On Sep 3, DRX defeated Liiv SANDBOX in the final match of the LCK regional qualifiers. With their 3-2 victory, they are now headed to this year’s LoL World Championships as LCK’s #4 seed. DRX will be starting their run in the play-in stage, taking place in Mexico.

Following the match, the head coach for DRX, Kim “Ssong” Sang-soo, answered some questions from the media present that day.

You must be on a rollercoaster of emotions after what some may call it to be a miracle run in the LCK regional qualifiers. How do you feel?

In a way, we beat Liiv SANDBOX the same way we beat KT Rolster. Our players went through a lot this season, and I’m glad that they were able to smile in the end.

Is there anything special you prepared for tonight’s series against LSB?

We did prepare differently for the regional qualifiers, where we tried to find what irks and irritates our opponents the most.

DRX had a rather rough run towards the end of this split, both during the regular split and in the playoffs.

Towards the end, both our practice and our matches weren’t going so well for us, which made the team play pretty passively. We were only focusing on what we were good at, so the plan was to find ways where we can be proactive.

What are some of DRX’s unique strengths as a team?

From the two qualifier matches that we played, we learned how to flip unfavorable situations in our favor. I think that the good results that we produced from it will be valuable in our Worlds run.

Unlike the other three LCK teams at Worlds, DRX starts from the play-in stages.

Historically, there are a lot of teams that travel early to bootcamp. I think that the play-in stages will give us time to adjust to the environment there. There is the whole time zone difference from Mexico to the U.S, but as a coach with a lot of experience coaching in NA, I’ll be planning different ways for our players to perform at their best. I believe that our players will do well.

What are some of the key characteristics of the other regions’ teams at Worlds?

In the current meta, I think the macro is a bit more important than the draft, so it’s important how we can min-max the team comps, and what kind of in-game scenarios we can create. Every league has its own meta, so their analysis on it is different. While preparing for the qualifiers, the LPL teams showcased a very aggressive playstyle, which left quite an impression.

When was the toughest time for you in this season?

I was brought on in the middle of the Spring split this year, so finding our direction and building the team’s chemistry took a lot of time, which we didn’t have.

What was the role that Deft, the veteran player on the team, played during the qualifiers?

I’d say that Deft’s leadership was something that left a great impression on me. It definitely had a both direct and indirect influence on the rest of the team’s performance.

Lastly, how would you like to close off this interview?

We won’t be happy with just making it to Worlds; we’ll make sure to have a great run in it as well.