EDward Gaming have done the improbable, defeating DWG KIA 3-2 to win the Worlds 2021 finals. After the five-game tug-of-war, the newly-crowned champions joined the press for a conference.

To Viper: DWG KIA said you won because you prepared better. What do you think impacted today’s series?

Viper: During our preparation, from a bot laner’s perspective, I thought I could go even on CS even if I picked a champion that is weaker in the laning phase. If I picked a champion with initiative, I thought I could use the initiative to influence the mid lane and jungle. 

To Viper: You started on Griffin in 2018 and went through Hanwha Life Esports before coming to EDG. Now, you’ve won your first World Championship. There have been many difficulties before, too. How did you mentally overcome the hard times and what was your mindset to come to this point?

Viper: I never changed my thoughts on consistent improvement. While moving to different teams and after playing on HLE last year, I tried to remove all the bad habits and playstyles. 2021 felt like a complete reboot. I think I was able to come to this point because I admitted what I did wrong and went back to the starting point.

To Scout: Why did you mention Faker in the interview after the victory?

Scout: Faker is my role model and I wanted to make a positive impact on him. I was a bit sad that Faker lost to ShowMaker in the semifinals. I wanted to avenge Faker by winning against ShowMaker.

To everyone: What would you like to do after the victory?

Scout: I just want to have to eat something and enjoy the victory.

To everyone: EDG fans sincerely wished for this victory. Was there anything you wanted to do as a winning ceremony?

Maokai: I know very well that our fans are cheering for us. This is my driving force. Before the series, I wanted to go shopping if we could win.

Jiejie: I wanted to use our EDG emote at least three times.

To Flandre: What has been the biggest difference since joining EDG? What was the moment you felt that you could win the championship?

Flandre: I think I was lucky. My teammates played great. To be honest, our team play was not great when I first came to EDG. Our Spring Split results were not good but our results in Summer improved as we thought about that more. I appreciate everyone for helping.

To Scout: You said that you want to play against ShowMaker. How did that feel?

Scout: ShowMaker is a great player. I was pressured a lot during the games and I feel great about winning.

To Scout: Anything you’d like to say to the fans after this victory? What do you think about fans saying that you are the best mid laner in the world?

Scout: Before the victory, I thought it was wrong to say that I am the best mid laner in the world. Now that we won, it does make sense.

To Scout, Meiko: Both of you have played on EDG for a long time. Despite your success in the LPL and dominance of the Chinese region, people didn’t seem to respect EDG and said that DWG KIA will win. Now that you’ve beat them, do you think people should start giving more respect to the LPL?

Scout: I don’t care much about other people's thoughts. I think pro players have to have experience to know.

Meiko: I care more about how people think of EDG. Nobody expected much from EDG. I've always thought that LPL is the best league. It’s probably because EDG disappointed the fans a lot, but we went against everyone’s expectations by playing well. Expect more from us.

To everyone: If you had to thank one person for winning the finals for all the help they gave you, who would you pick and why?

Meiko: Mid and jungle, because the mid and jungle synergy is very crucial to this game.

To KenZhu: You’ve been with Flandre for a long time. Did you ever think you’d be at this moment at any time? What enabled this team to go all the way, defeating all the difficult teams along the way?

KenZhu: We faced so many challenges in the five years I spent with Flandre. There were moments where we wanted to give up, but we just encouraged each other. We gave each other the power to overcome all obstacles.

The reason I wanted to join EDG was to win the championship. We wanted to just have good results this year, but in all honesty, I was really thinking about this very moment. Now that it's come true, it feels like I'm dreaming. I'm super happy about this moment, and not just for Flandre, but for all members of the EDG family — we all have our shining moments. Everyone put in their full effort, everyone was very diligent. Everyone wants to chase more and more championships.

To Meiko: Weibo is completely losing it because of your victory today. So many fans are celebrating. Do you consider yourself a hero of the Chinese fans?

Meiko: I don’t think I’m a hero. I think the word can be too heavy. But I think the reason so many people say that is because the LPL didn’t manage to perform that well this year. We were the only team left in this tournament, so some people called us the last hope of the LPL. Also, being able to get this world championship, I really feel that we met the expectations of so many people. And I’m really happy about this.

To Jiejie: A lot of people are comparing you to Clearlove and calling you his successor. How do you feel about this comparison?

Jiejie: Since I joined EDG, Clearlove was the one I looked up to. I think getting this championship somehow achieved Clearlove's dream as well.

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