

On the 19th of August, in the first game of the NA LCS playoffs, 'C9' and 'Team Dignitas' will clash on stage to decide who is the better. In the current year, C9 has always had the last laugh against Dignitas, having not lost a single match against them.



Through Invenglobal, C9's coach, 'Bok "Reapered" Han-Gyu', shared a few words regarding his upcoming series. He began by stating that "practice is going well" and that he is "satisfied with his team's preparation" for the playoffs.



But Reapered also had his fair share of disappointment. Compared to the Spring Split, where C9 finished 2nd in the standings, the team finished 4th in the Summer. In regards to that, Reapered explained that the team "fell into a bit of slump during the Summer Split. We had to attend Rift Rivals... and during it, it was difficult maintaining the players' physical and mental conditions. Eventually, the problems followed us back to NA, and that's how we started struggling in the LCS." Reapered then mentioned that his team failed to gain a stable footing for approximately 2 weeks after their return, but followed that up with a contrasting statement, claiming that his "team grew stronger than ever" during their recovery.



Reapered then shared his opinion regarding how C9 was able to overcome Dignitas in the past. "I consider 'Ssumday' as the key player in Dignitas. But 'Impact' held his own against him, and I think that's why Dignitas wasn't able to overwhelm us like they had with other teams."



We grew curious about whether or not C9 is preparing any surprise picks for the playoffs. In response to our question, Reapered said, "Hm... We're not really preparing anything too out of the ordinary, but I can tell you that we are trying many different things... so it's possible for fans to see one or two "odd" picks during the playoffs." Reapered also shared his opinion on toplane champions. "Toplane is a lane that is used to complete the team's composition. So depending on how we want to play the series out, the toplane pick will differ greatly between games."



For C9's upcoming series, Reapered emphasized the importance of the top and midlane matchup. "By the looks of it, the outcome of the battle between the top and midlaners will decide the winner of the series." Reapered also made a careful assumption that "Jensen and Ssumday will most likely be the key players" and that the "match will be decided by which two will carry first."



Reapered finalized the interview with the following words, "I've been with C9 for two splits. And both times, we only reached the finals to land in 2nd place. This time, however, our team will prepare well and take the trophy back home."