On the 16th of June (KST), Afreeca Freecs  defeated kt Rolsters with a score of 2-1.

On game 1, KT went with the Bottom Mordekaiser along with some other aggressive champs such as ‘Mata’s signature Thresh pick. Despite giving away the first blood, ‘Mordekaiser - Thresh’ comp managed to constantly push through the Bot lane. However, AFs endured quite a long and eventually won a teamfight near the Drake pit with Spirit stealing the Drake. The same situation occurred when the next Drake spawned. KT gathered near the pit and tried to burst down the dragon. But, Spirit stood up for AFs and stole the dragon once again; AFs managed to win the teamfight as well. After their recall, they used their Banner of Command and easily pushed through KT’s Bot lane, finally destroying the opponent Nexus.

Mordekaiser was picked for KT’s Bot once again on game 2. AFs went with a rather surprising Gangplank Bot. First blood occured in the Top lane, with Nocturne gaining the first kill. However, AFs’ Aatrox managed to kill Nocturne and began to constantly push through Top using his ‘double-buff’. Near the 10 minute mark, KT planned a Top counter gank. However, their plan failed with KT’s Singed getting killed first. KT did fight back by enslaving the Drake, destroying the opponent Mid turret. In the mid game, KT won a huge teamfight using Singed’s and Swain’s AoE skills. They soon slayed the Baron and marched to the opponent Nexus closing the game near the 23 minute mark.

There were changes in the lineup for both teams on game 3. On AFs, ‘Aiming’ subbed in for ‘Kramer’ and ‘Rush’ replaced ‘Score’ for KT. The game started off with a total of 6 kills near the 3 minute mark. The game itself was rather quiet compared to what’ve happened in the early phase. Things became intense near the 23 minute mark when KT’s Camille engaged for a fight. Vel’Koz did manage to endure using his Archangel’s Staff shield. Then, AFs countered with Ornn’s ult landing on 3 enemies. Right away, they tried to burst down the opponent with Vel’Koz’s ult. However, KT managed to fall back and withstand using the Stopwatch, eventually KT winning the teamfight. With KT gradually gaining the advantage, AFs turned the game around winning a fight near the Baron pit. Nocturne secured the Baron and the team started to push through the enemy territory. AFs managed to win a huge fight near KT's Top inhibitor and secured their victory on the 40 minute mark.

After the match, Kuro and coach Zefa were interviewed by OGN.

Q. You were thought of as a rather quiet person, but you literally roared after the win on game 3.

Zefa: I did. We were having a hard time. However, things became different with Kuro showing remarkable performance in the fight near the Baron pit. That’s where we gained back the advantage.

Kuro: We were having a tough time since the opponent Varus reached his power phase early. However, the team managed to perform well; everyone showed good performance.

Q. What was AFs’ plan on the pick bans? Did you guys prepare anything special for the current meta?

Kuro: We just focused on what we prefer to do.

Q. Your picks today were ‘traditional’ mage champions. How did you manage to pick those champions?

Kuro: The team talked about which pick to use and our coach confirmed it.

Q. A lot of new champions appeared in other leagues as well. Was the team inspired by it?

Zefa: Whether it’s a good pick or not, we decide to use it after it is proved as a good pick in practice.

Q. When do you think the team will win the game?

Kuro: Sometimes I get the feeling that we’ll win after I get to see the enemy picks. If it’s hard to determine during the pick bans, I feel that we can win when our in-game performance is good.

Q. The Banner of Command seems to have a big impact in the game. Do you think the item is ‘god-like?

Zefa: Well, it’s not god-like. I think it’s an item that should be built depending on the situation. This time, I thought it was okay to build.

Q. What are your thoughts on the ADC champions these days?

Zefa: ADC champions can be picked. It’s quite similar to how we’ve picked Anivia and Vel’Koz; any champion can be used in this current meta.

Q. The rune, Gathering Storm was used in today’s match. Does this mean that you are still focusing on mid/late games?

Kuro: Actually, we used picks that had to close down the game early. Just when I was thinking about our early game, I saw that the enemy chose Varus. That’s why I used Gathering Storm.

Q. Spirit is showing quality performance these days. What do you thinks is the reason for it?

Zefa: Spirit practiced a lot after losing the Spring split finals. He has always been a hard worker… Well, I think the reason for his performance is because of his practice.

Q. Were there any ‘talks’ between the former ROX Tigers members?

Kuro: I always make fun of Smeb by saying “Are you still alive?” I don’t really think of it that seriously, but I think Smeb does. He sometimes send me messages such as, “When are you going to disappear?” (laughs)

Q. What is the reason for AFs' quality performance? Is it because of the meta?

Zefa: Well, we were still confident even before this current meta. Although the game might change in the future, I'm sure that we will adjust quickly.

Q. What kind of champions do you like?

Kuro: I like to play bruisers since they have a fancy playstyle. They’re so strong these days as well. If I’m not playing Mid in solo queue, I like to go Support; the role is really fun to play. I’ll probably be good on playing Mid Braum.

Q. Can you say something for the fans?

Kuro: We’ve met a lot of strong teams in Spring. Probably things will be the same this split as well. We’ll do our best to win and qualify for the Worlds. I’d like to ask for support from our fans. Thank you.