On day 20 of the 2022 LCK Summer split, Gen.G defeated DRX 2-0 in the first match of the day. Despite their loss against T1 in their last match, Gen.G managed to maintain their top place in the standings through their victory against DRX.

The jungler for Gen.G,, Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, spoke about his victory.

How does it feel to beat DRX, a team that you’re competing against for that top spot in the LCK Summer split standings?

We were in a disadvantageous state in game 1, but we were able to react calmly and come back into the game. There’s a lot that we learned, and moving forward, I’ll feel that it’ll be a valuable lesson.

Did the game ever feel dangerously close when DRX’s Lulu-Kog was dominating?

I personally thought that playing Lucian-Nami into Lulu-Kog wasn’t that bad. However, Lulu-Kog did perform better from the mid-game.

You picked Skarner in game 2. How come?

Nowadays, most junglers either play Wukong or Viego. I also practiced a lot. I needed a new champion to play in case these two got banned, and I thought Skarner isn’t that bad in the current meta, and I saw an angle to pick it tonight

How did you discuss the pick with your head coach?

I played Skarner around two to three times in solo queue. There were some negative reactions to it; Doran said “I think Skarner’s a really weak champion.” But Score thought Skarner was okay, so he supported the opinion of picking him tonight.

Are there more of these surprise picks in your champion pool?

I actually had some new ideas while I was talking with the staff in the waiting room. I have about two to three of these champions that can fit in the meta. As for which champions they are, I can’t share them because they’re trade secrets.

It feels that your role within the team is the key to producing good results. A lot of people say that your jungle pathing is especially innovative.

I think I made a few plays that can leave a positive influence in the league. I’m playing the way I want to in the Summer split, and the results have been great, so I’ve been attempting new things. From the LPL, Nongshim RedForce to Gen.G, I learned that trying something new is important. Seeing those new attempts work in actual matches is a relief.

Your jungle pathing in game 1 was fun to watch. Is there a reason why you focused on the top side?

I pathed top side because I decided to start at Blue buff. Shyvana was playing aggressively with Ghost, so I felt that as long as there wasn’t a ward, I could gank her. I feel that I was able to take advantage of the small slip up that they had.

Do you feel that it was a chance for you to showcase different jungle pathing?

Because of the durability patch, I had a lot of opportunities to attempt new things in the early game.

Are there any junglers that you’ve been inspired in terms of your unique pathing?

I watch the LPL quite often, so Tian, Kanavi, Karsa and Wei’s plays have been my sources of inspiration.

As someone who not only watches a lot of LPL, but also has played it once in your career, what are some of the differences in atmosphere between the LCK and the LPL?

It was hard for me to be confident in beating teams that were middle-lower in the standings. There are many teams in the LPL, and they all have different playstyles. Plus, there were a lot of matches to play. 

I also think that different playoff formats are also correlated in terms of international performance. The LPL has a lot more Bo5s that they play, so they have more chances to gain experience.

Just how many Bo5s are there in the LPL?

There are 17 teams in the LPL, so they naturally play more games. Teams seeded lower in the playoffs are able to play a whole bunch of Bo5s in a short period of time. When I was on LGD in 2018, I played five Bo5s over nine days. On top of that, there were regional qualifiers, so I had a crash course on discovering how to properly prepare. I wish there were more Bo5s in the LCK as well, but since there are only 10 teams in the league, I don’t think it’ll be easy.

Gen.G took game 1 off T1 in their last match, but lost game 2 and 3.

I feel we had a perfect win in game 1. However, we’ve allowed the enemy Pyke to take too many kills, so he was too fed in game 2. For game 3, we just didn’t have the team play.

Despite that loss, Gen.G’s still in 1st place. What’s the secret?

Based on my seven years of pro career experience, it’s totally different when you lose because of player skill gap as to losing due to your own mistakes. Ultimately, making those mistakes is part of how you perform, so you have to try to fix those mistakes as fast as you can. Our team is currently practicing how we don’t make those mistakes. I think that’s the secret. 

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say?

We lost to T1, but managed to beat DRX 2-0 tonight and maintain our 1st place. We’ll be playing Liiv SANDBOX next; they’re a team on a win streak, so they won’t be easy. I hope we can put the brakes on their win streak.