KingZone DragonX(KZ) is officially back.



May 19th, KZ went against the Flash Wolves(FW) on the semi-finals of 2018 MSI. KZ managed to dominate the matchup. It reminded of the remarkable performance that KZ showed throughout the LCK Spring split. The key was the Mid and Top advantage. Khan dominated the sides and Bdd mostly used Taliyah, supporting Khan throughout the series. Although, “PrillA” duo was not at their best shape, they still managed to withstand the aggressive FW Bottom.



Below is the interview with KZ.

(Peanut did not make it due to his cold.)

Q. It’s the team’s first finals in an international event. How’s your current state? Are you preparing something special for the fans?

GorillA: It’s such a relief to win. I’m happy that we’ve made it to the MSI finals like SKT T1 did. I didn’t have the time to prepare something for the fans yet. Tomorrow is the finals; we’ll make some feedbacks and do our best to win.



Q. The team's performance wasn’t good in the group stage. You must have been having a hard time. How did you prepare for the semi-finals?

Head coach Hirai: The focus was about recovering our performance. Some caught a cold, so we were very careful. We didn’t have a scrim opponent, but 1907 Fenerbahçe helped out.

Pick bans are very important. But, we had to recover our performance first. We’re getting there.



Q. The team mostly picked Ezreal first. The opponent went for Kai’Sa. Was this expected?

PraY: We did expect it, but we weren't able to prepare a lot. So, I did a lot of simulations through my head. Ezreal is a 5-tool champion that can be used in diverse situations.

Q. You’re going against RNG in the finals. It’s not going to be easy. What are your thoughts towards the matchup?

Khan: Our laners actually lack nothing compared to RNG. If we can recover our ‘real’ performance when we dominated the LCK split, KZ can win.



Q. Can you elaborate on how the team was preparing for this MSI?

Hirai: It’s probably a common thing for every other teams, but we usually analyze on the opponent’s picks and bans. After that, we choose on what we can do best against those picks.

Q. RNG and KZ has a sixth-man on the Jungle position. What do you think is the reason for it?

Hirai: The two Junglers are highly different in style. Well, this is pretty much similar for RNG as well. It’s a part of our strategy.

Q. RNG focuses on vision and object control. Are you going to focus on vision control tomorrow?

GorillA: Our winning scenario is about dominating vision control and making the opponent fall back. This is not just against RNG, but it’s the key for every single match; of course we will focus on this tomorrow.

Q. Xiaohu used Irelia yesterday as well. Was the Mid Irelia pick prepared beforehand? Did Xiaohu’s Irelia inspire the team?

Bdd: There were some positive opinions towards the re-worked Irelia. I played her when I was in Korea. It wasn’t an inspiration from yesterday’s match.



Q. You said that Top users should make good use of their Jungler.

Khan: When I’m using an aggressive pick like Jayce, I have to constantly call my Jungler for help. Well, in other words, I need to know how to use my teammates. It’s pretty much the same when I pick tank champions. But it’s more effective when I use aggressive champions.

Q. What was the main factor on today’s win?

PraY: I wasn’t good in group stage, but I knew that I don’t lack talents compared to others. I was confident that we’ll win bo5s.



Q. Fans are focusing on the ‘VS Uzi’ matchup. What do you think?

Hirai: Uzi is for sure a quality player. However, PraY is a remarkable ADC as well. The matchup is going to be interesting. I’m confident.