On the 16th (KST), SANDBOX Gaming took on SeolHaeOne Prince in the 2020 LCK Summer split. With a set score of 2-1, SB was able to take down SP and extend their match win streak to four. It was a match that marked a special occasion for the team, as the support player for SB, GorillA, was able to get 4,000 career assists in this match.

As round 1 of the 2020 LCK Summer split nears its conclusion, Inven Global will be talking with various head coaches of the teams to hear how they reflect upon their performance in round 1. The head coach for SB, YamatoCannon, joined Inven Global for an exclusive 1 on 1 interview to talk about the various ups and downs for round 1, and how they hope to lead the team in round 2.

SANDBOX continues to ride the high momentum and concludes round 1 with a four-match win streak. How do you feel?

Today was a messy day. SeolHaeOne Prince reminds me of Unicorns of Love, where they like to sit in bushes for flanks and draft in strange ways. They threw us off a little in the beginning, but in game 3, the players said that they’re not going to play by SP’s rules, so they played by their own rules, choked them out, and I’m immensely proud of their performance in game 3 because honestly, they’ve shown a huge player gap.

I heard that you’ve told the team a motivational quote before the match, which involved sharks. Can you tell me what it is?

Sharks are very interesting animals because they can only move forward. They have to keep moving forward, no matter what. There’s a lot of inspiration to be derived from sharks, because the team should be moving forward towards their goals, just like how sharks do. Our goal for today was clear; focus on the things that we worked on throughout the week, and chase it with the shark mentality. The players are like trained killers, where if there’s a scent of blood, I want them to chase it, without stopping (laughter).

Game 2 was very back and forth, but ended in a loss for SANDBOX. What are some of the reasons behind the team’s fumble?

I think that SP played in a way that was different, whereas most of our opponents are predictable, in a sense where they’re playing the right way. There was a lot of cheese, where they were camping in bushes to kill Summit, and setting up traps in our red side jungle and getting caught out by it, when we should’ve just pushed mid. I think our management of the enemy Aphelios was very poor. He’s a beatable champion, but you can’t just run straight into him, because the champion is like a meat grinder. I’m already dreading the Youtube highlights and Twitch clips that are going to be up soon (laughter).

How do you rate the team’s overall performance of round 1? How satisfied are you with the team’s improvements so far?

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied. I never dwell on the moment of victory for too long, where, even today, I was very happy with the victory, but five minutes later, I was already thinking about our next match against KT. It’s hard for me to feel satisfied before the season is over, but I’m very proud of all the players working hard, and they deserve the credit. All I did was nudge them in the right direction.

Heading into round 2, what are some of the things that the team needs to improve?

After today, we just need to keep refining the fundamentals. Round 2 doesn’t bear any significance, because there is no break in between. Although the fact that we’re playing KT again this week when we just played them last week is a bit weird, it’s a different KT roster, since TusiN’s fully recovered from his health issues. We just need to keep going, tackle on the problems that we faced this match, and continue to grow. 10.14 is a big patch, and I feel like it’s going to change up the game quite a bit, so we need to work to stay ahead of the curve, and have something good prepared to play against the top teams.

Speaking of patch 10.14, can you tell us which changes you think will shake up the meta?

There are many changes I like, but I’d be crazy if I spoke about it (laughter). 

Which team are you most excited to play against in round 2?

I’m very excited to play against DragonX. We were so close to winning last time, where if something went a little bit different when we were contesting dragon soul, our team’s win streak may have been longer. I have a lot of respect for cvMax, and some people call me the ‘Blue-eyed cvMax’, so the victory against them looks very tasty (laughter).

How would you summarize, in a sentence, the team’s goals for round 2?

‘Practice as if you want to win everything’. That’s what we want to do. We want to win everything. When I hear some coaches say in an interview, for example, “Our goal is to reach the playoffs this split”, I think to myself, “What on earth are you saying?” It’s okay to be realistic about things when you’re talking to people behind the scenes, but you need to make the players feel the desire and the hunger to win everything. Anything less is pathetic.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to your family, friends, and the fans?

I miss my family very much. I’m very blessed that my girlfriend is very supportive of what I’m doing, because she’s alone with her cats in Berlin. I want to thank all the fans for all the tomatoes they sent me (laughter). I’ve yet to see an actual tomato in Korea, but people sent me way too many pictures and gifs of tomatoes online (laughter). Thank you for the support, and I hope we can continue on performing, and a special thank you to the players, the coaching staff, and especially the management for providing us with an environment where we can only focus on the game.