On day 15 of the 2022 LCK Spring split, Hanwha Life Esports took on Liiv SANDBOX in the second match of the day. HLE took very quick victories in both games, as LSB were left helpless by HLE’s tempo.

The following is a post-match interview with Kim “Karis” Hong-jo.

It was a much needed victory for HLE. You must be very happy at the moment.

I always wanted to win, but I think we lost confidence due to the losing streak. I’m happy we won.

Syndra’s a mid lane pick that’s not too highly regarded in the competitive meta. Why did you decide to play Syndra tonight?

I watched a lot of Syndra gameplay from Bdd last year, which motivated me to practice her. I was also confident with Syndra as well, and she’s a lane bully when it comes to the mage vs mage matchup. In game 1, the enemy had two great engage champions [Gragas & Poppy]. Poppy was a bit scary, but I was able to neutralize her with Syndra, so she wasn’t that hard to deal with.

The team went on a loss streak after winning their first match of the day. What do you think is the main reason behind it?

There were series where we got 0-2’d, but there were also series where we took one game. Rather than sulking about it, we felt that if we put in a bit more work, we can improve. Everyone had that mindset, so we cheered each other on and kept a great team atmosphere. 

LCK is known for having the best mid lakers in the world. As a mid laner in such a region, how do you feel about competing with the world’s best? What would you say your competitive edge is among the greats?

It’s an odd feeling to be competing with some players that I’ve watched growing up. There are probably lots of qualities that I lack compared to the veterans, but as a rookie, I feel that I’m very open minded in experimenting with champions. One thing I learned competing against the LCK mid laners is that the level of detail in their laning is vastly different. I’m learning a lot about things I didn’t know about matchups, as well as the details that people may overlook.

Do you have a role model?

‘Faker’. He’s both smart and mechanically gifted. I even tried to mimic his mouse sensitivity settings [laughter]. I feel that apart from the mechanics, the difference in the unique know-how and the details of laning are what determines whether you win or lose in lane. Faker excels at every aforementioned criteria, so I personally want to become a player like him.

When it comes to the laning phase, which players in the LCK would you say are very detailed?

I could feel that ‘Chovy’ really does a lot of research. I felt that I had a general idea of lane matchups, but ever since I started playing in the LCK, there were times when I felt the lane matchup wasn’t going the way I anticipated. I think that ‘Chovy-ShowMaker-Bdd’ excels in that regard, where the small details ultimately equate to huge gameplay differences.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?

Despite the losing streak, it really motivated me to see the fans continuing to support us. We’re very happy that we won 2-0, so I want to say thank you. I wish everyone a safe and happy Lunar New Year and nothing but happiness in life.