Photo by: Riot Games

2018 Bilibili Gaming was nothing spectacular. 2019 BLG, however, has the potential to cause more than a few upsets.

Part of the reason lies in the team’s off-season acquisitions. The team picked up Kang “ADD” Geon-mo from MVP and Lee “Kuro” Seo-haeng from Afreeca Freecs to secure a couple of strong solo laners in the new season.

The signings worked — or at least they did so against LGD. With the help of young jungler Meteor, BLG schooled LGD on their home turf and the former Afreeca Freecs player was a large contributing factor. The scary part? This isn’t even his final form, says Kuro.

The interview was conducted with the assistance of Score.gg.

* * *

Kuro, congratulations on winning your first series in the LPL! How are you feeling right now, what do you think is the difference between LPL and LCK?

LPL teams have a more aggressive playstyle, while teams in the LCK prefer to focus more on the economy game.

Has this series gone as you expected? How would you rate your performance today?

Yes, it went pretty much as I expected. It’s nice that we won but it’s also a pity that I got really nervous and failed to play up to my potential.

You just had your first series with LGD in Hangzhou, what are your thoughts on the home and away format. Will constant travel affect your performance?

It’s a bit exhausting because China is a huge country. I heard about this format when I was in Korea and I think in this system, the home team will have the advantage in terms of form.

Read more: Kuro leaves the LCK to join Bilibili Gaming

You and Kramer used to be close teammates, but today you guys played against each other in your respective LPL debut. How do you feel about that and has the fact that you know him that well given you some sort of advantage?

I didn’t expect LGD, the team that just recruited Kramer, to be our first opponent. I can imagine that Kramer and I will trash talk each other a lot in the future and the topic of our conservationс will be mostly about who just beat who. It feels good to meet another Korean in a foreign country.

Will you two keep touch and share your stories and experience in China with each other?

Yeah, I will keep in touch with him and share my stories in China with him.

I can imagine that Kramer and I will trash talk each other a lot in the future and the topic of our conservationс will be mostly about who just beat who. It feels good to meet another Korean in a foreign country.

You were known for your deep champion pool when you were playing in the LCK. Is there a specific champion that you’d like to pick and play in front of your audience in LPL?

I’ve been looking for a champion who fits into the category, but so far I haven’t found the right one.

Are you satisfied with your performance on Galio today? Do you like this champion? And how do you your feel about Galio’s matchup against Lissandra?

We first-picked Gailo and actually we excepted that they would pick Lissandra. Galio is a champion that can contribute a lot to the team but also I would never play this champion in solo queue.

Does the team have a specific shot-caller? As the veteran in the team, will you shoulder more responsibility?

First of all, my Chinese is not really good. I can only do simple communications like which area is warded and which path should we take. As such, our Jungler and Support will do most of the shot calling. Moreover, I still have trouble understanding some complex Chinese expressions.

I know it’s just your first series in the LPL, but could you tell us which tier do you think BLG belongs to in the LPL?

For now I’m not sure, but if we can keep playing the way we’ve been playing in scrims and improving, we should be able to advance to the playoffs and fight for a higher placement.

I think it’s important to find the balance between farming and fighting in this patch. This is something we need to improve through practice in the future.

LPL teams have a faster tempo and love taking fights. Will you choose to adjust your playstyle or will you try to slow down the pace of the team and focus more on economy?

I think it’s important to find the balance between farming and fighting in this patch. This is something we need to improve through practice in the future.

Your next stop will be in Chengdu to play against OMG, are you looking forward to it?

Yes! OMG also have their own home arena and I really want to take a look.

Is there anything you want to say to your fans?

I’ve never thought that one day I’d be playing in the LPL. I really want to say thank you to my Chinese and Korean fans for their continued support.

Related article: