Back when Samsung Galaxy took down kt Rolster for their ticket to Worlds, no one expected them to have become the World Champions. LCK's 1st seed, Longzhu Gaming, and the 2nd seed, SK Telecom T1, were all considered stronger - the top teams from LPL and LCS as well.

SSG also didn't have an easy time during the Group Stages, unlike the other two LCK teams. Some fans even considered their 3-0 victory over LZ during the quarterfinals an "accident". Whatever the case may be, SSG in the end, climbed their way to the Finals to defeat the reigning champions... and held the Summoner's cup.

Crown had faced a bitter defeat during this time around last year. SKT's midlaner, Faker, proved to be too big of a wall, and even he, himself, admitted to his fall in performance. However, 1 year has passed, and Crown tore down the wall that kept him away from the Champion title. His Malzahar did everything needed during the games, and moreover, he didn't lack any traits as a midlaner that are required to be a champion.

Following the series, SSG Crown was invited for an interview with Sjokz.

How does it feel to become the World Champion? How much does it mean to you?

Until now, I only watched others lift the cup. But now, lifting it for myself, atop the biggest stage with my amazing teammates and coaches... I was extremely happy.

We know how hard you've worked to get to this stage. Do you finally feel... redeemed?

I don't really feel redeemed or feel like I've recovered from my slump. The feelings I had last year and this year is completely different. Throughout my career, this Worlds was the very first tournament that I truly enjoyed and had fun in.


You said before that you had a lot of fun! Playing in such a stressful environment should bring the opposite feelings... how did it bring fun to you?

Starting from the 2nd week, I started playing with the mindset of "enjoying my matches" because the way I played before was unsuccessful. I started seeing and "feeling" the crowd and tried to enjoy my time here. That's when my team and I started performing better. I had a lot of fun playing the games, and it was an overall a very fun experience.