Congratulations on the victory, Faker and Effort!

Today was the Telecom War, a continuation of the historic rivalry. How does it feel to have won this match?

Faker: When we won against JAG, we weren’t sure if we could pull the same feat off against Rolster…However, when we came into the match, the game was more do-able than we had expected. The team’s morale has definitely increased by today’s win. We think that this will accelerate our rise back (into the LCK ranks) now.

Effort: It feels so good to win two days in a row.

SKT lost the Game 1, but did not falter and reverse-sweeped the match at Game 2 and Game 2.

Faker: In Game 1, we made a few mistakes and we crumbled at our bot-lane. Everyone was consoling Effort, however, telling him that he can do much better in the next game. Kkoma was encouraging everyone in the booth. Because of that, we were able to find our composure again for Game 2 and Game 3.

Effort: All the teammate-hyungs and the coaching staff were telling me “It’s ok”, so I was able to recover and prepare for Game 2 and 3.

Can you tell us more about the Morgana-Pyke bot lane?

Faker: This is a meta where ranged champions aren’t played as often at bot lane. As melee players are introduced to the meta, teamfights are more important than ever. We’ve greatly increased out practise times, and we’ve been experimenting hard to find new hidden gems, with help from the coaching staff.

Effort: This is a meta where “anything is possible”. We made a lot of preparations, tried to constantly find better picks.

Faker, you have made Yasuo players around the world very happy with your Yasuo pick today. Today was the first match that you’ve picked Yasuo in this split and carried with it.

Faker: I don’t think I played 100% on Yasuo today. My teammates were helping me out, but I could have played better.

You weren’t on your 100%, so you went 11 kills on Yasuo?

Faker: Well, it’s a bit of a funnel comp…

Faker: I’ve recently been feeling very confident in Yasuo, but my performance today was not up to my standards. I think I only played 70% of my full capacity today.

Effort, what do you think about Faker’s statement there? Have you seen Faker play at his 100%?

Effort: If today was only 70% for Faker…I can’t exactly imagine what he is like on 100%.

Last time we talked about Smite Xayah, and you revealed in the interview that it was actually a thought-out pick that you had practised on. How about today? Did you also prepare and practise Aatrox mid?

Faker: Aatrox…In the current meta, he’s a very strong pick at top-lane. He looked very fun to play so I picked him up and started practising a lot on him. Also, because we drafted Morgana today, Aatrox was a good pick to complement the composition.

Effort: As Morgana is fully capable of laning by herself, I was free to roam and make plays or create gaps (As Pyke)

So many fans came have come to support you today. We’ve seen some touching fan-cards in the audience today, saying: “This is why we support SKT”, and “Now let’s have a winning streak”. You should have felt some of this supportive aura even in the booth.

Faker: The fans supporting us definitely give us the strength. As we’ve been losing a lot recently, my mind hasn’t been focused on the game and maybe I haven’t had that mental space to read the fan-cards in the audience…But yeah, the fans give us the strength.

We’ll also take time to answer some questions submitted by the fans!

Faker, it’s getting very hot (Currently, it is 30 degrees in Seoul) yet you are always seen with your SKT jacket. I can vouch for the audience that it’s a pretty thick jacket. Why are you always wearing it?

Faker: First of all, I’m very skinny so I don’t like wearing short sleeved tops. Also, I think I’m more susceptible to cold compared to other people. Today, when we were sitting in the booth I wanted the air cooler off while everyone else wanted it on…So when the game is on, I put on the jacket so my teammates can play in a more comfortable temperature.

Effort, I think I saw some fan cards dedicated to you in the audience. Effort, have you been feeling the increase in the fan love you’re getting?

Effort: Er, not at all. I was too busy playing games.

A round of applause to Effort’s dedication to the game!

Rift Rivals is starting next week. Any resolutions as we draw closer to Rift Rivals?

Effort: We will be representing LCK, so we must play extremely well and yield the best possible result. We will prepare hard for Rift Rivals.

Faker: We didn’t do that well in last year’s Rift Rivals, we recorded a few loses, will try not to repeat that in this year’s Rift Rivals. Also, Korea didn’t win MSI, so we will win Rift Rivals and bring the title of global champion back to Korea.