Embarking on a new challenge isn’t an easy thing. Challenge is also tied together with giving up. To chase something that you want means that inevitably, something else must be let go from your grasp. The bigger that something is, the harder it is to let go and challenge yourself. Time, money, where you are in life, that kind of thing.

As SKT T1′s top laner, who played such an active role this year – Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan left behind SK Telecom T1 and made a new nest in LGD, standing at the position of a challenger. What he wants is to prove himself that he is the best. Good treatment and deals are only secondary. And the thing that he decided to send away was the team he had been with for two years, the team that he hoisted the World Championship Summoner’s Cup with.

Giving up the position of “World’s Greatest?” It isn’t easy. If he had remained, he would have gone into the next season with the other members of the winning roster. It would’ve been the team that had the highest probability of winning Worlds again, something that MaRin wants. But MaRin boldly gave up that spot.

“Starting from 2013, I played League of Legends diligently. 2014 was the same, and 2015 as well. The amount of effort I put is similar through all those years, but 2015 was when I finally saw the light.”

“I want to become the best. That’s why I’ve kept running. But, my name would always be referred alongside Sang-hyeok (Faker)’s. MaRin only does well when Faker plays. When Easyhoon plays, MaRin doesn’t do well. I really hated hearing these things. I wanted to become the best, on my own terms. And so I this time I left the team to embark on a new challenge, to become the world’s best.”

MaRin’s challenge was ever so daring. He hadn’t gotten any offers from teams nor did he have a team he really wanted to join – but he left the team.

“Unlike what people have been talking about, I didn’t leave the team for LGD because they offered me a large amount of money. I had already left the team before the offer came in. But, I was confident. I thought that teams would eventually give me offers. A team that could sufficiently try for the World Championship, a team that could offer a lot of support, and a team that had a contract period I could be satisfied with – that team was LGD.”

MaRin is one of the older pro gamers in Korea. He was born in 1991.

“I’m going to be 26 (25 in Western age) soon. I think that the mind games matter more in LoL than mechanics. I don’t feel a decline in skills yet. I’m confident that I can play at least 3 more years. But, I’m not confident that I can remain as the best in those 3 years. For 2016, I think I will do well because of all the things I’ve done this year – but the year after that, I’m not so sure.”

“I wanted to embark on this challenge before it was too late. Time. I really won’t know what will happen after a year passes. I see 2016 as a time to make that new challenge.”

MaRin’s new start will be in China, and not Korea. He had wanted to remain in Korea to play against his former home, SK Telecom T1, but there wasn’t a Korean team that he could be satisfied with.

“I had wanted to go to the Tigers, actually. Song ‘Smeb’ Kyeong-ho is good at jungle, so I said jokingly said that we might even win Worlds if he moved to the jungle and I went in as a top laner.”

MaRin is one of the few players where his life outside of the game is relatively unknown. Since he is older than a majority of other players, he thought that he would gain more if he didn’t reveal things about himself. And when we asked him how he started playing League of Legends…

“I started playing LoL when I was in the military. My senior asked me to play with him when we came out for vacation breaks.”

Didn’t MaRin start Chaos around that time, too?

“Chaos. 2832 (laughs). I logged onto WarCraft 3 to play Chaos, but there weren’t any people on.”

“2012, 2013. As I was enjoying LoL, Coach Kim Jeong-gyun was making a team and said they needed a top laner. So, he suggested that I practice some top lane champions. It’s because of Coach Kim Jeong-gyun, 100%, that I became a top laner. So I was practicing top lane champions, but SKT T1 brought on Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong and started going out in competitions (laughs). Actually, I had about 1 month before my discharge date.”

MaRin is very good at Solo Queue. It’s to the point where even between the players, if they are on MaRin’s team and they happen to lose – they say that it was their fault that the game was lost. Especially in 2014 during the SK Telecom T1 S days, MaRin held on to that #1 rank and could not be dethroned for awhile.

“I was #1 in Solo Queue. It was during my SKT T1 S days. But, our team results weren’t coming out that well. I was trying hard, but it wasn’t connecting to our results. I did want to quit being a pro gamer. But, I started to develop a refusal to give in. I was #1 in Solo Queue, and I started to think that there wasn’t anything barring me getting 1st in a tournament. And, I made up my mind thinking, ‘I’ve only been doing this for 1 year so I might not be doing well because of that. Let’s try 1 more year.”

The winter cold of December, when we conducted the interview, was bitter. And it’s possible that MaRin’s future path will, much like this winter weather, be just as cold and bitter. There will be language barriers in China, and the food might not sit well. But MaRin did not have doubts about himself.

“As a pro gamer, there isn’t a time where I did not try with the best of my ability. Going forward I’m going continue trying, and I’m going continuously make an effort to become the best player. I’m going to China to challenge myself. I’m not going just because I’m looking at the money, and I didn’t leave the team because the offer came first.”

“I want to prove that I’m not the best because I’m on SKT T1, but rather that I’m the best, on any team.”

He also gave advice to the remaining members of SKT T1. Not as a player-to-player, but rather as the eldest brother on the team. He started to talk to his younger teammates with a mixture of concern.

“To my younger teammates. I’m not saying to not play games, but I hope that you’ll exercise and take care of your personal life. Develop some hobbies. Dating? Well… I don’t recommend it to those who are dating for the first time, since you can really fall deep into it.”

“I’d really like it if you’d develop at least one hobby. My hobbies are to watch movies and to take my dog on adventure walks. I took care of my personal life while practicing, but the other kids’ hobbies are games, specialties are games, and all they like are games, so I’m a bit worried.”

And to Coach Kim Jeong-gyun and Head Coach Choi Byeong-hoon who discovered him, as well as to Manager Moon who helped him immensely…

“I bought gifts for the people I’m thankful for. There’s a farewell party tomorrow, and I think I’ll give it to them then. When I said that I was leaving the team, Coach Kim Jeong-gyun said, ‘I don’t think you’re going to fall deeply into a girl, you don’t seem like you’d gamble, and you don’t like drinking, so wherever you go you’re going to do well’ and supported me. I was really thankful.”

And with some difficulty, thinking long and hard about what he wanted to say, he started to make a last comment to fans.

“To leave the team, or stay on the team. I thought about it all the way up to the day of the Esports Awards. A big portion of the time spent thinking about it was about the sense of loss I knew that fans would feel. During my SKT T1 S days, I didn’t have that many fans. After the teams joined together and I continued for a year, the number of fans started to grow. I was so sorry about wanting to leave the team that I stayed up thinking about my decision.”

“It was a difficult decision. I’m leaving SKT T1, where I’ve resided for 2 years, to go to LGD. I think I’ve already said everything I have about the reason why I needed to embark on this challenge. All that’s left now is to try hard. Please, I hope that you will continue supporting me.”

Original Korean Inven/Naver article here: http://sports.news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=e_sports&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=442&article_id=0000027913&date=20151210&page=1

Photos courtesy of Inven.co.kr!

