LOS defeated Team Liquid in Round 4 of the 2026 LoL World Championship (Worlds), held at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas on October 31 (KST), advancing to the final round. 'Zest' Kim Dong-min contributed to his team's victory by serving as the core of their snowball with top Tristana in the crucial Game 3.
The following is the full text of the 1-on-1 interview with Zest after the match.
Q. How do you feel about winning today's match?
Zest: There was a bit of a story behind it. The opposing mid laner, 'Quid', and I are close friends, and our support and their jungler ('Josedeodo') are also close friends, so I really wanted to win no matter what. I think we played well as a team today, and I'm very happy that we were able to win like this.
Q. How did you prepare against Team Liquid?
Zest: Both our top and mid laners are Korean, and their top and mid laners are Korean as well. So I didn't think we were behind in terms of top-side weight class. Instead, 'CoreJJ' has great synergy with his ADC, so I think we tried to target the comfort picks of their bottom duo.
Q. Things went well according to plan and you won Game 1, but you lost Game 2. Based on the comps, it looked tough to unravel the game. What feedback did you share after the Game 2 defeat?
Zest: We messed up our draft because we made our fourth and fifth bans without realizing that Olaf was still open in the second ban phase. We ended up picking Rumble-Galio, which wasn't originally part of our plan, so the draft setup was already unfavorable. Still, it was a game we could have won if we hit our peak at the right moment, but I think we made a major mistake in a dragon fight, so that part was disappointing.
Q. You picked top Tristana in the critical Game 3. Did you feel any pressure?
Zest: I didn't feel much pressure. My teammates and the coaching staff trust me so much, and I've often shown good performances when playing carry-type champions like that in practice. In fact, my teammates were the ones who told me to play it first. So I don't think there was any pressure.
Q. What scenario did you see that led you to pick Tristana?
Zest: First, Tristana has a strong laning phase in 1v1s. Also, our comp had two global ultimates with jungle Pantheon and mid Taliyah. So I initially thought that if I did well in the laning matchup, we could use those global ultimates to completely break open the top side. It's disappointing that we couldn't create that big of a breach in-game, but Tristana herself is a high-value champion, so it didn't cause any major issues.
Q. In the early-to-mid game teamfights, Tristana overgrew and you led by over 7,000 gold, but then the opponent caught up. How did you try to close out the game?
Zest: In the fight for the fourth dragon, we got the dragon stolen, and I made a big mistake by jumping forward, which allowed them to take Baron and close the gold gap. However, due to Tristana's nature, her range increases through her passive as she levels up, and with the top quest, she could reach level 20, so I didn't think we would be at a big disadvantage going into the late game. Although the game dragged on because we got caught before important fights, I kept playing with the mindset that we would win.
Q. During the fierce back-and-forth, when were you certain of victory?
Zest: I felt certain at the moment in the final teamfight when I secured a kill and made a decisive call as we pushed forward.
Q. By advancing to Round 5, you broke the record for CBLOL's longest survival in history, and now you must push forward for the milestone of reaching the Quarterfinals for the first time.
Zest: I was vaguely aware that we broke the record. Since we've come this far and set a new record, I want to make it to the Quarterfinals. Wouldn't that be great for me, the team, and the CBLOL? I will work hard in the remaining matches to achieve it.
Q. To advance to the Quarterfinals, you need to defeat one of the tough opponents in the final round, such as BLG, MKOI, LYON, Karmine Corp, or Hanwha Life Esports.
(This interview was conducted before the matchups were decided. Subsequently, through the matchup draw, LOS was set to face LYON.)
Zest: If possible, I'd like to avoid Hanwha Life Esports. Against Western teams, we just beat Team Liquid, and we also have a history of defeating LYON at EWC, so I don't think it will be a big problem.
Q. This is your first Worlds. After going from 0-2 to back-to-back wins, you are facing the final match of the Swiss Stage. Having experienced Worlds firsthand, what thoughts come to mind?
Zest: When starting the Swiss Stage, I naturally thought it wouldn't be easy, but I also thought we'd be okay because there were many aspects we felt confident about as a team. Actually, the best thing right now is that early on, all of us, including myself, couldn't play our game and seemed nervous, but now that losing means instant elimination, everyone seems to have gained form, perhaps because they feel they have nothing to lose. I felt satisfied with my own play in today's match as well, so I'm thinking we can climb even higher.
Q. Lastly, please share your determination for the next match and a message for the fans.
Zest: I don't know who our opponent will be, but I believe we can win if we play like we did today. I know we aren't receiving a lot of expectations, but I hope you'll cheer for us even a little bit. Thank you.
