On February 19th (KST), ROX Tigers defeated bbq Olivers 2-1 in the second matchup of Day 20 LCK Spring Split 2017, held at Nexon Arena. Notably, Youngmin “Mickey” Son on Jayce displayed an excellent synergy with Shy in Game 1, whereas his explosive damage output on Zed paved ways for the team’s victory as well as his being named MVP of the match.

Below is our post-match press interview with Mickey.

How do you feel about the victory?

We needed a change of pace for the upcoming IEM World Championship. We couldn’t back down today. It feels great to win. I think we can do well at IEM with this momentum.

Why do you think team synergy has suffered in the past?

We had many issues with our coordination. I believe all the games we’ve lost are due to the lack of coordination. I’m relieved to finally break the loss streak.

Fans say that you show polarizing performances from 1 Mickey to 100 Mickeys. Any thoughts?

My personal goal this season is to be a consistently good player. I still find solace in the fact that fans still think there are objective ratings from 1 Mickey to 100 Mickeys. I think they feel affection for me from their giving me corresponding ratings based on my performance. I think that number is going to be higher from now on.

After not playing that much on Zed, why did you finally decide to pick him today even though he’s been freed up throughout the season?

I haven’t got much practice on Zed recently because I wanted to diversify my champion pool and change up my playstyle. My coach also said Zed doesn’t quite fit with the team. I don’t often insist on playing certain champions, but Shy, coach, and head coach all suggested that I pick Zed under the circumstances. I guess I was able to manage to play Zed without too much trouble because I’ve extensively spent time on him.

Did you ever think that you got it in Game 3?

I always tell my teammates that I’ll carry as soon as I get single kill as Zed. As I stacked kills, things were looking up. By the time I got about four kills, I knew I got the game in my pocket.

Although many people thought that he has been losing his form, SeongHwan made some notable contributions today.

Actually, we made poor judgment calls as a team. Since the junglers dictate the current meta, SeongHwan’s plays were often the most visible despite everyone else playing poorly. In the last practice sessions, someone suggested that we focus more on coordination than winning lane phase, and SeongHwan was able to more easily find his place on the team. I hope you can cheer him on as his form is getting back on track.

Do you think we’ll see more assassin champions in the future?

I believe we’ll see diverse mid champion including assassins. Since the assassin is the flavor of the month, I’m also psyched to see the kind of counter picks we may see. For example, SaSin countered mid Zed with Malphite last year.

How far do you think you can go in the upcoming IEM and what teams do you consider to be the most threat?

Honestly, I don’t see any teams that pose significant threat. I don’t know how far we can go, but I’m always aiming for the finals. I want to play our best as to not leave any regrets behind.

Any final words about the mindset going into IEM?

As shown in the today’s match, the team’s performance has been improving. I hope you can cheer us on as you have done so in the past. I’ll be back after showing off good plays in IEM.