The LCK has once again claimed an international title. On 7th of July, the LCK won the 2019 Rift Rivals after defeating the LPL at the best-of-five finals. The LCK representatives – Kingzone DragonX, SK Telecom T1, Griffin and DAMWON Gaming – defeated the LPL representatives on a 3-1 match score and lifted the Rift Rivals cup.

After the finals, Caster Jun interviewed the four players from each of the LCK representatives, Park “TusiN” Jong-ik, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Choi “Sword” Sung-won and Sin “Nuclear” Jeong-hyeon.

The LCK has finally won an international tournament, after what seemed like an eternity. Please, give a round of applause to the winners of the 2019 Rift Rivals, LCK!

We will be interviewing, TusiN, Faker, Sword, and Nuclear. TusiN, you defeated Invictus Gaming, the defending World champion, a truly amazing accomplishment. Can you tell us how you felt as the game against iG drew to close?

TusiN: We thought that we had to win the first game of the finals. Since Deft had a bad memory from last year’s Rift Rivals when he was with KT Rolster, we played also to recover Deft from his trauma. I am glad that we were able to do so.

What was on your mind as the support of Deft, as Deft dominate the game?

TusiN: Deft was able to deal damage that he did because I was there for him. We had the confidence to not be defeated by anyone — and I think it showed.

Do you have any words for the fans?

TusiN: This year, the LCK will take it all. Thank you.

Yes, that’s the correct answer! Now, we will be talking with Faker. The LCK had not won a single best-of-five against other regions since 2018 MSI until now. How does this make you feel?

Faker: We weren’t able to find success in MSI, which was very regretful. However, I am glad that we were able to find our redemption in Rift Rivals.

Your performance on Neeko was fantastic, a pleasure to watch.

Faker: I was able to perform in such a way because I was set up to do so.

Are you really telling the truth, or are you being humble?

Faker: Yes, my teammates did extremely well today. Also, we were able to play without too much pressure thanks to Kingzone winning the first game. So I would like to thank them.

With the positive results in this Rift Rivals, the LCK can now aspire for success in upcoming tournaments such as the World Championship. Do you have anything to say about that?

Faker: The LCK was able to find victory in an international tournament for the first time in a long time. I hope this leads to many more international successes.

We’ll next talk to Griffin’s Sword. The LCK was able to win Rift Rivals. Though you might have some regrets [about losing the match against FPX], the important thing is that the LCK won. How are you feeling?

Sword: I am proud of the other LCK teams. We got carried to this Rift Rival victory, which does feel good. I do feel some regret. However, the main purpose of this tournament was for the LCK teams to bond together. I am happy that we are able to achieve this.

Do you have any words to your fans fans?

Sword: Thank you to the fans who have supported for us until the end. While we may once again turn into enemies when we return to the league, at this moment, we are brothers. Thank you for supporting us!

Now we will be meeting Nuclear of DAMWON Gaming. You died several times at the beginning of the game, however, you pushed through the game and by the end of the game you had a bounty on you.

Nuclear: While I did die early on, I had strong faith in my teammates. Because of this, I was able to continue performing without my early-game deaths impacting my mental state. I think I got carried as well [laughs].

Do you have anything to tell your fans?

Nuclear: I would first like to say that I’m immensely grateful to be able to play alongside these talented players.

To the fans — DAMWON Gaming started off this split with two losses, yet the fans believed in us to bounce back, so I would like to thank them. The time has come for everyone to come on board on the DAMWON, LCK, and Korea hype train. Thank you!