On February 3rd (PST), Team EnVyUs defeated Team Liquid with a 2-0 record. It was a meaningful victory for Team Envy as it was their first win of this season.

We had a short interview with Taeyoo “LirA” Nam who showed a great performance through timely gankings and macro-management with Rek’Sai in both games.

Here is our interview.

Congratulations on your win today. How do you feel?

It always feels great to win a match, and today has been a good day for not just me but for all of my teammates. I prefer to do macro-management well rather than be the carry for the team, and I couldn't do that until now. I'd rather win through macro rather than kills, and I'm glad that I could win like that today.

You've done well with Rek'Sai in both games. What was your reason behind picking Rek'Sai twice?

I needed to pick a tank for the team's composition, but most of my pocket picks that I was confident with macro were DPS champions. So, I picked Rek'Sai because it seemed to be the best pick as a tank that I could do macro with. However, I'll have to say that it's only situationally good.

Can you tell us about what happened after you’ve left Afreeca Freecs?

I parted with Afreeca Freecs on good terms, and it was not because I was having trouble getting along well with other players. Instead, it was because I thought I could go on to the World Championship, learn English and come across other good opportunities by going abroad. When I talked to the head coach about this, he gracefully allowed me to terminate the contract a month earlier and find a foreign team.

I've received more than ten offers, but I decided to go with Vitality and actually spent some time with them. However, the condition wasn't that great. We didn't have a designated interpreter, so Seungchan "Hachani" Ha and I had to rely on each other. Also, I wasn't in a good shape because I didn’t play LoL for a month at that time. They all added up to be very difficult for me, so I parted with Vitality on good terms and settled down with Team EnVyUs afterwards.

How are you doing in the United States? Are there any Korean players who joined LCS NA this season that you are getting along well?

I have lived abroad before, so I think I'm adjusting pretty well. I do miss my friends and families, but living and gaming condition are pretty good. I get along well with other players who were in KT Rolster with me. Also, I keep in touch with Hojong "Flame" Lee that I know from CJ Entus days.

Can you tell us more about how you are adjusting to Team EnVyUs? I assume having Korean teammates should help greatly in terms of communications.

There is no problem in terms of communications, and, for that matter, there aren't many problems to begin with. However, preparing for matches have been very difficult for us because we didn't have time to practice enough as a team. While we are not the only team who suffered from this, I think we suffered the most. After all, it's only been two weeks since I moved here because of visa issues. I think we’ve done well because we finally had enough time to practice together.

Many junglers now prefer to play with DPS champions. What are your thoughts on the current meta?

I think the metagame will revolve around having a lead during the laning phase and snowballing that lead. So, champions such as Ivern who can help greatly during that phase might become favored. Generally, the metagame tends to follow LCK, and LCK matches are often decided during the draft phase as having a better pick in a lane will results in a lead in the laning phase that can snowballed into a game win. I think it will be like this for some time.

Thank you for your time. Any parting words?

I don't think I have that many fans. However, I wanted to stay in Korea for those few fans who came to cheer for me in person. So, it's a bit unfortunate that I had to leave LCK for my career. I promise that I'll do great in the LCS NA, so please cheer for me and my ex-teammates from Afreeca Freecs.