On the 19th (KST), Hanwha Life Esports managed to take down SeolHaeOne Prince on day 25 of the 2020 LCK Summer split. With this victory, HLE managed to grab their first victory of the split. While the gameplay was far from perfect by the top laner for HLE, DuDu, he not only managed to get numerous solo kills off ikksu, he played a key role during many teamfights in this series. 

DuDu joined the press room at LoL Park to talk about his victory.

This is HLE’s first victory of the Summer split. How does it feel to get this much needed win?

I think the fact that we broke our losing streak means a lot more. Words can’t describe how happy I feel.

When you were called up to the main roster, your resolution must’ve been very strong. How did it actually feel to play on the main roster?

When I was on the academy team, my teammates constantly changed, so, for the longest time, I couldn’t build any synergy with other players. However, on the main roster, I was able to do that with the teammates, and the level of gameplay has gone up a lot as well, where fundamentals and macro gameplay are very different from when I was on the academy team.

You said that your role model is TheShy. If TheShy’s level is at 99, what do you think your level is?

I think I'm only at about 60-70%. I have a long way to go. I can feel that I’m very disorganized in my laning. Not only do I get ganked a lot because I don’t think about factors outside of lane, I heavily lack in macro.

As HLE continued to lose, there must’ve been a lot of pressure on you as a rookie.

As we kept losing, I felt more apologetic to my teammates. That’s why I worked harder to not lose.

You played Wukong for the both games that the team won. 

I actually didn’t prepare Wukong specifically, but I was very adamant to play it. I believed that we’d win with a heavy engage composition.

Compared to the other top laner on HLE, CuVee, what are your strengths as a top laner?

My ability to have priority in lane is my advantage. CuVee likes to provide more strength to the bot lane, while I like to get the initial push and gain the advantage over my enemy laner.

What do you think the team needs to work on to do better in round 2?

Better teamwork is definitely needed. The coaches always tell us that we’re skilled enough individually, but the synergy is missing. We need to stop making mistakes out of excitement while ahead. 

Who are you most excited to face in round 2?

The top laner of Afreeca Freecs, Kiin. I think he’s the player that’s the most well-rounded top laner in the LCK.

HLE’s next opponent is T1. Historically, HLE tends to play well against T1. How will you prepare for the match?

We’ll continue to prepare as we have done before. If we do, I think we’ll win.

Your lane opponent is Canna. How do you see the lane match up panning out?\

He’s a really good player, but I believe that I can learn something from all the players. I’ll focus on the game to hopefully come out on top.

Lastly, anything you’d like to say?

I’d like to thank my coaching staff for their trust in me, and I want to thank the front for being with us through the losing streak. We’ll all practice hard to win the next game as well.