On the 7th of July (KST), the LCK claimed their first Rift Rivals Championship against the LPL. Kingzone DragonX head coach Kang "Hirai" Dong-hoon and mid laner Yoo "Naehyun" Nae-hyeon was happy to win the championship.

It’s the first Rift Rivals championship for the LCK. How do you feel?

Hirai: I’m extremely happy. I was more nervous than any other competition, so this championship is very valuable to me. I’d like to thank all my players for doing so well.

Naehyun: It’s the first finals I’ve been in during my career, and I feel good that it went well. We were able to win the championship because all the players in other teams delivered outstanding performance as well.

(To Hirai) You were seen high-fiving with DWG Coach Kim Jeong-soo.

Hirai: I high-fived him because I was so happy. Not only coach Kim, but all of the coaching staff here went through a hard time at this tournament. We had meetings through the night about picks and bans and we shared information, strategies amongst ourselves. I guess I felt that we were on the same team.

It was visible that there was a prowess gap between the LPL and LCK. What do you think the biggest difference was?

Hirai: I think our desire was earnest. I don’t think there’s a big prowess gap. We had a clear goal, and that reflected to our performance. The four teams of LCK here each have clear separate traits. I believe this is proof that LCK has improved.

(To the players) Which player was the most impressive during this Rift Rivals?

Naehyun: I was really impressed with Doinb playing diverse picks and pressuring his opponents.