There’s just so much that changed. We’re still adapting, I guess, and working on our big issues. We’re just slowly, but surely getting better.
VN: How have you guys adapted? For the longest time, Hai’s shot-calling was a big part of the team. With him firmly being on the Challenger team, what’s that transition been like?
NJ: Way back in Korea, Reapered told us we have to talk a lot more. We need to communicate much better. We’ve been working on that. I’d say the communication is better. We just have to work on our macro game, a bit. I think we can be one of the best teams if we just fix a lot of our issues.
VN: What’s it been like working with Reapered? He’s had an eventful career, playing and coaching.
NJ: It’s been an amazing experience. He taught us a lot of stuff about macro that we actually didn’t know about. He would point out stuff that we would’ve never had thought of. He taught us a lot of things that I didn’t think was even possible. Some things that I would’ve never recognized by myself.
He’s a really good coach. Before we got Reapered, I didn’t think a coach could have that much impact on a team. He taught us a lot back in Korea. He taught us about the game, communication, how we’re supposed to play the game and so on. All the communication aspects, as well.
VN: When you decided that you wanted to become a professional, was education something you thought you could push off until later? Was it something you weren’t interested in anyway? Was it something you were trying to balance? How did you come to that decision when you started your career?
NJ :I actually didn’t like school that much. I really hated it. I didn’t want to go to school at all. I saw this as an opportunity to do something big. I’ll definitely think about it after. Sometimes I would regret not going to school. But overall, I’m pretty happy with what I chose. I definitely recommend not dropping out of school because it’s definitely a risky move (laughs) but it’s kind of weird to think about. I don’t think about it too much. I don’t know what I’m gonna do after I’m done being a pro. That’s not something I’ve thought about, too much.
VN: Was there a moment where it was almost scary, taking a risk you really hope works out? Was there a moment when you realized the risk or if it bothered you that much?
NJ: At first, I thought I was really, really good and I could do big things. I didn’t really see it as a risk. I knew I was talented, in a way. I’m very dedicated when I want to do something. I’m not gonna half do something and half not. I didn’t really see it as a risk. When I first joined Cloud9, our standings were not good. I was kind of thinking, “Did I make the right decision?” (laughs) I think it turned out okay.
House Tour de Echo Fox:
El Mic Check de esta semana:
