After a disappointing and unfortunate loss against Atlanta Reign, the San Francisco Shock was ready to bounce back from the loser's bracket. Their first test was against the defending champs, London Spitfire. The Shock did not give any mercy to the Spitfire and swept them to advance to the next round. After the match, Nam-joo "Striker" Kwon spoke with Inven Global about what changed for them in this match and responded to babybay's comments about his Reaper play.

First thing, what changed from last night's game against Atlanta to this game against London?

The biggest change is utilizing Bastion a lot more. Another thing is that we're trying to cycle our shields and ability cooldowns more efficiently. I feel we didn't have good control of that against the Reign.

What did the team need to improve on heading into this match against London?

We had to adapt to our opponent's style faster. That was the biggest issue we had against Atlanta and I felt we accomplished that in this match. 

What was the gameplan for London? How did you stop Profit from popping off?

When we looked at London's replay yesterday, we studied their style a lot, trying to understand any common tendencies they would do. We also wanted to be more aggressive than yesterday. If we didn't, then I think Profit would have popped off on us and it would just be a repeat of the Atlanta match.

What do you think was London's weakness?

Their tempo was really slow. I think they only had one playstyle that we easily adapted to. I felt they couldn't counter our playstyle as the match went on and we just dominated them.

Last year, you played for Boston and now you're here with the Shock in the playoffs. How did the Shock mold you into the player you are right now?

All the players and staff work really hard and I fed off their work ethic. I tried my best to keep up with them as well. One particular person helped me and that was our GM, Chris. Whenever something was on my mind, he was the first person to listen to me. I would often consult with him with anything personal as well. He helped set my mentality in the right place and I thank him a lot for that. 

Last night, I talked to babybay and said he really liked your Reaper play. He even gave you a lot of compliments about it in my interview with him. What are your thoughts?

babybay is also a really good Reaper. He was able to output so much damage to us that it was hard to respond to it. Our team had a hard time stopping babybay. He put out so much damage that I think our tanks are scared of him since you don't know where he's coming from. 

If there's one advice you can give babybay about Reaper, what would it be?

I'm not going to give him any advice. I think he's good enough, just not as good as me. When the season is over with, then I'll give him advice!

Your next game is against the loser between the Titans and Gladiators. What team would you prefer going against?

Right now, I would say the Gladiators because they haven't adapted to the meta yet. Since we're early in this new meta, the Gladiators are such a strong team that when they do adapt to the meta, they'll be too strong. I would rather face them early when they're still figuring things out. 

Besides the Shock, what team is the strongest right now in the playoffs and why?

I believe it's New York because they're good at utilizing Bastion among other flexible comps. They're able to use different comps, especially Reaper/Doomfist, at a high level. I think they can be unpredictable. 

Lastly, is there anything you want to say to the Shock fans cheering you on in these playoffs?

Thank you for cheering us. We'll try harder to reach the finals and win the whole thing.


Follow me on Twitter @itsjustchris for more coverage on Overwatch League and various games.