On the 22nd of March, in the 2018 LCK Spring Split, bbq Olivers defeated Kongdoo Monster 2-0 and kept hope of escaping the relegation match. After finishing the last match of the season, bbq head coach, Kim Ga-ram, shared his thoughts on his hopes to stay in the LCK.

The following is the interview with bbq head coach Kim Ga-ram.

Q. You’ve played the last match of the season. How do you feel?

It’s a relief that we finished the last match well. We shouldn’t have fallen here; I feel responsible for that. I hope SKT does well for us so we won’t go to the relegation match.

Q. When was the most regretful of the season?
The matches we lost in favorable situations and the biggest regret was losing to MVP 0-2 twice.

Q. You’ve beaten strong teams often, but stumbled helplessly sometimes. What do you think was the problem?

In the matches that we lost helplessly, there were misplays of the players, but mostly we were behind from the draft. Thinking of when we were good, the prepared plays went as thought. We had a long time to prepare for the match against Kingzone DragonX, and we did well. We were also more concentrated because the president of BBQ came to watch that day.

Q. If you’re able to stay in the LCK, what’s your plans for the Summer Split?

I do think that in certain positions, we need to recruit more players, but it’s not something that can be decided easily. In the early season, even if we won, there were parts that wasn’t quite satisfying. Still, I think the teamwork got a lot better nearing the end of the season. I think we’ll do well in the Summer Split whether we recruit new players or not.

Q. Is there a possibility of recruiting several players?

I don’t think that will happen.

Q. It’s the first season with Trick and IgNar. Are you satisfied with their performance?

I think we should have had better results. We all share responsibility on having bad results. Still, Trick and IgNar are both very good players, and there were improvements as a team than early in the season.

Q. Crazy had very good evaluation. How do you think of him as the head coach?

Crazy’s a player who was here from the beginning. I personally trust him and rely a lot on him. I believed that he’ll do well, and I think he’ll do even better in the next season.

Q. Ghost performed a lot better late in the season. How did you coach him?

We moved Ghost’s practice area into my room. I watched the whole practice process very thoroughly right next to him and gave feedback right away to improve his weak points. He must have had a hard time because he’s so young. I think he was able to overcome all the trouble well.

Q. Some fans pointed out that the team didn’t care for Ghost enough. How was the feedback on that matter?

There was feedback. Our team has stronger upper half than the bottom, and IgNar likes champions that can initiate, so he didn’t play many champions that are good to protect the ADC. We also focused on the upper lanes, so it’s true that we didn’t care for him enough. Although there were matches that we lost because Ghost was cut off at important moments, but we did discuss as a team about not being able to protect the ADC enough.

Q. If you go to the relegation match, which team do you want to meet?

I think Griffin is good enough. I haven’t watched other matches in detail, but if we do go to the relegation match, I’ll analyze the opponents thoroughly.

Q. Do you have any last comments?

I’m very sorry to the team authorities and to the fans for not being able to deliver good results. It’s not certain whether we’ll go to the relegation match, but even if we do, we’ll be back no matter what. If we’re able to stay, we’ll be back with better performance in the Summer Split.