In the first match of the 2021 League of Legends Champions Korea Summer Split on the 18th, Liiv SANDBOX defeated Hanwha Life Esports 2-0, and collected their first win of the season. Hanwha Life Esports fell to a 3-game losing streak. After the match, Liiv SANDBOX jungler Kim “Croco” Dong-beom joined Inven for an interview.

You got your first win of the summer split. How do you feel?

We lost both matches in the opening week and had a bad start, but I’m happy that we beat Hanwha Life Esports who were strong during the spring split.

How did Liiv SANDBOX come to pick Vayne?

Prince has great mechanics in the first place and coach Joker led us during practice to prepare the pick. We prepared to play Vayne against Ezreal, but I didn’t think we would play that in an official match this early. In the match, we trailed a lot during teamfights, but we trusted Prince and said that we’ll win in the end.

You had a great performance in game 2, but Effort was voted as the Player of the Game.

Honestly, I did think of getting voted as the Player of the Game as I played, but Effort also showed a great performance from the early game, so he deserved it.

Your Diana was impressive. Which champion are you the most confident playing?

Lee Sin and Udyr. I played Lee Sin a lot when I debuted in Challengers Korea and I worked a lot on my Udyr during the spring split to make it perfect.

You debuted in the LCK last spring. What did you feel after your first season?

I lacked a lot during the spring. I thought there was such a long way to go. Fortunately, we did alright in Round 2. I feel confident that I will be able to grow much more in the future.

It’s your first time in LoL Park, playing in front of a crowd. Weren’t you nervous?

I thought I would be really nervous when I first came here, but I was rather very calm. I was probably too comfortable. As I played in front of fans, I was able to see that there are fans that cheer for me, so I became more determined to play better.

What’s Liiv SANDBOX’s biggest strength?

The individual mechanics are really great. I think the level of mechanics is at the top of the LCK. Also, FATE is really smart. He shares his knowledge with us. He debuted only one year earlier than me, but his knowledge is much deeper than that.

Is there a goal you have as a pro gamer?

I have a tendency to see the end of whatever I start, so obviously, my goal would be winning Worlds. Realistically, it’ll be really difficult to reach that goal this year, but I’ll be doing my best in the given situation.

What’s your goal for the summer split?

I’ll try to continuously improve my performance so that we can win against the strong teams as well. Sometimes we lose helplessly against teams that are relatively weaker than the top teams; I’ll work hard so that doesn’t happen.

Any last comments?

Please keep cheering for us. We’ll repay you through more wins.