On January 20(local time), NA LCS 2017 Spring Split kicked off. The second match of the season pitted Hyeongseko “Looper” Jang of Echo Fox against Donghyeon “Arrow” No and Sangwook “Ryu” Yoo of Phoenix1.

After an extensive preparation for the NA debut, Phoenix1 defeated Echo Fox 2-0 in this very close series. Inven got a chance to speak with Arrow to hear his thoughts on playing in NA.

How does it feel like to win your debut match?

It feels good to get off on a good start. Still, I personally think my plays leave much to be desired, and that’s where I plan to improve on.

Since last season, what have you been up to?

Oh, where do I start? I’ve lost some weight after the Worlds 2016 preliminary games. I’ve been looking for a new team after I left kt Rolster, and when it was almost set in stone, my new teammates came to Korea for boot camp. That’s when I gained some weight because they took a good care of me during the practice.

I came to the US about a month later than I expected because of visa issues. The initial date was January 2nd, but my visa was approved about ten days late, then I was able to head to America. Despite other minor issues, it’s good to be finally here in the US. I was fortunate enough to be upgraded to business class, and it was very comfortable flight overall. I didn’t get enough practice time, and I’m still a bit jetlagged. I can’t seem to sleep in the appropriate time and keep waking up too early.

Since we’re in Los Angeles, there are many Korean restaurants and other eateries. The weather’s nice and it’s a really good place to live.

Why did you draft Varus in both games today?

In the current meta, ADC’s job is to survive laning phase to gank with other laners or junglers or to bait the enemy to overextend. It’s less about the bottom lane duo skirmishing against the enemy duo and more about macro plays. That’s why champions with hard CC like Varus and Ashe are favored, so I went with one.

I understand this is your first NA debut. What are your impressions of players so far?

This isn’t exclusive to NA, but I found that some players, who weren’t particularly good in scrims, excel in tournament settings. There are also opposite cases, so I guess it’s difficult to gauge players based on scrims. I believe teams with an effective line of communication tend to be stronger and better.

Have you gotten a chance to talk to Ryu, who was with you back in kt Rolster?

Actually, it’s the first time I’m playing with him on the same team. I’ve been living with him to figure out what kind of person he is. You learn a lot from observing a person. He seems aloof on the outside, but softer on the inside. He’s an interesting guy.

Thoughts going into tomorrow’s match? Anything you’d like to say to fans?

Now that I’m here in America, I hope you continue to root for me because I’ll try to do as well or better than I did in Korea. It means a lot to hear from fans through social media. I promise to make less mistakes and sub-par plays.

We’re up against Team Dignitas tomorrow. Apologies to Ssumday, but we won’t go easy. I’m so sorry, Chanho!