On the 20th (KST), DAMWON Gaming defeated T1 in the 2020 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Summer Split. It was a clean 2-0 victory for DAMWON Gaming as they extended their winning streak to nine. After the match, Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon joined the media room with a fresh new haircut to talk about today’s match.

How do you feel about today’s win?

Our results were quite good. I feel really good that we won 2-0 today. If we win our next match, we’ll be going straight to the finals. It’s like a dream for me.

What went well in today’s match?

The first match started well in the draft. All of my teammates didn’t lose concentration. We all made good decisions in the game.

Didn’t you want to get a solo kill on Canna? You two are competing for the most solo kills this season.

My priority today was winning the game. I did want to get a solo kill in the laning phase, but my picks were aimed more towards the team play. If the matchup was good for me to get a solo kill, I probably would have tried. I focused on cooperating with the team since my picks were in that direction.

You’re getting solo killed a lot less now. Is it due to the change in playstyle? How is Nuguri of the spring different from the Nuguri of now?

The coaching staff had a big part in the change. I try to play the champions that can help the team, or a pick that my teammates want. I try to play more towards the team now, so I have less isolated deaths now. That’s probably the biggest difference.

In game 2, it wasn’t that comfortable in top lane and the game was quite close. When did you think you won?

We weren’t sure that we were ahead all game long. It seemed we were slightly advantageous, but it wasn’t comfortable playing. Since I was our only AD champion so the opponent all went for AP resistance. We thought if Kassadin hits level 16, we would be advantageous. Even the last dragon fight was really close; after we hit Baron, we finally thought we would win.

In the analyst desk interview, ShowMaker said that you went for food with your mother, and when you returned, your hair got a lot shorter.

We had to turn in a copy of our passports. My passport was at home, so my mother came. We went out for food, and seeing my hair so long, she said that she’d like it if I trimmed my hair. I personally like to trim my hair short, but after this haircut, I’m going to ask not to trim it too short. [Laughs]

Other teams’ top laners are very conscious of Nuguri. Last time, Doran said that he hopes you saw him play well.

I’ve been playing longer than some of them, so I think it’s just because of that. I’m just thankful that other top laners think of me that way. It feels good. All LCK top laners are really good, so I’m also always watching them. I’d like to have fun playing with them for a long time.

Are there any aspects of other top laners that you want to bring to yourself?

Rascal is a very solid player. I think I lack a bit in that matter. My coach’s exact words today was that he wants me to play solidly like Rascal. Also, when I watch the broadcasts, Doran’s plays are magically addictive. It’s really appealing.

Your last match is against kt Rolster. If you win it 2-0, it would tie 2015 SK Telecom T1’s +29. Are you aware of that?

I am aware of the record, but the number one priority is to go straight to the finals. It was really a dream for me, and as much as we got here, it’s a huge chance for us.

It was the first match with the new patch. It could be difficult to decide the champion tiers for a team that heads straight to the finals. Have you been adapting well to this patch?

I’ve been playing a lot of solo queue, so I’ve been adapting well. For top lane, Lucian had a lot of changes, but he was banned in both games today.

Do you think top lane can carry in the new patch as well?

The current patch trends are mostly top-side carry. It’ll be similar.

Any last comments?

The finals are just around the corner. We’ll prepare the last match very carefully so that we can get straight to the finals.