SK Telecom T1 defeated RNG in their second match of the 2019 LoL World Championship. As of this win, SKT took a step ahead of the other teams with a 2-0 record. The game was neck and neck until the end, where the SKT players pulled off a remarkable backdoor to end the game. Lee “Effort” Sang-ho, who is always the player who urges his teammates to destroy the Nexus, didn’t have to nag his teammates today. After the match, Effort spoke with Inven Global about today’s game.

It was an extremely close match. How do you feel?

Yesterday, Fnatic, today, RNG. We met two strong and decorated teams. Although our performance wasn’t perfect, I’m satisfied with the fact that we won.

The last play was the most important. Can you explain the situation a bit? Who made the shotcalls?

We saw 4 or 5 of the RNG players coming to bot lane, so Faker said that he’ll be pushing top. While he was pushing top, he saw a possibility to end. He told Khan to TP top and others to interfere with RNG recalling, so we did exactly that. 

When Faker called for that play, were you sure that you would be able to end?

I wasn’t able to see clearly because the bot lane situation was urgent, but I played trusting my teammates.

You wouldn’t have needed to urge your teammates to destroy the Nexus today. How does it feel winning like this?

(Laughs) No, I didn’t. It would have been better if we were able to end safely with Baron, but it’s a bit regretful that we weren’t able to. Since we still have many games left, I’m unsatisfied with the fact that we weren’t able to end cleanly. However, winning in itself is a good thing, so I’m trying to stay positive.

What do you have to feedback on your own performance today?

Although their pick was kind of a counter pick, I think I made many mistakes in laning and skirmishes. I would need to improve that.

How was laning against Uzi and Ming?

I played Thresh, but Uzi played so perfectly that I wasn’t able throw my grab properly. It was really difficult. Uzi and Ming are a bot duo that has been at the top for a long time. Compared to them, Teddy and I are babies. Considering that, I think we did quite alright. If we continue and gain more experience, we would be able to improve a lot more.

How are FNC and RNG’s bot lanes different?

Fnatic likes non-ADC bot lane and their support likes to roam. Compared to that, RNG always plays bot-centric. Their picks were also focused on that, so RNG was harder to play against.

Yesterday was your Worlds debut. Weren’t you any nervous?

I wasn’t nervous at all when I went on stage. I was worried about setting up my equipment and maintaining my condition, but it turned out to be fine. It had been a while since we played in an official match, so that was more of an issue.

FNC and RNG are both decorated teams and are veterans, but when I thought of it, my teammates are even more awesome. That made me ease my mind and play more comfortably.

Mata’s here with the team. Does he support you well?

Yes. I get a lot of help from him in terms of picks, positioning, etc. I’m extremely thankful to him for his support.

SKT has taken a step ahead. How do you plan to play the remaining Group Stage games?

We need to play a total of 6 games; we got 2 wins and almost halfway through the groups. However, one small crack can cause us to stumble, so I won’t be careless and do my best all the time so that we can play without any variables to win.

Lastly, a word to the fans, and a word to your teammates?

It’s always big help when fans support us, whether we’re doing well or not. Please cheer for us more. To my teammates, as much as I’m a rookie, I rely a lot on them. I’m able to play because they care a lot for me and lead me well. I’d like to say thank you.