How are scrims going?

We haven't played against any Korean teams, but against teams from other regions, we're maintaining a positive winrate. We're solid enough to match up well against TSM, and will be one of the stronger teams at Worlds.

How is practice in general going?

Ever since disappointing everyone at MSI, we've been practicing nonstop. We have not taken a single day off during our bootcamp. Apart from eating, all we've been doing is playing the game. Many of our problems have been solved and communication has been great. I'm optimistic.

Have you prepared a secret pick for Worlds?

I have prepared every single jungle champion in the game. Skarner is one: he actually gets pretty strong once he gets his Warrior Enchant. I prefer it to Ambition's risky Trinity Force build.

You have been successful ever since moving abroad. Secrets of your success?

Practice - a lot of practice. Also beneficial was my trainee experience on CJ Entus, as there were many things I could pick up through watching the first team veterans play. What helped most, however, was improving my English. There is only so much you can do if you're incapable of staying on the same page with your teammates. The basics are far from enough. You need to communicate accurately and in detail; otherwise you will be forever held back.

Is EU really that weak as of the moment?

We made EU look bad at MSI. It's entirely our fault. I know it's an excuse, but we really did take too long of a vacation after the spring split. We went into the tournament with almost no practice and were deservedly destroyed. I plan to perform well at Worlds and show that EU is still the second strongest region.

How would you compare KR junglers with EU junglers?

LCK and EU LCS shared a very similar meta during the summer season. In terms of skill and stylistic range, I believe EU LCS junglers are on par with LCK junglers.

You were once teammates with Ambition. Looking forward to possibly playing against him?

Very much so. I used to face off against him in internal CJ Entus scrims, and generally went about even. It's been quite a while, though, so I'm not sure how it'll go now. [laughs] I truly hope we get to play each other.

Would you agree that G2 is far ahead of all other EU teams?

On stage, yes. But in scrims, Splyce always go toe to toe with us and pull off amazing plays. Whenever we pull out something new in scrims, they're very quick to discover a counter or assimilate it into their own play - the two teams operate in a positive feedback loop of sorts. They will be considered a much stronger team as soon as they manage to transfer scrim form to stage form.

In a previous interview, you said G2 could realistically win Worlds 2017.

Playing together for a long time is very important in building up teamwork and synergy, but many EU teams have historically suffered from frequent roster changes; our current iteration is less than six months old, for instance. All five members of our team are individually talented and still have a lot of unrealized potential. If we can stick together for another year or so, I believe we will be able to match up against even the best Korean teams.

Is Perkz as arrogant as the fans believe him to be?

He is a very confident player who does get too cocky at times. But I think his media portrayal is exaggerated - it's not like he instantly tilts off the face of the Earth at the drop of a leaf or something... [laughs] He's a good guy.

Thoughts on the other teams in your group?

Although I was impressed by Albus NoX Luna's support, specifically his Bard and Brand, I don't think the team will be able to pose much of a threat. ROX Tigers has an insanely powerful top-jungle duo, as everyone knows. CLG seems to play around their top and mid. I want to pay CLG back for our MSI defeat and prove we've improved.

Any last words?

I apologize to both my European and Korean fans for our horrendous MSI performance. We are determined to do well at Worlds and make Europe great again.

This is your second time in Korea. How are you enjoying it?

My first visit was with Origen. It was frustrating because none of our team could speak Korean; even simple things such as ordering food and getting around were huge hassles. This time, two of my teammates are Korean. Everything is going swimmingly so far.

How do Korean bootcamps help?

Being able to scrim so many different regions' best teams is great.

Is EU really that weak as of the moment?

We did have a poor showing at MSI, so other regions' looking down on EU is not without reason. They will be proven wrong at Worlds, though, because G2 is actually good. [laughs] The current public perception of regional strength will soon change anyway. If we perform well at Worlds, we will be reevaluated accordingly.

How would you compare 2015 Origen with 2016 G2?

Origen's strength came from player skill. Everyone was mechanically brilliant, but we lacked teamwork and synergy. G2 tries to play more as a team and relies less on individual outplays to win games.

What would you attribute your rate of personal improvement to?

I've always tried to fix the mistakes from my last match. Making sure to keep an open mind about the game also helped a lot - namely, habitually trying out different item builds on different champions in different matchups and different compositions. This allowed me to weed out faulty empirical prejudices and have a flexible style of play.

A healthy team atmosphere, where everyone is willing to aid everyone else find their own mistakes, really speeds improvement. Mithy especially helped me out a lot!

NoFe pointed to Mithy as one of the most threatening players at Worlds. Any idea why?

Not really, no... [laughs mischeviously]

Thoughts on the current ADC meta?

There currently are five, maybe six tournament-viable ADCs, which I think is an acceptable degree of diversity. I prefer ADCs that are half-and-half between autoattack damage and ability damage, such as Lucian and Corki. What I end up playing, however, mostly depends on our approach to the draft in that particular game.

Expectations and goals for Worlds?

Quarterfinals would be enough to make me happy, although placing higher would of course be much better. Our group draw was definitely on the fortunate side, so I would be very sad if we failed to make it out.

Any last words?

I want to express my gratitude to all the fans who watch and support me. Thanks, everyone.