Kim “Wadid” Bae-in revealed that he's looking forward towards the new challenges that lie ahead in the upcoming year.

InvenGlobal met up with Wadid, who was resting up in Busan, and had a short conversation about his goals next season. He shared that he has a lot of regrets last season, so he will step up and challenge himself even further to play on the bigger stages in 2020.

The following is an interview with Kim “Wadid” Bae-in. 

You’re back in your hometown, Busan. How’ve you been resting up?

In the 3 years that I’ve been playing as a pro, I’ve never been on a break for so long. Although I’ve been enjoying the time off at first, watching Worlds motivated me in a very good way. I’m currently playing a lot of solo queue.

There was an issue about your departure from G2 Esports last year. From your perspective, what exactly happened?

There’s not much I can tell you. Although I can’t tell you much, it is what it is. I didn’t perform well this year, but learned a lot through my failures. Next year, I want to bounce back from it and show that I’m a much better player. I’m more motivated than ever, and I just want to play on bigger stages next year.

You’ve transferred to the LCS after playing in Europe. What’s the difference between the two leagues?

When I was in Europe, the number of Korean imports in the league has diminished. Also, Europe had much pride in their league and in their players. However, LCS was more tolerant and accepting, and felt that the rookies in NA had a harder time beating the veterans in the league.

Personally, I have more affection towards Europe, as it was the region that really helped with my career.

Why do you think there’s such a gap between NA and EU?

I think that the difference comes from the player pool in both leagues. EU picks up a lot of players from EU Masters and other regions. On the other hand, NA solo queue is a terrible environment for picking up new talent. I remember struggling while playing in NA solo queue myself.

In my opinion, solo queue heavily affects talent in that region. When I’m playing solo queue in Korea, I hit a point in the ladder where the difference in mechanical skill is as clear as day. However, in NA, wherever I’m at in the ladder, it all feels the same. The difference in the mindset is clear as day as well. A lot of players in solo queue want to hit Challenger in order to become pro players, but in NA, most people want to hit to Challenger because they want to become streamers.

You were a guest caster during Worlds, so how do you rate this year’s Worlds overall?

Just like how it was with Samsung Galaxy, teamwork was the main focus of the season. If you look at the mechanical skills of players on FPX on an individual level, they weren’t the best mechanical players, but their team synergy was better than anyone. I love watching great team play, so spectating FPX has brought me much joy. 

In a team game, each player has a lot of pride in their own mechanics and playstyle. Even so, team synergy is crafted when players work together by discussing with one another and giving way towards the right direction. I can see that players work hard to create such synergy, so I have nothing but praise for them.

You’ve mentioned in the last interview that you enjoy proving yourself. What else is left for you to prove?

I think that all pros want to prove themselves. I find much joy and entertainment in it. I want to find joy in winning, and I want to play in a team that can win.

Lastly, what would you like to say to the fans?

I’m really happy that I earned fans through a game that I love playing. My fans are the ones who makes me keep working hard. Compared to 2018, my performance was very poor. I feel really sorry for the fans, and I want to keep working harder. I promise to show a better version of myself next year. I’ve hit rock bottom, so there’s nowhere to go but up. I’ll also have fun and with a positive attitude while working towards my goal, so I hope the fans will continue to support me.