On March 17th, SK Telecom T1 reclaimed second place in the LCK by defeating Hanwha Life Esports. HLE led the series with Kwon “Sangyoon” Sang-yoon impressing on Jinx, but SKT bounced back with a convincing performance overall from the entire squad.

Below is the press conference interview with SKT T1’s Park “Teddy” Jin-Seong after their victory over HLE.

Congratulations on your win today. How do you feel?

Teddy: I felt kind of frustrated dropping the first game, because every game victory counts, especially now that we’re contending for second place with SANDBOX Gaming. However, I think it’s okay that we won in the end.

You said you were angry when you lost game one. Was it a matter of poor coordination in the team?

Teddy: I think we messed up a bit the drafts, and we made mistakes in executing [our drafts] as well.

Can you be a bit more detailed on your picks and bans in game one?

Teddy: [In game one], we picked a losing bot lane despite not having jungle priority. We also gave up a free solo kill at top lane, which should not have happened. It was the single lane that we had pressure on, and we threw it away.

SKT T1 came back in dominant fashion in game two and game three. How did your pick/ban revisions lead you to victory?

Teddy: In game one, HLE drafted power picks that have a strong lane presence. We figured that we had to change the situation. So, we tried to draft power picks of our own that have lane priority. I guess that worked out well.

The 9.5 patch is giving top laners a divided preference between tank champions and aggressive champions. Do you think that the patch is affecting you too?

Teddy: I think it does to a certain degree. When Khan picks up a super aggressive champion I have to pick a more reserved, defensive AD carry. It can be frustrating if it happens all the time, but I think I’ll be fine for the moment. After all, Khan knows how to carry the game.

People are saying that the positioning of ADCs in teamfights is especially important in this patch. Do you have any comment?

Teddy: I think that it’s true. Aggressive top lane champions such as Akali and Vladimir are very threatening to AD carries. I agree that AD carries will struggle unless they position themselves really well.

What are your thoughts on your next match against SANDBOX Gaming?

Teddy: We lost to them in round one [of spring split]. I’ll try my best to not let that happen again in round two. We’ll observe their picks and bans carefully and be well prepared for them.

SKT T1’s gap with Griffin is closing following their recent losing streak. Do you think you can rise to the top of the table?

Teddy: I don’t think we can surpass Griffin in league standings unless Griffin loses all remaining matches. I guess we’ll have to beat them when we meet in the postseason.

Are there any AD carry champions that you’re practicing?

Teddy: There are a few options that I’m considering, but I guess the situation has to be right [for me to pick them] and the execution has to be flawless too.

Kai’Sa has been struggling in the recent [matches]. Do you think that she is still a viable pick?

Teddy: I think Kai’Sa is still okay, just that her power spike doesn’t come super early [in the game] and her survivability isn’t top tier. Also, Kai’Sa has a hard time coping with powerful top lane champions such as Vladimir.

Out of the AD carry champions that have yet to be used in the [2019] LCK, which champion do you think might be used by teams?

Teddy: Hmm … I don’t know. Caitlyn, Twitch, and Kog’Maw come into mind. Caitlyn has a low damage output, Twitch looks bad right now… maybe Kog’Maw. Out of the three, it would be Kog’Maw.

What about Jhin?

Teddy: Jhin is weak and he doesn’t have any skills to survive by himself.

Do you have any final resolutions to share before we conclude the interview?

Teddy: We have a bad habit of dropping our first game and winning on a 2-1 score. We’ll work hard so that we can show our fans a 2-0 victory.