On the 16th, at the Seoul LoL Park, the 36th day of the 2019 LCK Spring Split took place. On the first series of the day, Afreeca Freecs defied all expectations and defeated Griffin 2-1. Throughout the entire series, Kiin was able to establish a huge lead in the top lane that eventually helped his team snowball and win the series.

The following is an interview with AF Kiin.

How do you feel about your victory?

Currently, winning each and every match is very important to us. I'm very happy that we were able to defeat such a strong team. I usually don't get excited during my games, but today was an exception.


But in game 2, when you were able to counter a 1 vs. 2 situation with a kill and survive, they showed you on the player cam. You looked emotionless. 

I wasn't really excited in game 2. (Laughs) It was game 3 that really got me worked up.


You had shown an amazing performance today. Even when your team was falling behind, you were able to establish a strong lead in the top lane. 

League of Legends is a very psychological game. How well a player is feeling on each given day often decides the outcome of the matches. With that in mind, I was at my top condition today. 


In game 2, despite having played well in many different situations, your team struggled to win. 

Our bot lane made a major mistake when Griffin dived them at level 2. That play heavily snowballed and eventually cost us the match. 


Afreeca Freecs played Aatrox and Akali, two champions that many people didn't expect to see on stage after the nerfs. Are they still top tier picks?

They're definitely worse than before. They have become very situational picks. 


Game 3 was very hard fought. What landed you the victory?

I don't think there was a single play that won us the match, rather, it was the accumulation of multiple teamfight victories that eventually got us the win. 

We were at an advantage in the early-to-mid game, but a mistake from our side put us at a disadvantage. 


In game 3, during a teamfight near the mid lane inhibitor tower, you guys were winning 5 vs. 3 - before Ryze happened. What was going through your mind when you lost that one? Did the outcome of that fight lead you to believe the game was over?

The only thing on my mind at the time was "can the enemy go for Baron after this?" 

No one on the team assumed that we had 100% lost the match after that fight. 


Griffin blind picked Vayne in game 1. Is Vayne that strong of a pick right now?

I'm not too knowledgeable about bot lane matchups, but I don't think Vayne is that strong of a pick for 'ranged vs. ranged' matchups. I don't think she's that great of a blind pick. 


In order for Afreeca Freecs to improve moving forward, what element of the team needs refining?

Everyone does well, but they frequently make mistakes by getting caught out and killed. If we play more carefully in that aspect, I think we can be much better. 


From the starting roster of AF today, you were the player with the most amount of experience. Do the younger players listen to you and obey?

I'm not the type of player to make calls and give orders. They do well on their own.


Did you receive any feedback after today's match?

We just defeated the no.1 LCK team. All I heard from the coaching staff was that we did extremely well. They were very happy. 


There was a Kayle remake very recently, and in the community, she's seen as a late game carry that has an extremely weak early game. Do you think she could be a viable pick for competitive play?

In the current meta, where any champion could potentially see play, yes. She could most definitely see play on stage.


What is Afreeca Freecs' strength as a team?

Recently, we've been playing better as a team. Our teamwork saw a large improvement.


Any last words for the fans?

We'll continue to practice hard and show up stronger in our next match. Thank you for always cheering for us.