On the 17th, at the 2019 MSI Semifinals, Team Liquid defeated the biggest tournament favorite, Invictus Gaming, with a score of 3-1 to qualify for the 2019 MSI Finals. TL utilized unique picks and tactics to counter IG's aggressive playstyle throughout the series. 

After the match, Inven Global was able to reach out and speak with Cain over the phone for a short interview. 

Were you expecting to win today?

When playing against IG in the group stage, there were certain points where we had the upper hand. Our early game has been great recently. I knew that we were fully capable of defeating them. 


What kind of conversation did you have with your players before today's match?

IG is a very powerful team that almost finished the group stage undefeated, so I told my players to relax and to try and enjoy their games. Today, everyone performed spectacularly, especially Xmithie. Xmithie is a jungler who is better at playing the passive playstyle over the aggressive style. I'm sure that he had an inner struggle when he couldn't perform to his expectations during the group stages. However, today, Xmithie played both playstyles flawlessly. He also completed every task that I gave him for the early game. 


How was the team atmosphere when you won?

Everyone went crazy. The staff were running around everywhere... it was a victory that every person on TL celebrated. It was like, for a moment, people lost their minds. (Laughs) I was so excited at the time that I barely remember what happened. Every time a TL staff ran into another, they'd exclaim, "we did it!"


TL's picks & bans were very impressive today.

IG is a team that doesn't turn down team fights. Therefore, we picked champions that guarantee victory in those said fights. Also, when IG started target banning our comfort picks, we were forced to retaliate by playing champions that we didn't have much practice on... but they all worked well. There were a lot of champions that we picked on impulse. 


TL is the second NA team to reach the MSI Finals. How will you approach your final match?

The MSI Finals is a huge challenge for our team. It's also a great opportunity for us to take an international title back home to NA. With what they have learned throughout the duration of this MSI, I want my players to play at their best and leave behind no regrets. I know that they'll make great results if they do.