LMQ.Ackerman: "We will not slack just because we beat OMG and Fnatic"

Our on-site reporters ISB and Aluca caught up with LMQ's top-laner Wang "Ackerman" Xiao before their match against Samsung Blue.

LMQ have been performing well in Singapore and they're up 2-0 after their day one matches against OMG and Fnatic. Before they challenge the Korean powehouse Samsung Blue, team's top laner Ackerman sits with GosuGamers for an interview about his time in Singapore, facing Gogoing, his take on the Taiwan games and particularly EDG and SHRC and the resurgence of Rumble in modern meta.

The interview was conducted by Hong "Aluca" Weikang and Mervyn "ISB" Tan.

Is this your first time in Singapore?

Yes, it is, and I'm happy to be here.

What do you thinkg about the environment here?

Singapore has done a great job greenifying the environment. Although it's a little hot, it's very comfortable to be here.

Is there some food here that you like?

I still think that China's food is better as I don't fancy seafood.

Have you taken a taste of the Malay food in Singapore.

We currently have no time to get a taste of that as we had a very tight schedule.

You are placed in Group C which people dubbed the group of death. You will be facing Fnatic, OMG and Samsung Blue and in your first day you managed to beat both OMG and Fnatic. What are your thoughts on that?

Winning against them has been a boost to our moral and tomorrow we'll be facing Samsung Blue. We will not slack off just because of this, however, as Fnatic and OMG are still strong contestants.

This time in the group you are facing against OMG's Gogoing in the top lane, your last face-off being during Season 3 WC Quarter Finals. Facing him again, do you think he has improved?

I thing Gogoing has always had strong potential but in today's game I was kind of pressured by him and I fell that I have a lot to learn from him.

Tomorrow, you will be facing Samsung Blue, have you done any preparation against them?

I think that we should play as usual and to our potential. Although I feel that our chance of winning is slim, we will still do our best to pull out a victory.

Have you seen the games in Taiwan? What is your opinion on EDG's and Star Horn Royal Club's performance?

Yes we have. SHRC came out first with a 5-1 record with a loss to TSM and I fell that is an ideal performance for them. When EDG were facing against AHQ, I feel they were playing too conservatively that resulted in the loss and led to the tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker , they were afraid to team fight as their previous game because the previous series against AHQ was lost due to their indecision in the dragon pit. This forced them to give their opponents a lot of objectives and they were unable to close up the game early during the tiebreaker.

EDG and SHRC will be facing each other in the quarter finals, which team do you think will come out of that one?

I personally hope that SHRC comes out, but I feel that both teams have a good understanding of each other. If we look back at past results, EDG will be the likely winners, though.

As you know, there will be a residence restriction for the NA and EU LCS where three of the players in a team must represent the region. DO you think this affects your team line-up?

I don't think it will affect our team. Even if we have to swap out one of our players, I believe that we are able to find someone in the region. As for communication, our team will keep on improving to minimize any problems.

When you played OMG here at Worlds, it was your first time using Rumble. What's your opinion on the champion?

Back in season 3 when SKT T1 were using Rumble, I noticed he was very strong. I was also practicing a lot of Rumble at the time so I was familiar with his kit. After watching SKT T1 play it, I began to train a lot of Rumble.

What do you think is the contributing factor for Rumble's resurgence?

I believe it is mostly due to the meta. In this meta, Alistar is strong as his ultimate and Headbutt create a lot of pressure. Next in line are Ryze and Maokai, but Maokai has a weak laning phase and it is hard to get him to the late game. Rumble is a strong counter to Maokai as he is good in team fights which is key in this meta. Rumble is also great in late game which is another contributing factor to his resurgence.

Thank you for the interview! Any shououts to your fans?

Thank you to all the fans cheering for us. We will do our best to get out of the group stage in return.