Galatasaray had a great start to the Worlds 2021 Play-in stage, opening 2-0, but fell flat on day 2 by scoring two straight losses, eventually putting them in third place. Now, GS are set to play PCS' Beyond Gaming in the Knockout Stage for a chance to challenge Hanwha Life for a group stage spot.

 Inven Global sat down with GS' top laner Kim “Crazy” Jae-hee, who shared his thoughts on the games on day 2, on playing in three different regions, and his team’s chances at this year’s Worlds.

Galatasaray’s games today [day 2 of Play-ins] were a bit disappointing. What were the ups and downs today? 

Personally, in the game against DetonatioN FocusMe, I was able to put pressure on my opponent easily but pushed too much to farm gold to buy core items. We lost the game once Urgot got a chance to take the initiative and the bot lane collapsed as well.

How about the game against Cloud9?

We couldn’t control our mental state well after losing the game against DFM. Cloud9 is a strong team, too. I can’t help but think that the results would have been different if I played well against DFM. 

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The most notable point in the game against DFM must have been Urgot. Did you expect Urgot to be picked?

I didn’t expect Urgot. It’s about knowing how to play against him. I have plenty of experience against Urgot, but I was a bit nervous and made disappointing plays. 

As far as I know, Jayce is favored against Urgot. Do you think you rushed your game too much?

I had to push and put pressure in the early game for Jayce to take advantage of early core items. I could put pressure on Urgot but my opponent also kept taking CS. There was only a small lead in CS, which wasn’t enough. I teleported back to shop items and as I was away, Urgot teleported to the bottom lane to take two kills. Once Urgot was ahead of gold, the match-up changed. I should have made a further gold lead in the early game. 

You’ve played in LCK, LPL, and now TCL in 2021. Turkey must be more unfamiliar compared to Korea and China. What’s the difference between playing in Turkey and playing in Korea or China? 

European players put in a lot of effort too, but I think Korean and Chinese players have the tightest schedules. TCL is a great league too, but the level of LCK and LPL is much better. 

TCL is considered as one of the minor leagues. How good do you think Galatasaray Esports is amongst the minor regions?

I think we are good at taking advantage of the lead when we draft good champions, but we make some disappointing plays once we fall behind. 

Now that Galatasaray might have to play in tiebreakers, how is the team preparing for the tiebreakers and how will you improve upon today’s problems? [GS avoided tiebreakers and finished third in Group B — Ed.]

In the game against DFM, I could have played more freely but I couldn’t take advantage of it. Personally, I have to improve on that. Teamwise, we should make calls more often and focus on detailed team plays. 

What are your personal and team goals?

The first goal is to make it to the group stage. Personally, I want to win against all the top laners.

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Top laners seem to have the eagerness to win in the laning phase. How is your playstyle?

I like playing aggressively even with defensive champions. But when trading, I think that I lack the discipline of when to play offense or defense. I think that’s why I failed in the game against DFM. I want to fix those habits and my mindset in order to improve my gameplay.

You are known for pressing Tab and ESC very often — what is the reason?

I am not sure either. If I consciously think about those things, I can’t focus on the game. Maybe it’s a sort of OCD. It just feels wrong to not press those buttons.

Any last words to the fans?

Thanks to everyone that supports me. My games were disappointing today so I will do better next time.