After qualifying for IEM Beijing, the hometown heroes in ViCi Gaming sat down with MAX+ for an interview.

VG took down Predator, 5P, and then Invictus Gaming in both the upper bracket and grand final to secure the Chinese qualifier and earn their place at the main event in Beijing.

They join the likes of Astralis, Liquid, Evil Geniuses, FaZe, and more at the Beijing University Students’ Stadium where all eight teams will be fighting for their slice of the $250,000 prize pool.

The Chinese squad discussed the qualifier, what it means to be playing on home soil, the latest iteration of the roster, and more. You can find the full transcription of the interview from MAX+ below:

Questions to zhokiNg:



MAX+: For starters, congrats on qualifying for IEM Beijing. You are about to be representing China and compete on your home soil. How are you feeling and how would you rate your performance in the qualifiers?



zhokiNg: Everyone is pretty happy after securing our spot at IEM Beijing. But I feel we weren’t performing that well during the qualifiers, we made too many misplays.







MAX+: VG were hit by the roster shuffle during the Asian Minor qualifiers and didn’t manage to qualify for the main event. But after synergizing with franke19 for a couple of months, it looks that VG is back. So what changes has franke19 brought to the team?



zhokiNg: Franke19 is the piece that was missing in our previous strategy. His aggressive playstyle really brings some new element to the team.







MAX+: May fans and analysts feel that one of the biggest strengths VG has is your deep map pool, you guys always deliver on complex maps like Vertigo and Nuke. How do you manage to do that?



zhokiNg: We really like playing Nuke since 1.6 so we are confident when we are playing on that map.







MAX+: This IEM features lots of strong teams, will this put extra pressure on players’ shoulder? What are your expectations coming into this event?



zhokiNg: Every participating team of IEM Beijing is S-tier, on the contrary, I don’t think we will have mental pressure when facing these teams, we just play our own game.







Questions to franke19:



MAX+: As the new addition to the team, how are you bonding with your teammates? What’s your main role inside the team?



franke19: It’s been smooth, everyone is taking care me in both daily life and scrims. For now my job is entry fragging and taking trade kills.







MAX+: Have you gotten used to the shot-calling style of advent? Will you be able to play to your fullest under his command?



franke19: I’m pretty used to his shot-calling style now, but the thing is I feel I’m still lacking something in my skill. I will keep improving and try my best to bring my A game.







Questions to advent:



MAX+: Are you the only one in the team to develop new strats? Or is that a team process?



advent: Basically I come up with strats by myself but often times they will talk to me and give me their ideas so I can improve our strategy. Our coach is also gradually taking over tasks in this aspect so I can put more attention to the game.





MAX+: Some western teams have mentioned that their IGL will give other players more freedom of shot-calling. Vitality even have 2 shot-callers who are in charge of attack and defense respectively. What’s your take on that?



advent: You can’t just have 1 player who calls every single shot. Everyone needs to communicate with each other. In VG, auman helps me a lot by taking some of my leading pressure. Meanwhile, other players are also improving the communication required in their respective role.







Questions to kaze:



MAX+: Unlike in FG, it seems that you have more freedom here in VG and you are always in places that require you to be there. Does advent come up with a new strategy around you? Or it’s his commanding style that frees you?



kaze: I think I’ve improved a lot comparing to where I was back in FG. As a matter of fact, FG didn’t have a clear playbook or strategy, so, I would feel lost in game and become less confident. advent has a better game plan which allows me to perform in VG. He makes me a better player and helps me with my understanding of the game.







MAX+: Chinese fans love your sniper style and they call you “The True K God”, how do you feel about that?



kaze: After I joined VG, I spent tons of time to practice and sharpen my skill. I would watch the demo of top snipers and study their playstyle. I particularly love to observe ZywOo, woxic, Jame and xsepower’s games. Fans give me this nickname because of all the effort I’ve been putting into it.





Questions to zhokiNg:



MAX+: VG’s last appearance on an international LAN dates back to April. After a long bonding period, how are you feeling? Do you have the confidence to perform well at IEM Beijing?



zhokiNg: I’m in a good shape, of course I’m confident, really look forward to playing against Astralis again







MAX+: As a veteran in the scene, have you played any tournaments in Beijing? What’s your expectations for IEM Beijing?



zhokiNg:﻿Really look forward to the event and hope we are the team that survive till the very last. Earlier this year we were at the Major where we played against some of the best teams who will also be playing at IEM Beijing. We managed to find our weaknesses in those games and improve ourselves. This time I hope we can give our best and leave no regret.