Team Impulse's Jungler, Rush, is a player who has garnered a name for himself as one of the most aggressive junglers in the West. Rush, prior to being acquired by Team Impulse, was a solo queue star in Korea who hit rank 1 Challenger in the ladder, surpassing the likes of Faker. Since then, he has moved to North America and plays in the North American LCS. In the Spring Split, his first split, Team Impulse secured a 4th place spot and has aims for Worlds this upcoming Summer Split.



Image courtesy of teamimpulse.gg

You recently reached rank 1 in KR again, surpassing Faker. What were the biggest obstacles?

Rush: Adjusting to the Cinderhulk meta was one of my biggest obstacles. As you guys know, I failed to understand how to play Nunu/Gragas/Sejuani in play-offs right before I arrived in Korea. I hope I am okay at these now.

So Kog'Maw is one of your most played in KR solo queue with a VERY high win rate. Why?

Rush: Over 700 range provides me enough time to react and dodge skills with my mechanics. If you watch my Kog’Maw game, you can find that I am mediocre in lane but a monster in team fights.

What are your opinions on the major roster changes in NA? Specifically changes to Gravity (former EDG Move to replace Saintvicious) and Emperor moving to NA to join TDK.

Rush: It is a really exciting thing that I can play against new players who were considered top players – I hope viewers & fans feel the same way as me!

What is your opinion on players retiring to become coaches? Do you think being a former player guarantees success as a coach?

Rush: I don’t think a coach has to have similar experiences as a player. It is true, however, that experience as a player can help a coach understand and sympathize.

What do you think of CLG adopting SKT T1's style of having two mid laners to switch between? Will it be effective or do you think it will fall flat?

Rush: I don’t think keeping two mid laners always makes a team stronger. If that style is key, every pro team would have tried to do this. SKT’s 2 mids work because they have Faker & Easyhoon specifically.

5.9 saw nerfs to Cinderhulk's damage to champions. Do you think the meta will shift much?

Rush: In solo queue, Warrior & Cinderhulk seem even. When it comes to warrior-type champions, they require perfect play. A single mistake can cost the game as Lee Sin; so unbalanced!

Following up on the last question, do you believe that the PBE nerfs to Sejuani and Rek'Sai (Lower % health damage on W and lower base health on Rek'Sai) will be enough?

Rush: Usually a tiny nerf like -20 Q skill dmg (Lissandra) makes a huge difference.

There was a post on reddit recently complaining about how Riot has almost only nerfed Junglers since the beginning of Season 5. Do you feel that this is due to Junglers being too overwhelming and having too much impact?

Rush: Fed junglers can do a dive against average mid or top laner. I guess this is why they nerfed junglers but it makes the game more boring than before!

As of 5.9, who is your favorite jungler to play in solo queue, and why?

Rush: Always Lee Sin; he will be my favorite always I don’t want to betray him. I should try to play him perfectly sometime.

In the MSI finals, EDG Clearlove brought out the Evelynn pick to counter Nunu. What did you think of that?

Rush: Evelyn’s team fight is really underrated. He tried to counter play against Sight Stone strategy of Nunu. It works with very particular team comps.

SKT T1 Bengi demonstrated that he can completely and utterly decimate a game as Nunu. What do you personally think of his playstyle?

Rush: Bengi prefers to make an environment to help his team mates be safer. Sometimes it makes him a weaker jungler. I think he is the type of player who can sacrifice for his team and has team mates who can trust each other.

Reignover, FNC's jungler, has a very similar hyper-aggro playstyle to yours. How do you see yourself in comparison to him?

Rush: We have played against one another many times before. I think the main difference between us is that he can’t play Lee Sin and I can’t play Rengar.

How do you place yourself in comparison to strong jungler players such as Dandy, Clearlove, and KaKAO?

Rush: I consider myself a player who mechanically never falls behind top junglers. If I keep adjusting to the meta and learning new champions, I can successfully play them in certain comps and against these individuals.

Any shout-outs you have at the end of this interview?

Rush: Thanks to Riot Games. Thanks to Azubu. Thanks to Team Impulse for providing the tools necessary for us to play at the highest level.

P.S. If you have a friend or family that works at Riot, please ask them to buff Kha’zix or Lee Sin

– thanks!

Make sure to follow TiP Rush on his various social media!

TiP Rush's Twitter

TiP Rush's Facebook

TiP Rush's Azubu