On Jun. 23, in the 2023 LCK Summer Split, Kwangdong Freecs faced Nongshim RedForce. Both teams were desperate for a win as they were on a 3-game losing streak. In the end, it was Kwangdong Freecs who ended up with a 2-0 win to break the losing streak. After the match, head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho and Ko “YoungJae” Young-jae joined the media for an interview.

How do you feel about breaking the losing streak?

cvMax: We were able to win because DuDu and YoungJae did well. I brought him here with me because I thought he was the POG, but they didn’t vote him POG. [Laughs]

YoungJae: I didn’t think we would be losing for so long, but we lost three straight matches. I believe we’ll be able to win next time through today’s win.

There should be a lot of feedback to give, considering cvMax’s style. How was todays’ match?

cvMax: I have similar feedback for both games 1 and 2. The composition differs by the power spike or ceiling, and Azir broke everything in game 1. The game went easy since Azir did so well in the mid lane. As for the bot lane, our bot lane struggled a bit in both games. I’m happy that we won both games, but if we want to compete in the long run, we need to improve. In game 1, BuLLDoG and YoungJae did well, and in game 2, DuDu and YoungJae did well. I hope our bot duo improves more. If they do, we’ll have a good chance against KT.

You haven’t been banning Aphelios and Milio for a while, despite that you often lost to it. Is there a reason?

cvMax: The draft goes depending on the team’s concept. It’s not only about the bot lane. Sometimes, we have to benefit in other lanes or test how other champs work out. Frankly, we’re not as good as the top five teams. When we fight in a known matchup, even if we’re favorable, we don’t always win. We tried out many different scenarios, and felt that it’s best to go this way.

(To YoungJae) What do you think about your performance today?

YoungJae: I think I led the game well overall. The most regretful moment for me was when we attempted the 2nd dragon. We all used our Flash, but if we communicated better, the situation would have been better.

There are three matches left in the first round, and you’ll be facing KT, LSB, and DK. What’s your goal?

cvMax: The LCK is quite polarized. There’s a big gap between the top five teams and the lower five teams. The lower five teams aren’t closing the gap in any way. If we want to move up to the top five, we need to sync the performance peak of each player. We shouldn’t just wait for it to sync - we need to work hard to make it work. I’ll keep on trying and praying until we face KT.

YoungJae: Lehends is being really cocky recently, so I want to stomp him. He’s too hyped up right now. [Laughs]

(To YoungJae) It seems that you’re being really competitive against former Gen.G players, since you were there last year. Are there any players you really want to beat?

YoungJae: Le… Lehends… Peanut. [Laughs] Everyone was so nice to me, and Peanut looked after me a lot since we’re both junglers. Since we’re close, I want to beat him more.

Any last comments?

cvMax: The players have been struggling, but they will improve. Everyone has a slump. I’ll work hard so that we can all get better as a team. Thank you.