July 5th, on the final day of the 2019 Rift Rivals Group Stage, IG took their second victory of the tournament by defeating SK Telecom T1 and successfully protected their region's pride. IG was tied 1-1 against SKT during the previous MSI, and IG yet again landed the first blow against SKT this Rift Rivals. 

The following is the press interview with Invictus Gaming after their victory.

You're the only LPL team that had secured two victories in the group stage. How do you feel about today's matches?

Rookie: Had the LPL lost to every Korean team, it would've been terrible for our region's fighting spirit. I was honestly concerned about our match against SKT today. Luckily, we did well and defeated them. I want our region to defeat LMS/VCS tomorrow so that we get another chance to play against the LCK.


It had been a while since we saw you on stage. After making a return, you won all your games. Is there anything that you'd like to say to your fans who were waiting to see you play again?

Rookie: I'm quite a veteran if I say so myself, and I believe that's why I didn't struggle coming back. I didn't worry about having to readapt to the meta. But since it had been a while since I've come back to my team, I thought that my synergy with my teammates would've taken a big hit. However, seeing today's match, I think I performed pretty well.

After coming back, I focused on practicing. The reason I took a break was that my father went through an operation, and I needed to be there for him at the hospital. In between my visits to the hospital, I tried squeezing in as much practice as possible. I'm glad that I didn't return a terrible player. I want to play the rest of this tournament in a much better state.


(To Baolan) You previously stated that you really respect Madlife. What part of him do you respect?

Baolan: He's a player that broke the 'support bias', as he played the support role like no one ever had before. I joined the pro scene because of him. 


What do you think of Rookie's return?

Ning: I already knew that he was coming back, so his return didn't feel too special.

Baolan: Rookie has a strong professional mentality, and he's a very consistent player.


The LPL seems to really enjoy picking Kai'Sa. Why?

JackeyLove: Kai'Sa is okay during the laning phase, and if she does well during it, she can carry the game on her own. That's why I think she suits me well.

Head Coach Karam: I really don't know why the LCK doesn't. She has huge carry potential, and she also has a survivability skill. I personally believe that Kai'Sa is everything that an ADC needs to be. JackeyLove is also a fantastic Kai'Sa player.


(To Karam) You're constantly swapping out TheShy for Duke and vice-versa. 

Karam: In my personal opinion, both players are very skilled in their own way. Duke is a well-balanced, safe top laner, whereas TheShy is a lane-focused, aggressive top laner. They swapped out depending on who we're playing against.