On July 15 (KST), Afreeca Freecs took on Gen.G in the 2020 LCK Summer split. With a set score of 2-0, Gen.G took a dominating victory against AF in their last match of round 1. With both sets snowballing from Gen.G’s bot lane, they were able to close out round 1 with a 7-2 record.

The top laner for Gen.G, Rascal joined the press room for an interview.

How do you feel about the victory today?

The victory was much cleaner than we anticipated, so I’m very happy. We’re slowly building up a win streak as well, so we’ll be able to prepare for our next match as well.

It was a flawless 2-0 victory. Did you expect it to be such?

I didn’t think it would be this clean. Our recent practice hasn’t been going as well as before, and I think the team learned a lot from our losses as well.

Both games 1 and 2 snowballed from the bot lane. As a top laner, you must’ve had a big smile on your face.

In both sets, our bot lane made the call that there’s a huge CS difference, and there was a huge bot difference, so I played the game very comfortably [laughter].

Can you tell us about when you solo killed Kiin’s Kennen in game 1?

We had vision on the enemy jungler and at the time, Kiin didn’t base to buy items. I was able to land Sylas’ E [Abscond/Abduct] to get the angle on the solo kill.

In this split, Ornn, Karma, and Malphite were your main picks. Aren’t you itching to play champions that carry?

My champion picks are always situational. My Sylas in game 1 sort of fits the bill as well, and depending on the situation, I’ll be able to play champions that carry.

Many say that despite being so good, you’re a top laner that’s been undervalued. Thoughts?

Top laners all have different strengths, and my strengths lie with playing the team game, so those strengths are hard to be spotted from an outside perspective. It’s natural for people to say that about me, and as long as I keep doing my thing, people will know.

Compared to the other three major regions, Karma’s a champion that has a high pick/ban rate only in the LCK. On the flip side, Syndra’s pick/ban rate is very low in the LCK, while it’s very high in the other three regions. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Karma is a champion that provides more power to the bot laner with every core item she buys. That’s why, compared to other regions that fight a lot early, she’s not being picked up a lot. For Syndra, I think it just comes down to personal preference, but I think that Korean players don’t prefer to play her. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure [laughter].

The team ended round 1 with a 7-2 record. Are you satisfied?

Apart from the hiccup that the team had in the beginning, I’m very satisfied. Putting performance issues aside, the fact that the team atmosphere is very bright, so things are looking very positive. We’ll continue to produce results in round 2 to directly head to the World Championship.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say?

Thank you to all the fans for the support. Also, today’s our head coach’s birthday, and it feels like we gave him a great present. Happy birthday, and thank you for everything.