On the 3rd of October(KST), Day 3 of the '2018 League of Legends World Championship Play-In Group Stage' took place. During the day, although DetonatioN FocusMe lost both of their matches, they were able to defeat 'KaBuM!' in the tiebreaker to advance to the Play-In Knockout Stage. The LJL representatives for this year's Worlds defied fans' and analysts' expectations and consistently made bold and proactive plays throughout their games.

The following is an interview with DFM viviD. 

Japan has had taken their very first World Championship victory this year. Many didn't expect the LJL to show up so strong. Weren't the players nervous going in?

Not really. 

We lost in the LJL Finals four different times. We had a lot of emotions built up. Therefore, at Worlds, we wanted to show a side to us that we couldn't show in the LJL.


You guys utilized very unique picks and strategies during your games. Is this kind of playstyle common in the LJL? Or would you rather say that this playstyle is unique to DFM?

I believe that it's DFM's unique trait. It also worked well in the Japanese league. We practiced hard to compete in the international stage, and we developed this type of playstyle as a result. We didn't go through large roster changes either. 


There are two Korean players in DFM. How does the team communicate?

I can speak Japanese. Steal also speaks Japanese really well. 

Steal and I speak Japanese to each other on a daily basis, because the other players need to understand us, too. It had been a while since I've spoken Korean... the language is starting to feel unfamiliar to me. (Laughs) I hope I don't make any mistakes during this interview. 


No, you're doing fine! So if what you're saying is true, then I suppose those who hear your team's comms may believe that there is no Korean player in DFM.

Most likely, yes.

After your game today, we saw Evi crying on stage. What happened?

After initially losing to 'KaBuM!', Evi was having a hard time. 

Right before our tiebreaker match against them, we told each other, "let's play to our hearts' content. Let's make sure we don't leave any regrets." During the actual game, Evi made a lot of good calls and led the team to victory. I think the fact that he played the most important role in our team's victory caused his emotions to erupt. 


The other teammates were laughing at him when Evi was crying. The LCK casters found it quite funny at what happened. 

It was hilarious. (Laughs) He just suddenly broke out in tears. But looking back at it, I think Evi was feeling the most amount of pressure out of all of us throughout the tournament. 


Through this Play-In Stage, the LJL has definitely let their name known to the entire world. Is there anything you want to say to both your fans in Japan and overseas?

This is our first time competing in the World Championship. I'm satisfied with our performance because I believe we were able to show entertaining games to those watching. We'll do our best to continue to show these types of games in the Knockout Stage. 

We're currently getting a ton of support from our Japanese fans. It's definitely put a lot of weight on our shoulders. I'm pretty sure that our fans have been upset that we lost in the LJL Finals so often. However, we've been performing pretty well here in our first World Championship -- I'm sure they're proud of us. I'll do my best to meet our fans' expectations.