Ace, who was like the symbol of the team, leaves, and the team that fills the vacancy with a new player defies everyone’s expectations and wins the trophy. Even a player who has just debuted plays an important role in the team and is selected as the Final MVP.
It’s a setting that would appear in a movie or drama, but it actually happened in the 2023 LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea) spring season. The main character is Phace (Kim Soo-hwan), a Gen.G eSports long-distance dealer who became a Royal Roader after about 3 months of stepping on the LCK stage. Born in 2005, the 17-year-old began his career as a professional gamer with a win. We asked him about his thoughts on winning and his goal, although not much is known about him yet.
-Congratulations on winning the 2023 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) spring season. Please give me a brief impression.
It was my first time winning, and I am so thrilled and happy.
-It must have been quite a burden to replace Ruler (Park Jae-hyuk), who was like the symbol of the Gen.G team, as this season was his first season as a regular in the LCK first team.
Actually, I didn’t feel much pressure. When I first heard the news, I thought, “Can I do well?”, but I was confident that I could do well. The players, coaches, and coaches all helped me a lot so that I could adapt well.
- You rose to the ranks of the ‘Royal Roader’ by winning the trophy in your debut season. I wonder if you expected it yourself.
To be honest, I didn’t expect it, but I had expectations that I could do it if I did well. I am very happy that that expectation has become a reality.
-At the beginning of this season, there were times when you seemed nervous. But in the playoffs, I think I shook off a lot of this pressure and showed my skills. At what point did you feel that you became accustomed to the LCK stage?
I think I was often intimidated in competitions. As a result of thinking on my own, I realized that I could win if I wasn’t afraid. So I played without fear in the final, and it turned out to be a good result.
- Although Gen.G finished second in the regular season, it was not expected to win during the playoffs. The players are curious since when did they start to see the possibility of winning internally.
We beat KT Rolster in our final match and we knew we were doing well. From there, I think I found confidence and saw potential.
-What do you think was the most important factor in winning the championship? I am curious about the decision-making process of Gen.G, who mainly takes the team’s orders, such as object judgment and teamfights.
I think the main factors were teamwork and teamfighting. Object judgment is done by the junglers and liners, and management and team orders are handled by Peanut (Han Wang-ho).
-In the process of going up to the finals, you won the second round easily, but you lost to T1 in the winner’s bracket and were evaluated as inferior against KT Rolster. I wonder what they talked about after losing in the winner’s bracket and prepared for the match against KT.
When we lost in the winner’s bracket to T1, we talked a lot about the bot pick and composition. KT: I lost the first set, but I thought I could win enough in terms of performance, so I think there were good talks with my teammates.
- This season, you faced strong players such as Deft (Kim Hyuk-gyu), Viper (Park Do-hyun), and Kumayushi (Lee Min-hyung). What do you feel about playing with each player? Also, compared to them, what do you think is FaZe’s own strength?
It seems that he has only strengths when dealing with good dealers. (Having a confrontation) There are so many things to learn, and when I win, I feel like my confidence fills up a lot. I think my strengths are ‘stability and teamfighting’.
- Then, among the players you faced, who was the most difficult player and why?
Deft was the hardest. He was a player who kept thinking, “How can I win?” before the line.
-I’m from Gen.G, the so-called ‘seonggol’ that started from Gen.G Academy. I’m curious about the process of how you joined. Also, what do you think is Gen.G’s strength?
I received an offer from Scout Son Chang-shik. It was the first time I received an offer to join, so I think I was a bit excited at the time. Gen.G’s strengths seem to be that it excels in laning, management, and teamfighting.
-I know that your relatives came to cheer for you before the finals. I wonder what kind of reaction my family and relatives reacted to when I chose to become a pro gamer.
My parents readily agreed. I think I was able to come this far because my relatives and family said a lot of good things, saying that I would be able to do well.
- Excluding the Gen.G team, is there a player you want to work with as a team?
Right now, I think the only thought I have is that I want to do more with my current teammates.
- Who is the closest player in the Gen.G team? Is there a player on another team you would like to become friends with?
Everyone is friendly now. Personally, there is no awkward player. I don’t think there are any players in other teams that I would like to become friends with.
-What is the coaching style of director Go Dong-bin of Gen.G? Also, what do you think is the strength of coach Ko Dong-bin as a player, and he
very accurately pinpoints the parts we are missing. So he thinks he was able to win.
-If you were to choose the most memorable moment during your debut season, what would be the most difficult moment?
The first thing that comes to mind is when I won. Round 1 was the hardest. Since it was my first time working together, it was difficult because I didn’t know how to communicate with the team.
-Do you have someone you consider a role model?
I look to my father as a role model. The reason is because he let me know that you just have to make an effort.
- It is the first time that you have entered the MSI (Mid-Season Invitational). Your team, Genji, is aiming for its first championship, so I’m curious about your feelings and determination. Who is the player or team you would like to meet at MSI?
As this is my first international competition, I am looking forward to it. It seems like a good experience to grow. The player I want to meet is Ruler (Park Jae-hyeok). There doesn’t seem to be any team.
-In the interview right after the spring championship, you said that you wanted to meet Ruler. How close is he to Ruler, and is he prepared to meet as an enemy?
My friendship with Ruler is not to the extent of calling each other by their real names, but they are the players I want to meet and win in a tournament. 크크크벳
-I know you had a short but short vacation after winning the spring championship before MSI. What did you do during your vacation? Do you enjoy any other games or hobbies?
When I play other games, it becomes difficult for me to adapt to the feeling when playing a role, so I tend not to play well. Even when resting, it seems that she mainly plays the blade wind chime. My hobby is watching dramas and movies.
-Finally, in the interview after this win, you said that your goal was to win Worlds, but I am curious about what kind of player you want to be remembered as in the future.
It’s still a long way off, but in the end, I hope you’ll be remembered as a player who comes to mind when you think of ‘Yeok Che-won (the best long-distance dealer in history)’.