On Sep 3, DRX beat KT Rolster in the lower bracket of the LCK Regional qualifiers with a score of 3-2. It was a very back and forth battle between the two teams; the winning team will be facing Liiv SANDBOX on Sep 4, with the winning team punching their ticket to this year’s LoL World Championships as LCK’s fourth seed.

Deft and Kingen joined LCK’s Yoon Su-bin for a post-match interview.

Thoughts on heading into the last round of the LCK Regional qualifiers?

Deft: During my Kingzone days, I sat in that same spot and played in the same qualifiers with Rascal and Cuzz, so I got emotional and couldn’t really focus in game 5. I’ll need to step up and play hard for them as well.

Kingen, what was on your mind before you headed into tonight’s series?

Kingen: The practice initially didn’t go as well after the playoffs, but about two weeks after that, our practice headed in the right direction, which reflected in our performance, so we felt that as long as we play like the way we used to, we felt that tonight’s series was definitely winnable; even if we lost tonight, we felt that we wouldn’t go down without a fight.

[To Deft] The consensus was that DRX’s level of performance was declining towards the latter half of the Summer split. What were some of the things that the team worked on?

Deft: There’s a lot to be said if I went into detail, but I feel that the biggest thing was regaining the trust between the players. That’s what the coaching staff focused on.

[To Kingen] What was the feedback that the team received in a series that was very neck to neck?

Kingen: When we lost a game, our head coach told us to enjoy ourselves, rather than playing like we’re being chased by something. I think that’s how we were able to play without being nervous, and without being swayed mentally.

[To Deft] Thoughts on Juhan’s performance tonight?

Deft: In the waiting room, he was like, “Am I starting tonight?” So I thought he was full of confidence. I think the coaching staff and Pyosik also helped him a lot tonight, so he played well.

What was being said in the high stake situation before game 5?

Deft: I was actually a bit tired, so I said I was a bit sleepy.

Kingen: I remember Deft saying, “Please don’t let game 5 be my last pro match”. So I needed to make sure it wasn't.

What were your thoughts on when KT pulled out Nilah-Sona in the bot lane?

Deft: Based on my experience of practicing Nilah, I don’t think she does well when paired with enchanter supports. However, playing against Nilah twice with enchanters felt like pretty easy lane matchups.

[To Kingen] When did you feel that you’ve won the series in game 5?

Kingen: I felt like we won the series when we secured the Dragon Soul. When Zeka got a solo kill against his lane opponent, he said something along the lines of, “It’s over”, so that’s when we played the game at ease.

[To Deft] Keria came to LoL Park to cheer you on. Is there anything you want to say to him?

Deft: Truth be told, I’m not sure if he’s here to cheer me on or Rascal, but since I won, I’m grateful that he came here.

Keria: Hello! I came to cheer both of them on, thinking that the winning team is the team I’m cheering for. When DRX was winning, I’d cheer for KT, and vice-versa. I’m not the protagonist tonight, so go DRX!

Deft: I’ll work hard so that we can go to Worlds together.

Lastly, what are your resolutions for tomorrow’s match?

Kingen: We won tonight so we can win tomorrow, so I’ll make sure that we win tomorrow.

Deft: I remember that Liiv SANDBOX didn’t make it to Worlds last year because they lost to me, so I’ll make sure that I beat them tomorrow as well.