On the 16th of October, Team Liquid (TL) finished in third place and failed to get to the 2018 Worlds quarterfinals.

Today, TL did have a chance of a possible second-place tiebreaker. However, their hopes for the quarters disappeared after kt Rolster lost against EDG. Still, the players managed to remain solid and succeeded to win their last match against EDG.
 
After the game, we had the chance to meet with TL head coach, Cain. 

Your 2018 Worlds journey came to an end. What're your overall thoughts on this Worlds?

Our draft, overall performance… We could have done better. Still, the players managed to do their best on the last game which I do feel proud for them.

How were the players after the last game?

They did seem proud, and also frustrated. Everyone was like, “What if I performed a bit better…”. Some said, “Sorry.”. Some were about to cry.

What would be the most memorable moment for this Worlds?

Players did play well in our Groups round 1. However, we made mistakes… I’m so sorry, I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment… We were able to scrim against the strongest teams and we did get defeated a lot. We went through tough times. Players had to talk and share a lot of feedback. Our preparation for this Worlds was definitely not easy. They must have felt massive pressure. I should have taken care of the players more; that’s what I remember.

What did you earn from this Worlds?

It’s been almost 4 years after experiencing the Worlds when I was a pro player. Although the in-game strategy is important, I learned that having confidence without feeling pressure is the most important. For our last match, we just put everything down and the players seemed to play without any pressure. They were confident and eventually won.

We did have to go through tough times in the Spring and Summer split; we managed to successfully overcome it. This time (2018 Worlds) as well, we did have difficulties. If I can get another chance next time, I’ll do my best to give more help to the players to not feel pressured. The players were pressured and I was also pressured. That’s why I do feel frustrated when thinking of my pick/ban strategy throughout this Worlds. If we can come back to this stage, we’ll trust each other more and play with confidence.

In the last game, the team picked Xayah-Rakan for the first pick. Was this your symbol of confidence?

Yeah, since it was our last game, we wanted to give out everything we can. Well, we do have that single pick where we are so confident on. Still, aside from our scrim picks and results, we just wanted to put in our utmost for the last game. I think that’s why we played well on our last match against EDG.

Who would be your personal MVP for the team during this Worlds?

Xmithie did a lot for the team. Since he is an experienced player he doesn’t feel pressured during a game; he leads the team atmosphere. Impact also did so much inside our last game against EDG; he definitely carried the team for that match.

In case of Doublelift, although I do think he felt pressure in the very first 2018 Worlds match, he recovered his confidence going into the game against MAD Team. He said, “If I perform like this, I’m going to feel so regretful.”. Then, he asked to give him Kai’Sa. He replied and played well on her. In today’s last match, he was really good on Xayah as well.

Did you have any special strategy that you prepared to use if the team made it to the quarters?

We do have a special composition, but it’s only usable in specific situations. We did prepare a lot on our team concept against KT today… 

Do you have anything to say to your players?

The players prepared a lot and did put in their utmost. I like to thank them for what they did for the team. I also want to say sorry to the players because I could have prepared and used a better strategy. I lacked a lot as a coach, and I am truly sorry.