From June 17th to the 25th, the adc for DWG KIA, Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun, was exempt for the first time since he joined the team. Joining the team in February 2020, he has been a key piece of the puzzle that the team needed since the 2020 LCK Spring split playoffs. However, due to the rapid evolution of the competitive meta, alongside his own slump, Ghost was benched, which resulted in two of the team’s players playing off-role.

In an interview with Inven, the first words that he shared with us was, “I was absolutely frustrated with myself; I could not make the plays that made the team play comfortably." He explained that he didn’t pressure his enemies in lane properly to waste his opponents’ turns, and help locate the enemy jungler. “In addition, due to the nature of the meta continuously changing, I wasn’t playing the short-range champions as well as I should have.”

In amidst of the troubles he was facing, the team suggested role-swapping within the team; although regretfully, he ultimately accepted the team’s new direction. Ghost felt that he also needed time to regain his form, but he felt that players playing off-role wasn’t a long-term solution. He stated, “All the players on my team are talented; while I think it’s a strategic move that could work for a bit, we would need to play in their main roles for the most optimal results.

After the team’s loss to Fredit BRION on June 23, Ghost marked his return to DWG KIA’s bot lane in their next match against Hanwha Life Esports, and defeated them 2-1. “There were ceilings that the team faced with players playing off-role; we felt that our opponents had us all figured out. My teammates couldn’t buy me any more time to regain my form, so I felt it was the right time to return. I wasn’t fully confident in my own performance, but beating Gen.G, who sits at the top of the standings, in a clean sweep gave me confidence.”

Ghost continued, “Until now, compared to champions with a lot of utility, such as Ashe, Jhin, and Senna, I accept the fact that I was definitely worse on champions that can just take over the game. However, I’m a pro player, so I’ll make sure that I can fully adapt to any meta. I’ll improve even more than now to make sure that I help our team lift the championship trophies once again.” 

Lastly, Ghost thanked everyone that supported him in his downtime. “I want to thank the fans that wrote me hand-written fan letters during my break; those letters motivated me a lot. Also, I want to sincerely thank the coaching staff and the management that work day and night to provide the players and I with everything we need.”