On August 28, DWG KIA defeated T1 3-1 in the finals of the 2021 LCK Summer Split. With the win, they will be taking the first seed to the 2021 LoL World Championship. It wasn’t an easy battle for DWG KIA as T1 fought fiercely, but as Heo “ShowMaker” Su started making shows with his LeBlanc, T1 wasn’t able to stand any longer.

After the match, the members of DWG KIA all gathered to speak with the press. Below is a full translation of the press conference.

Can you all tell us how you feel about winning the championship tonight?

kkOma: I’m very happy that we won this split. I want to thank everyone in the organization for all their hard work. Although we had a happy ending, there were times when things were really tough. I want to thank all the fans for supporting us even through the hard times.

Daeny: I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I think I was more eager to succeed because this is my last year in my 20s. I want to thank kkOma and the players for believing in my abilities, and I feel that I’ve built quite a great relationship with the players/coaches that weren’t part of DWG KIA last year.

Khan: Feeling happy is an obvious emotion that I’m feeling right now, so I want to take this chance to thank the head of DWG KIA for the opportunity to play on the team. There were a lot of hurdles that we had to overcome during the split; even though things were tough, everyone worked their hardest, so I want to thank the coaches and my teammates as well. Lastly, thank you to all the fans for continuing to support us.

Canyon: I’m very happy that we were able to win three consecutive splits in a row. I think that I was able to work in a great environment, surrounded by great people, so it was enough for me to play hard. I want to thank everyone for creating such a great team environment.

ShowMaker: I’m glad that we were able to win tonight. I think I was able to be named MVP because of a favorable matchup in the mid lane, so a lot of the credit goes to the coaches for their drafts. I won’t get overconfident from this victory; I’ll work hard to improve for Worlds.

Ghost: As I said early on broadcast, I think this split was the toughest. I’m really happy that we were able to push through such harsh times to be able to perform better at Worlds.

BeryL: It feels especially good to be the second team to win three splits in a row after T1, and this victory feels sweeter because this split was very tough.

[To ShowMaker] In the last finals, you questioned the fact that Khan got MVP. Why did you want him to receive it tonight?

ShowMaker: Oh that was because BeryL played out of his mind back then. Khan played really well tonight, and this probably is his last time before he goes to the military, so I wanted him to get it.

You also received a bracelet alongside the Finals MVP award. Have you tried it on yet?

ShowMaker: Things were hectic, so I didn’t get a chance to try it on just yet. I think it’ll look very nice on my wrist, so I want to thank them for such a nice gift.

Khan, you’ve tried on the championship ring. This year’s the first time that they made this ring, so how do you like it?

Khan: If I got this the first time I won the championship, I think I would be able to get one on each finger, so it sucks that they’ve just started to give these out this split [laughter]. We’ll probably get one each split, so I hope that ShowMaker, Canyon, Ghost, and BeryL will be able to get one for each of their fingers.

[To ShowMaker] Can you tell us about the Kassadin pick tonight? What was the game plan behind that pick?

ShowMaker: Kassadin becomes much harder if you don’t have your teammates to back you up properly. I do like playing Kassadin myself, and I have very reliable teammates. I really tried to convince my team to let me play Kassadin, even during our mini slump; we had a good angle for Kassadin during the draft, so I played him.

My dream is to first pick Kassadin [laughter]. If I became a god in LoL, I think my Kassadin deserves to be banned out [laughter]. I’m just joking, but I do want to play him at Worlds. 

[To Khan] In an earlier interview, Daeny said that you even took notes during feedback. Can you tell us your mindset during the split?

Khan: Although my other teammates are experienced with Daeny’s feedback, I’m not. That’s why I had to work extra hard to quickly understand his approach to the game, because that’s the only way I become a single unit with the team.

[To ShowMaker] You defeated Chovy, Bdd, and Faker on the Finals stage. Is there a mid laner at Worlds you’re excited to face?

ShowMaker: The fact that I was able to beat every great mid laners in the LCK means a lot personally. Although not every team has been confirmed for Worlds just yet, I’m keeping a close eye on Doinb of FPX.

[To Canyon] Zanzarah from the LEC asks, “You took three points in Q and maxed E first on Trundle. Do you take this skill order even against mobile carries?

Canyon: I think this way makes playing against Trundle a lot trickier. I’m not sure if I was the first player to do this, but I’ve always done it this way.

[To kkOma] How will you spend the downtime until you head to Worlds?

kkOma: I still have yet to hear the detailed schedule for Worlds just yet. Right now, everyone’s going to go on vacation, and we’ll set our schedule after everyone comes back. They’re free to go rest right after tonight. For myself, I think I’ll spend it with my wife and my family; I want to take this time to thank my wife and tell her I love her a lot.

[To Ghost] T1 subbed out Teddy after game 2 for Gumayusi. Did you feel pressured when you were facing Gumayusi? What feedback did you receive after the loss in game 3?

Ghost: I didn’t feel too pressured; Teddy and Gumayusi have different champion pools and playstyles, so I just needed to adjust correctly.

[To BeryL] Tonight, your undefeated record on Rell has been broken. Are you disappointed by it? What kind of a support meta do you predict for Worlds?

BeryL: It sucks, but we won the finals, so I’m alright. The support meta’s been tank supports for a long time, so I don’t think much will change from last year.

You were the player to first play Pantheon as support last year. Is there a wildcard pick like Pantheon this year?

BeryL: I actually think champion balance is on the mark this year, and especially because of Mythic items, traditional supports are better in the bot lane.

In terms of the jungle, the meta quickly shifted from this year’s Spring split, MSI, and through the Summer split. As a jungler who was known to do well in the so-called ‘full-clear’ jungle meta, how has the transition to the gank-oriented meta been like?

Canyon: My focus was on how I can play the way that will contribute to our team’s victory. Daeny taught me a lot of things like jungle pathing and the meta. I had a lot of fun learning, so it didn’t feel too hard.

You’ve played really well on Camille in game 1 and 2, so are you disappointed that you didn’t get the finals MVP tonight?

Khan: Even if I did receive it, I always split the prize money with my teammates. After taxes, I’m losing out anyways, so I’m glad that I didn’t get it tonight [laughter]. I’m just kidding. ShowMaker played really well, and much of the credit goes to Ghost, Canyon and BeryL as well.

[To Daeny] What was the main thing you contemplated about the draft this series? Did you focus on a specific player in preparing him for tonight?

Daeny: Everyone that worked with me knows, but I have a very unorthodox way of doing things. I like to find out how much my opponent knows, and to kill them using that knowledge. If they like style A, I counter with style B; in short, I tried to prepare for every possible scenario.

I think that our top and bot laners had the roughest time. I just suggested a new direction for the rest, but for our top and bot laners, our coaches spent a lot of time with them. I think that their performance is what really helped us capture the title tonight. As I said earlier on the broadcast, I was very touched by Khan taking notes. Mid-jungle have always been good, so I’m always grateful for them. 

[To Ghost] Tell me about the time when you were benched. What are the things you worked on, and how did you feel when you saw the team go 3-1 during your absence?

Ghost: I was in a rough place mentally, so I needed a break. Spectating and actually playing the game are completely different, so I tried to watch scrims from my teammates’ perspectives.

[To the players] How will you spend your vacations?

Khan: I’m going to my home in Jeju Island. I want to meet up with my friends and family and just chat. 

Canyon: I think I’ll also go home to rest, play some other games, and start playing ranked afterwards.

ShowMaker: I really want to try out Lost Ark [laughter]!

Ghost: I will not be playing Lost Ark. I think League of Legends is the greatest game of all time, so I’ll be playing it during my break as well [laughter].

BeryL: I think I’ll also be playing different games. I have to get a reexamination for my military service this year. All the reexamination sites around my place are no longer available, so I think I’ll stay at the team house until I can get one around there.

[To Daeny] Up until game 3, blue side was undefeated. What can you tell us about side advantages in the current meta?

Daeny: Blue team always gets first pick, so red side always has to improvise in the draft. That’s always really hard. Unless you’re prepared to improvise, red side will always be harder. Skill wise, the difference maker will be in preparing enough cards to be able to improvise on red side.

[To kkOma] Why did you pick red side when games 1 and 2 victories were all from blue side?

kkOma: I had expectations on how T1 would pick champions in game 4. I picked the red side to counter-pick based on their plan.

[To Khan] FPX is playing really well in the LPL this split. Do you think DWG KIA will be able to beat them this year? Any word to your former FPX teammates?

Khan: I'm confident we'll beat them. Tian is playing very well this split; why couldn’t he play that well when I was on the team [laughter]? For Lwx, I recently often thought that he makes great plays in the LPL; why couldn’t he play that well when I was on the team [laughter]? Doinb is an outstanding player as always. It’s great that he is working as the crossbeam of the team before and now. Crisp is consistently doing well. All jokes aside, I was definitely the cause of their slump back then [laughter].

Nuguri made it to Worlds. Would you like to say anything to him as well?

Khan: Nuguri helped me prepare for the finals by playing 1v1s with me and it was very helpful. I appreciate it.

Canyon: I hope Nuguri wins the LPL finals and meet up with him as champions at Worlds.

ShowMaker: I hope he does well in finals so we both can take the first seed to not face each other in the group stages. I want to face him in later stages because he is too good.

Ghost: I really hope they win the first seed so we can fight in the later stages. I’m going to hunt a Nuguri down, so he better be careful.

BeryL: If I were to face him, I want it to be after the quarterfinals rather than in earlier stages. I hope FPX takes the first seed so I don’t have to face him in the group stages.

Lastly, you are going to Worlds as LCK’s first seed. Please share your resolutions for Worlds.

Khan: This will likely be the last tournament in my career as a player. This is the best chance that I’ll get with such great teammates. I will do everything I can until the last moment to win. I will try to get a good result.

Canyon: I think teams are stronger this year, so I will do my best this year again to win Worlds again.

ShowMaker: I said the same thing last year; as I am representing LCK as the first seed, I will do my best to not let the LCK down.

Ghost: This is the last chance to compete in an overseas event with Khan. I felt very sorry for him because we didn’t win MSI, so I will do my best to win Worlds to enjoy it together.

BeryL: As the first seed of LCK, I will do my best to perform well at Worlds.

Daeny: I put more effort in because I think there are limits to how much I can support the team as an analyst. This phase of my life feels like a quest, so it's more enjoyable that way. Since MSI, the players seemed very tired by the time I joined the team. Same with kkOma. Ever since I joined DWG KIA, my goal was to do my best in proving that the LCK is the best in the World, and I will do my best to achieve that goal. I somehow made it to Worlds again this year, so it will be a great learning experience for me. Lastly, I want to thank the players and the coaches for all their work.

kkOma: DWG KIA took three consecutive LCK Championships so I will make DWG KIA take two consecutive World Championships. I would like to thank the players, coaches, and the management again for all their hard work. I’m a very lucky man. Thank you.