After losing on the threshold of the quarterfinals, KT’s Kim “Gi-in” Ki-in shares his thoughts on his performance, regrets and determination for the final match.
KT Rolster lost the second game of the Swiss Stage of the Round of 16 of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship (Rolld Cup) on Day 7 of the event at KBS Arena in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on Sunday with a set score of one to two after dropping three sets. The loss drops KT to 2-2 and the team will look to advance to the quarterfinals in their final round of 16 match on Sunday.
Speaking to Formos after the match, Kim “Kiin” Ki-in had a disappointed look on his face. “In every set of this match, we had a good start, but we couldn’t capitalize on that advantage except for the second set. Our lack of execution is the biggest problem,” he said.
After dropping the first set, KT made a good showing in the second set to win the match. “It’s a combination that we used a lot in the LCK regular season, so we know how to play it and how to operate it, but the rest of the set, we weren’t used to it,” said Gi-in about the two-set win.
So why did KT pull out picks that didn’t suit him in the first and third games of the quarterfinals? “It was a meta pick for this tournament, and I changed my champion picks accordingly. I utilized the picks to my advantage and did well in the early game, but after that, my baron timing became disruptive.” Guin said that this is something the team needs to work on if they want to reach the quarterfinals and beyond. “We went into the game knowing that LNG is a team that is good at baron bursts, but we just didn’t execute that in-game.”
Guin said he wasn’t happy with his own play either. He said that there were a lot of cuts in the middle, and he wants to pay more attention to his own mistakes, and also pay more attention to putting himself in the right position according to the team’s movements. He said the same thing about his right-handed play in the third set, which was particularly disappointing.
Despite the loss, they are not out of the Rold Cup just yet. “It could be the last time,” Guin said before the final match. I will prepare as well as I can and play with no regrets. No matter who I face in the draw, I’ll do my best to win.” As for his opponent, he said, “No matter who we face, we have to win to move up. It’s not about the opponent, it’s about us playing well,” he said.
As for the rest of the tournament, Kiin said he’ll keep a close eye on his team’s shortcomings, but he’s 사설토토 determined to make it to the quarterfinals and beyond in the Rold Cup. Even though things aren’t going well right now, he’s determined to keep his head up and do better than he did in 2018. Finally, he concluded the interview by saying, “It’s really just one last time. I will prepare as well as I can and win, so please support me.”