100T Ssumday thoughts on Rift Rivals "I have a lot of complaints. (Laughs) Still, it was the team’s decision, so I’m going with that."

Jul 2, 2018

100 Thieves won both matches in week 3 of the NA LCS 2018 Summer and reached 1st place. Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho played a major role in their successful run. His Jax in the match against Clutch Gaming was especially splendid.

However, he won’t be appearing in the upcoming Rift Rivals. Ssumday shared his thoughts on Saturday’s match against Clutch Gaming and on the roster change for the Rift Rivals.

You carried the team with Jax. How do you feel?

I’m happy that we won against Clutch Gaming after beating them in the semi finals last split. I feel even better since I played a major role in today’s victory.

When you stopped the opponents’ attack with a 4-man stun, how was that situation? Did you think that you’d be able to stop them?

If the opponent played well, I would have had a hard time. I think it was effective because I hit the stun after Ezreal used his Arcane Shift. After that, my teammates responded well so we got good results.

You played Jax into Aatrox. Was it a prepared matchup?

Yes. Jax was played many times in Korea as well. I can’t describe it in detail, but there’s a strategy that can be done using Aatrox that any pro gamer knows. It seemed like they were going to use that strategy by picking Aatrox early in the draft. So I countered it with Jax.

ADC Cody Sun was the only one that picked Smite, but Baron was stolen by Zyra.

That wasn’t his fault. I think we all share responsibility on that. (Laughs)

Doesn’t the team feel uneasy when the ADC is the only player with Smite?

This might not be the answer you’re expecting, but I’m really confident in the Smite fight when I select Smite. I used it often when the top laner used to select Smite, and even now, when we have a funnel comp, I go in the jungle with Smite, so I’m very confident.

Then will we be able to see that in future competitions?

I think it’s possible.

Today, you tried to scale Cody Sun with a funnel comp, but he wasn’t able to get that much CS. Did something go wrong?

We did use a funnel comp, but I think it’s not good scaling only one champion. Just aiming for the late game is good enough, so there was nothing wrong with today’s game.

Let’s talk about the Rift Rivals. Why was the roster changed?

You should ask pr0lly for details. I think he wants to put some thought into how to mix the players. It might not be that appropriate, but Rift Rivals is thought of as an event match, so it seems that pr0lly thinks it’s a good chance to experiment with different things.

If I play the game with them, there are things that I could miss. I think watching the game from a 3rd person perspective could be a good chance for the team and I to develop.

Then will this change affect the Summer Split?

I don’t know about that.

Do you have any complaints? You should want to play in the Rift Rivals.

I have a lot of complaints. (Laughs) Still, it was the team’s decision, so I’m going with that.

Ryu said that Ssumday was getting homesick.

When I feel stressed, I ask my teammates to send me home as a joke. (Laughs) When I watch the LCK, sometimes I miss Korea. I played many games there so I get a bit nostalgic. There were many good memories when I was playing for a Korean team.

It seems that you’re getting pretty close to Worlds.

We still have a long way to go. (Laughs) I really want to go, so I’m doing my best. I want to meet the Korean teams and Chinese teams as well.

The meta is somewhat unstable. Wasn’t it hard for you to adapt?

It was hard at first, but I think the pro scene almost found its place. However, solo queue is still weird, so it’s painful.

Do you have any memorable solo-queue stories?

The opponent played Ekko-Nunu and funneled gold, and the players who did that were pros, so we lost.

There are players that don’t approve of funnel comps. How about you?

As a top laner, it’s really hard. (Laughs) If we play a funnel comp, my goal in laning is ‘surviving’. I won’t be able to get help from the jungler, but the opponent jungler ganks top and sometimes the mid laner comes as well. Laning becomes really hard.

But thinking about it the other way, I can go bot. There are many things I can do so that’s a good thing. In the end, I think the people watching will have fun.

Did you ever go to the bot lane in scrims? Do you think you’ll be able to do that in competitions?

I practiced in scrims, and yes we might play that in competitions.

Your English is a lot better than before. How do you practice?

I study a lot with the English teacher, and I always ask if I hear something I don’t fully understand when we get feedback. Sometimes, the coaching staff and other players are a big help as well.

I wasn’t a student that studied hard back when I was in school, so I only knew the alphabet when I first came to the US. The English teacher was shocked at my English skills at first. Now, she says that she’s never seen such fast improvement. I’ve gotten a lot closer to her now. She’s like another supporter. I get a lot of help from her.

So is your goal for this season winning the championship and getting to Worlds?

Yes, but I’m trying to concentrate on the closer upcoming matches.

Which teams do you think will get in your way the most?

Echo Fox, Team Liquid, and TSM.

Do you think you’re worthy of playing against the world’s best top laners?

It’s essential to be confident as a top laner. In today’s match, I was confident enough to think that I’ll be able to kill all five opponents. I don’t have any doubt in myself.

Would you like to make any final comments?

It’s my birthday in three days. There are fans that send me presents from Korea. I want to say thank you to not only those fans that send me presents, but to all the fans that cheer for me.