On Oct. 19, in the 2023 LoL World Championship, LNG Esports defeated Fnatic in the first round of the Swiss Stage. Fnatic put up a good fight, as they pulled close for the majority of the game. However, LNG Esports was simply too strong for them. After the match, LNG Esports jungler Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong joined Inven Global for a chat.

It’s been two years since you last played at Worlds. How do you feel to be back?

Obviously, it’s great to be back. I wasn’t able to make it to Worlds last year, but this time, I want to do my best and reach as far as I can. The furthest I made it was the quarterfinals back when I was in Griffin, and I want to reach higher than that.

It has also been quite a while since you played in Korea. How is it playing back at home?

It feels refreshing, since it really has been quite a long time. It’s fun and interesting. Since it was our first game at Worlds today, I was a bit nervous and I made too many mistakes.

This year, Scout joined you. How is it playing with him?

Scout is really a hard worker, and he understands the game really well. He’s an amazing player.

The mid-jungle synergy is always important in League of Legends, and it seemed that you two had great synergy right from the beginning. How do you think that was possible?

We did work hard and talked to each other a lot about how to play. There were times that things didn’t work out properly, but our goal was the same: we want to do well. With one goal together, we were able to focus.

What did you prioritize while preparing for Worlds?

The meta changed quite a lot after the summer season, so we analyazed and practiced meta champions as much as we could. I played a lot of solo queue as well.

What’s the biggest difference?

During the summer, there were a lot of tank jungles, but in the Worlds patch version, there were item changes and champion changes, which made AD jungle or AP jungle champions more viable.

How is the new Swiss Stage format?

I haven’t been to that many Worlds, but what’s new is always fun. It feels that I’m having diverse experiences.

To come to think of it, weren’t you the victim of the four-way-tie back in 2021?

[Laughs] Yeah. That was a unique experience. I’ve been there, I’ve also been to the quarterfinals, so all I need to do is get higher than that.

Some people point out that western teams have a slight advantage in the Swiss Stage format. What do you think?

Frankly, since they’re Bo1s, there are more variables. We should stay solid and concentrate to get through.

How was it facing Fnatic today?

Fnatic is a good team, so we analyzed them thoroughly and did our best to prepare. We got off on the right foot and dealt with early game situations well. It is regretful that I missed some important skillshots later in the game.

You’re always evaluated as one of the best junglers. Are there any players in specific that you’re looking out for?

There are too many good junglers at this Worlds. Kanavi is always good, and the LCK junglers are all good too. EU and NA as well. It feels that everyone improved so much more.

There are many of your former teammates here. Are there any you want to meet?

[Laughs] I’d like to avoid them as much as possible. They’re too good. It’ll still be fun to face them.

What’s your goal for this Worlds?

My first goal is getting through the Swiss Stage. It’s a new format, and you never know who you’ll draw for the next matchup, so before we’re fully through to the knockout stage, I’ll keep my goal this way.

Any last comments?

I’ll do my best and get as high as I can so that I can smile in the end.