Seoul Dynasty was always on the short end of the stick when it comes to the playoffs. This season, however, was different. Picking up former Overwatch League champions like Gesture and Profit during the offseason proved to be a success for the team. Now, they are one of the qualified teams for this year's OWL Grand Finals, alongside Shanghai Dragons, Philadelphia Fusion, and defending champions San Francisco Shock.

Seoul Dynasty's Jin-mo "tobi" Yang, Joon-yeong "Profit" Park, Jae-hee "Gesture" Hong, and Coach Chang-geun "changgoon" Park joined the press in an online press conference via Zoom to talk about the Grand Finals and what it means for Seoul.

This was edited for accuracy and clarity.

Theo Salaun (Bleacher Report/Dexerto): Hey guys, thanks for being here. I wanted to ask about your last matchup with the Dragons where you went to five maps but came up short. I'm curious to know if you have any impressions from that game in terms of coming away knowing what they need to improve moving into the grand finals.

changgoon: We went up against Shanghai Dragons twice during the playoffs and lost both times. Both matches were really close and what I saw from our team was playing what we were practicing and playing what they had in mind. 

One of the biggest reasons why we came up short was because we weren't really good at fighting against something that we haven't prepped against. When our opponents changed their playstyle, we were taken aback and our mentality didn’t recover. 

Coming into the Grand Finals, we really thought about what are the conditions of the Seoul Dynasty losing rather than focusing on matches we have to win. 

Teddy Amenabar (Washington Post):  What does it mean to have a Grand Finals in prime time for Korea? Is that exciting? Or are the matches still basically the same?

Gesture: The fact that this year's Grand Finals is going to be in Asia, and specifically it is going to be held in Korea, is really great. Representing Seoul as a team and the Dynasty as a player, I am very thankful and excited for the opportunity. 

Ashley Parrish (Kotaku): Gesture/Profit, welcome back to the grand finals. How does it feel to be back even though you’re with a different team? How do you think you’ve changed between then and now? What’s different for you guys (besides the team)?

Gesture: Profit and I were in the Grand Finals in the first season of OWL. We were fortunate enough to win the whole thing and take the trophy. This time around, it feels really good to be back in the Grand Finals with Seoul. 

Talking about the differences between then and now, London was really good in the Grand Finals then and it was an easy win. Things now are a little different with four teams and we’re all really good. It is going to be interesting, it is going to be fun, but at the same time, I’m a little nervous.

Profit: I’m really happy to be back in the Grand Finals for the second time. I have the same thoughts as Gesture. While playing for London in the Grand Finals, I didn’t get the feeling we were going to lose, but this time, we have three other teams to compete against. I can't really predict what the outcome is going to be. I am going to really focus on the matches and I do feel a little bit nervous as well. 

As for changes for Gesture and I, Gesture has a new hair color, I have a new uniform, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, we still have the same coach.

Chris Cuevo (Inven Global): Profit and Gesture: If you face the Fusion again, how do you think those games will go this time around?

Tobi: What does it mean to you to get to grand finals especially knowing the results from previous seasons?

Profit: If we go against the Fusion again, I believe it’s going to be an easy match. I watched a couple of NA matches and I believe that the Fusion is one of the weaker teams in the Grand Finals.

Gesture: Results can always change. I can’t predict the future so I’m not sure about the results. From what I’m seeing, if we face the Fusion, we will beat them 3-0 or 3-1.

Tobi: Personally, coming to the Grand finals as one of the long-standing players for the Dynasty, I am really excited. I really want to win. I believe Seoul Dynasty proved that they deserve a spot here and that is why they are here.

Noam Radcliffe (DBLTAP): The Dynasty has been saddled with high expectations since it's very first season. Now that you're playing in Korean prime time, that pressure I imagine is even higher. Does that weigh on the team, especially now that you're in Grand Finals contention for the first time?

Gesture: I feel a little bit of pressure and nervousness. Although I’ve only been with the team for a year, if you’re a Seoul fan, you’ve been a fan since Season 1. The Grand Finals is an exciting time for all Seoul fans. I’ll try my best to bring out the best results for the fans. 

Andres Aquino (Ginx TV): My question is for the coach. Over the past few days, players and coaches from other teams have said that the meta seems to be shifting from what they usually expected it would be. My question is do you guys think your Hog comp can still compete or are you guys prepared something else as well?

changgoon: I believe that all four teams will more or less use the Hog comp. Since the Hog comp is going to be the standard in the Grand Finals, there are teams that are going to use “specialized” comps to go against Hog. It also applies to us. We’re not only thinking about using the Hog comp, but also different comps that we have up our sleeves.

Teddy Amenabar (Washington Post): I want to ask where the team thinks the talent is in OWL? Are the teams based in Asia this season more competitive and frankly more talented than the teams in North America?

Gesture: I think Asia is stronger than NA, but we have to play in order to know that. The other team that joined us in the Grand Finals from Asia are the Dragons. We know that they’re a really really great team. I’m unsure if we would feel the same way about the Shock and Fusion.

changgoon: If you’re talking about which region is stronger, I can’t say what because of different circumstances. NA region was going up against a lot of different teams and a lot of different compositions. They had to fight in a variety of different situations. Their strong point is they could be really flexible in matches.

Compared to that in Asia, we also had the ban system where the meta was “fixed”. For example, if this composition was really good then like all the teams were utilizing that. The winning factor for these Grand Finals for Seoul and Shanghai is can they be flexible against NA teams? For NA teams, if they’re playing against mirror comps, can they beat the Asia teams?

Noam Radcliffe (DBLTAP): The Dynasty really came alive during the postseason. What do you think brought on that change like that newfound success?

Tobi: Compared to last year, with the new teammates and new coaches and all of the things combined, we had a new system going on internally in Seoul Dynasty. Everything was totally different from last year and I believe the reason they were doing better in the playoffs and right now is because it took time for me to really adapt. 

Gesture: I can't really say what during the regular season they weren't able to bring out a lot of good results but we tried our best. In the playoffs, the team really gave all they've got like one-hundred percent to the playoff matches and that's why they were able to come to the Grand Finals.