On day 3 of the 2022 LCK Summer split, Liiv SANDBOX marked their first victory of the split on the board with a 2-0 victory over Kwangdong Freecs. With the return of the ‘Prince’, Lee “Prince” Chae-hwan, LSB proved that they’re not the same team as they were in the Spring split.

After the match, Prince joined the press room at LoL Park for a post-match interview.

Congratulations on your first victory of this Summer split. How do you feel?

Thank you. I think that most people predicted Kwangdong to win tonight. It feels like we’ve shown what we can do tonight, so it really feels good to win.

Even with you returning, many saw Liiv SANDBOX as the weaker team over KDF. How did you feel about this?

I read the interview with Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon after they won, and he said in that interview that he was nervous because it’s been a while since he played on stage. For me however, I’m less nervous than my previous splits, and feel like I can play the game a lot better. I don’t know if I had an enlightening experience or whatever, but I don’t feel the pressure.

A lot of ADC champions were banned out in game 1. Why did you pick Zeri for game 1?

I actually only played her twice in practice after I rejoined the team. It was either going to be Kog’Maw or Jhin, but I felt that it was better for me to play a champion that I’m confident in.

What are some of the things that you’ve thought about during your sabbatical?

During my break, I told myself to never let my form drop, so apart from the week-long family vacation, I played solo queue every day, almost without a break. I also watched other teams’ matches, analyzed the plays and thought about what I would’ve done in the matches.

From a third-person perspective, what kind of a team was Liiv SANDBOX during this past Spring split?

Honestly, I thought they were one of the bottom teams that occasionally wins.

What strengths do you bring to the team with your return?

It felt like the bot lane, ‘Envyy-Kael’, struggled due to their lack of experience in the LCK. Upon my return, I thought to myself to make the bot lane a carry threat. Also, I got a bit angry because even after my return, people didn’t think we were too different from Spring.

Compared to LSB’s roster in Spring, you’re the only member that’s changed. Why did you decide to return to your former team?

When I was on break and was living my life as a streamer, I really wanted to return to the pro scene. I knew that the coaching staff were very smart, so as long as I can adjust things well with my teammates, I felt we’d do well. I also saw the organization put in a lot of work to treat me well, so it moved me.

Tonight’s match definitely convinced people that LSB’s better than their Spring split versions of themselves. What kind of a team do you hope to be remembered as?

I had a chance to chat with a lot of other pro gamers during the off-season. I heard that just making it to the playoffs in the Spring split was an achievement on its own. I’m a very optimistic and ambitious person, so I thought, “Really? Just playoffs?” and wanted to go higher.

Do you feel that you’ve showcased a lot of your strengths of your gameplay tonight?

While the characteristics can change depending on the champion composition, I do believe that there’s a best play in each scenario. I did make mistakes, but I do feel I made the correct plays. That’s why I didn’t die a single time in both games.

From a spectator’s point of view, the game became a bit boring to watch after the durability patch. However, watching LSB’s match tonight was different.

We’d never play anything that we haven’t practiced before in a match. During practice, our coaches told us that it may be disappointing, but if we lose, we gave it our all. And if we win, they told us to think that we made the right plays.

The importance of the bot laner became even more important with this patch.

They’re very important in this patch. However, I think the overall synergy is more important.

You face DWG KIA in your next match. Are you confident?

It won’t be easy, but I’m confident I’ll win.

What are some of the things you’ll look out for in that match?

I’m curious how Nuguri will do against our top laner, Dove. Nuguri is a threat, but what’s important is to make our plays. If we play our own game, we’ll win.