On the 17th (KST), T1 took down Gen.G on the final day of Week 2 of the 2020 LCK Spring Split. Lee “Effort” Sang-ho played Morgana in both Game 2 and 3, and although Game 2 turned out to be a slow and suffocating defeat, Effort’s clutch Dark Bindings on the enemy carries and Black Shield timing on his carries helped lead the team into victory.

Effort joined Inven Global for an interview to talk about the victory, how he deals with his mistakes, and thoughts on his next opponent, DragonX.

How does it feel to play and win such an exciting series, just like the one tonight?

I personally thought Gen.G was going to be a tough opponent to beat. I think that’s why I felt even happier to take the victory tonight.

Why did you feel that they were tough opponents to beat?

Even in their recent matches, they’ve won in flawless fashion, whereas we made noticeable mistakes in our gameplay. Currently, I didn’t think that we’d be able to perform on a level that Gen.G is performing at.

Then who do you think performed well to take the victory tonight?

If I were to pick the players that performed well, I’d say Cuzz and Teddy, who well deservedly received Player of the Game (PoG) for Game 1 and 3. Even so, if the rest of the roster didn’t play well, we wouldn’t have won, right?

Your Black Shields as Morgana deserves some credit, don’t you think?

As far as I remember, I think I made a mistake in two instances with my Black Shields. Although I have regrets about those moments, we got a lot off me landing my Qs on Xayah, so I’d be grateful if everyone can think I at least carried my own weight.

When I watched your interviews, I learned that you’re very good at how you verbally present yourself, which also transitions into making good in-game calls. Were you always a good talker?

In my daily life, I’m not the talkative type, except when it comes to close friends. However, when I’m in-game, I’m playing to win, and as a support, I become naturally more talkative and naturally make proactive in-game calls. However, as I always say, in-game orders are something that everyone makes together. 

I heard that there was an error during the draft. Can you tell us what happened?

Although I can’t get into detail, in Game 2, when the enemy picked Jarvan, and it was our turn to pick, we weren’t going to pick Diana, but a different champion. However, because of a communication error, we ended up picking up Diana, and that’s where the error was.

Game 2 was one of those games where you really had to focus. Aren’t those games really hard?

As the team that fell behind and trying to defend, it’s definitely hard for everyone. Games are won by better players, and since the enemy is prone to making mistakes, I think we tried to focus really hard until the very end. 

Teddy was praised for his performance tonight. As someone that sits beside him, how do you rate his play tonight?

Teddy was introduced as the key player on the broadcast tonight, and except for the KDA, he was [the best]. Looking at it, I felt that he was very reliable. His performance tonight was properly reflective of his stats and was a very reliable player.

When it comes to being partnered up in lane with a bot laner like Teddy, I’d assume that not only is it a very uncommon opportunity but also is a good experience. What do you think about it?

When Teddy joined the team last year, he was partnered up with me, and I think it’d be safe to say that I was lucky to meet Teddy because I learned a lot.

Can’t you also say that he’s lucky to meet you?

I personally don’t believe that I’m the best support player just yet, so I think I’m gaining a lot more from Teddy than he is from me.

Are you always this humble?

I don’t know about that, but whenever I make a mistake, I’m the type to say that ‘I played poorly’, and admit my mistakes. 

How do you mentally deal with your mistakes? Are you the type that rethinks your mistakes, or are you able to easily brush them off and move on?

I personally believe that even if I make a mistake, I just brush it off and take calculated risks. It may not seem like it to some people, but I personally think I do.

Your next opponent is DRX. They’re currently performing very well, so I’d assume that you need to prepare well for the match.

Whenever I watch their games, they know how to finish the games that they’re ahead, and through things like teamfights, they know how to flip the game when behind. They’re a very tight team with incredible concentration. Individually, they’re also very mechanically gifted, so they’re also really good in lane. In order to beat them, I believe that we’ll have to play really well, starting with our laning phase. 

What’s the key point to look out for against DRX?

I think it’ll have to be teamfights. DRX takes a lot of advantages in teamfights, but up to this point, we’ve been a team that likes to take advantage via macro. I believe that in order to beat DRX, we need to improve on our teamfighting.

Are you, by any chance, dissatisfied with winning via macro?

Macro is a very important aspect of the game, so I believe that there needs to be a good balance in all aspects of the game. 

In your opinion, how would you rate T1’s macro, on a scale from 0 to 10?

Based on our performances so far, I’d give it a 7.

Then how would you rate DRX’s teamfighting ability?

I would give it a 9.

What about T1’s teamfighting ability?

I’d also give it a 9. I’m confident in our teamfighting prowess to not lose to anyone.

Lastly, can you say a few words to the fans?

Thank you for tuning in to our games that went on really late. We have a lot more matches left, so we’ll make sure to continue to win repay the support you sent us.