The 2022 LCK Spring Finals will take place on Apr 2, at KiNTEX, Ilsan. T1 defeated Kwangdong Freecs 3-0 to punch the first ticket to the finals, and Gen.G took down DWG KIA 3-2 to take the remaining ticket to the finals. The upcoming finals will mark the first time they play each other at 100% capacity, bringing even more hype to the series.

Ahead of the finals, the 2022 LCK Spring Finals Media Day took place on Mar 30. Before T1 and Gen.G took the stage to answer questions from the media, the Secretary General of LCK, Lee Jung-hoon, briefly spoke about the upcoming finals. “The last time we had finals with a live audience was back in 2019 Summer, so we’re thrilled to finally allow fans back onto the finals stage.”

Shortly after, the players took the stage to answer some questions from the media. First, both the head coaches and a player from each team [Faker & Ruler] were asked to predict the score for the series. The two head coaches predicted a 3-0 victory, while the two players predicted a 3-1 victory for their respective teams.

Go “Score” Dong-bin stated, “I think game 1 of the series will be really important in gaining the momentum of the series, so if we win game 1, we’ll be able to win 3-0.” The two players, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk were unified in why they predicted a 3-1, as both players looked forward to a fun series.

As the two teams that are widely considered to be the best teams in the LCK this split, there was always a lot of hype behind their matches in the regular split. However, due to players on Gen.G catching COVID, the two teams were not able to play each other at their 100%. When asked how the team feels about finally being able to field the full rosters for the finals, Score replied, “The fact that they get to play at their 100% definitely breathed another layer of motivation into the players, and they’re looking forward to making the series very fun.”

Both head coaches picked their player to watch out for in the upcoming series. Choi “Polt” Seong-hun picked Peanut, saying “Watching Peanut’s mentality in game 5 of the series against DWG KIA was very impressive.” Score picked Faker as the player to look out for, stating Faker’s vast experience in multiple finals over his career.

It also marked the first time that Score returned to the finals stage as a coach. When asked about how he feels, he replied, “Both the coaching staff and the players did all the work, so it feels like I got carried to an extent. I’ve had butterflies in my stomach when I went to the finals as a player, and it’s a similar feeling this time.”

The questions that followed were asked to the players. Both Ryu “Keria” Min-seok and Son “Lehends” Si-woo showcased off-meta picks during the regular split. When both players were asked about the potential of picking off-meta champions in the support role, both of them replied that their picks will depend on the drafts that day. 

Over multiple occasions, Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon stated that he wanted to play Nidalee in competitive play, because he was confident that he could play her well. However, due to the state of the current meta, Nidalee was not seen as a viable pick. When he was asked about how he felt watching Peanut play against Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu’s Nidalee [game 5 of Gen.G vs DK], he replied, “After seeing Peanut get punished hard by Canyon’s Nidalee, I think she can be picked in certain scenarios. As a jungler myself, it hurt me to watch him struggle, but I have a lot of respect for Peanut after watching him in game 5 of that series.”

Oner also commented on his growth as a player, and whether or not nerves will affect his gameplay in the finals. “This split, when fans were allowed back into the LCK Arena, I was nervous at first, but I’m slowly learning how to enjoy such high pressure moments. I think I’ll be able to do the same in the finals.”

The two mid laners, Chovy and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, were asked to choose one champion that they thought they were better at. Chovy replied that he believes he can play Ahri better than Faker, while Faker simply said, “I’m confident in any champion that I play.” When both players were asked about each other’s strengths, Chovy replied, “I think his synergy with Oner is really good, so I’ll have to prepare for their pressure”, while Faker replied “His biggest strength lies with his ability to CS very well.

Both the top laners were asked to share their thoughts on the lane matchup. Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon replied that the play style differences will really be showcased in the upcoming series, and Choi “Zeus” Woo-je replied, “I’ll have to especially focus on the laning phase, because he’s a really good laner.”

After both teams answered questions from the various media outlets that gathered for the event, both teams thanked the fans for their support and promised not to let their fans down. Shortly after, the two teams posed beside the trophy for photos, and the media day came to an end.