On June 1, media day was held for the 2023 LCK Summer Split. Players and coaches of the ten teams joined the media to talk about how the season would go. They shared their thoughts about the season, and answered questions from the media. While most teams predicted T1 would be strong, Gen.G and Dplus KIA also got a few votes.

The following is a full translation of the media day.

How are your resolutions for the summer split?

Irean: We started the LCK season with the challengers league players, and I felt that it isn’t easy. Since we’re still learning, we worked harder to prepare for the summer season. I’ll make sure that we have a much better performance in the summer.

Sylvie: I’ll work hard so that we can become a team that is difficult to face in the summer.

Micro: We had a slight roster change, and we’ll work hard to have a much better performance.

BeryL: We weren’t that good in the spring, but I’ll make sure that we improve what we lacked in the spring to do better in the summer season.

Edgar: We’ll create better teamwork and synergy by working hard.

UmTi: There were many things we lacked in the spring, including teamwork, so I want to improve that and do better in the summer.

cvMax: We’ll do better than spring.

DuDu: We’ll try to get better results in the summer split.

Ryu: We’ve been practicing to aim for the championship in the summer, so I’ll do my best to show our best performance.

Teddy: As Ryu said, I’ll do my best so we can win the championship.

DanDy: We didn’t do as well as our expectations in the spring, but in the summer, we’ll try harder to reach the top.

Clid: We had some weaknesses in the spring, so we’ll try to cover that and do better in the summer.

Acorn: Our main goal is to reach Worlds. We didn’t do that well in the spring split, so we’ve been practicing to win the championship. Especially, I want to have revenge against those 

teams who beat us, T1, Gen.G, and Hanwha Life Esports.

Canyon: We’ll show a better performance in the summer.

supreme: We’ll improve the parts we lacked so that we can reach Worlds in the summer.

Lehends: My goal is also to reach Worlds.

Bengi: We had our difficulties in the spring and MSI. My goal is to prepare well for the summer split and get good results.

Gumayusi: We missed out on two out of four championships this year, so I’d like to focus on the remaining two. I believe the summer split is connected directly to Worlds, so I want to raise my form as much as I can.

Score: We were able to make it to the finals in the spring, and I’ll do my best so that Gen.G can reach the finals again.

Peanut: We got to the finals and won the championship in the spring, and I really want to make it to the finals this summer as well.

Which team do you think will do best in the summer?

Score: I think T1 will be the strongest. They’ve always been good every season.

Bengi: After a thorough discussion, we’ve decided that it’s Dplus KIA. They have a good chance of playing well in the current meta, and although I haven’t seen them play yet, they’ll play well.

supreme: I’d like to say T1. They’re a team that plays well regardless of the meta.

Acorn: We also think it’s T1. They’ve always been good in the regular season.

DanDy: I think it’s Dplus KIA. They can show much more in the summer season.

Ryu: I think Gen.G is going to do well. They’re good in scrims, and their performance is good.

cvMax: I think T1 will do well.

Edgar: I believe T1 will win the championship. They did well last season, and since they had a hard time at MSI, they’ll use that to motivate themselves to do better in the summer.

Micro: I expect T1 to do well. They will become more solid as a team.

Irean: We also think it’s T1. They’re always solid as a team, and they turn unfavorable games around effortlessly with one play.

T1 got the most votes. What do you think about that, Gumayusi?

Gumayusi: I feel good about it. I’ll work hard to live up to the expectations.

(To Score and Bengi) As you went through the spring playoffs and MSI, what did you think about your team? What do you have as a solution to do better?

Score: The biggest change for our team was the bot lane. We gained much data through spring and MSI, and they’ve gained a lot of experience as well. If we mix them well with our top side, we’ll be able to do well in the summer and at Worlds.

Bengi: We weren’t able to win in best-of series in the spring finals and at MSI, so I’ll see what we can do to do better.

(To BeryL and Lehends) Milio will be added. It’s already appeared in the LPL. What do you think about Milio?

BeryL: Milio is a pretty good champ, and it has a high value in the late game. I believe it’ll see a lot of play in the summer.

Lehends: Giving the ADC QSS and Rapid Firecannon is really good. I think I’ll play it often.

(To Bengi) You expressed regrets about not understanding the meta well after MSI. Are you going to change how you analyze the meta?

Bengi: We’re just beginning to interpret the meta. It hasn’t been long since we started practicing, and we’re watching other leagues to interpret the meta. At MSI, we missed out on some important picks, so I plan to do my best to find the proper champions well to lead the meta.

(To Gumayusi) You weren’t picked on the Asian Games roster. Does that motivate you to do better in the summer and Worlds?

Gumayusi: I didn’t work hard just because I wanted to get picked on the Asian Games roster, so regardless of that, I’ll keep doing my best.

(To T1) T1 was always good in the spring, but the team didn’t do as well in the summer. What do you think about the summer split?

Bengi: The biggest difference between spring and summer is how good the teamwork is early in the season. Also, if the season goes on for long, the players kind of get tired. I’ll do my best to keep the players in their best conditions up to the end.

(To Teddy) You took a break for a season. What’s your goal for the season, and how far do you think Liiv SANDBOX can go?

Teddy: As I watched LCK during the break, I wanted to play again, so I worked hard. I’ve been practicing much, and my form is good. If I work well with my teammates, we can do well. I can’t say specifically how good we’ll do, but I believe we’ll do well.

(To Acorn) Dplus KIA didn’t do as well as expected in the spring. What did you try to improve for the summer?

Acorn: There were some regrets regarding mid to late game macro in the spring, so we’ve been trying to improve that. I believe we’ve improved much, and we’ll show that in the summer season.

(To Teddy) Were there any players that motivated you or players you wanted to face during your break?

Teddy: Well, there was a game that motivated me. The playoffs series between T1 and KT was really fun, and I thought I wanted to play those kinds of games. All the players are really good, and they all motivate me.

(To UmTi) You were teammates with Teddy, and there’s a new ‘bank rivalry’ between the two teams now. What do you think?

UmTi: I don’t really think about the rivalry, but since Teddy is back, I think I’ll gank him more. Teddy’s reaction is fun when I kill him. [Laughs]

(To BeryL) How do you think your bot laner will do?

BeryL: Paduck is a rookie, and I saw that he wasn’t aware of some fundamentals. He has a high solo queue score, so if he improves that, he’ll get much better.

(To cvMax) You said spring was satisfying but regretful. How did you try to improve? What change is necessary?

cvMax: Our movements as a team aren’t as good as the other teams. We have been focusing on the mid jungle synergy and team movement.

(To Peanut) You also weren’t picked in the Asian Games roster. What do you think?

Peanut: Any player would want to be picked, but it’s already done. The players that were picked deserve to be picked, and I think they’re all worthy. I’ll just prepare well for the summer and Worlds.

(To UmTi) You had previously said that the team needs a playmaker, and that you feel like you’re playing alone. What kind of change did you make?

UmTi: First of all, I’ve never said that. Who would say that they feel like they’re playing alone in a team game? Honestly, I’m offended by the question, and I don’t want to answer it.

(To Gumayusi, Peanut, Clid) The MSI finals were between two LPL teams. Do you think LPL stepped ahead of LCK? What do you think LCK can learn from LPL?

Gumayusi: I felt that LPL is good during the MSI. The ADCs’ ability to carry is really good, and they’re good at teamfights. I think that’s what we should learn. But I think LCK can have revenge at Worlds.

Peanut: I don’t think any of the two regions went ahead. It’s just that T1 and we lost to the LPL. We’ll see which league is better at Worlds. For now, I don’t know. I felt that the LPL is good at teamfights for sure. LCK’s teamfights are good as well, but the LPL had better details.

Clid: As a spectator, I saw that the LPL picked comfort picks well.

(To DanDy) The spring season was regretful. How did you prepare for the summer?

DanDy: In the spring, there were a lot of individual plays. That being said, we teamwork. We focused on that part in the summer.

(To DanDy, supreme) The opening match is between Hanwha Life Esports and KT Rolster. Any expectations?

DanDy: It’s important to get on a good flow for the regular season, so the first match is very important. I hope we win.

supreme: As DanDy said, the first match is really important. We’ll do our best to prepare well and win.

(To Bengi, Score) You both went to the MSI, and you’ll be facing each other in the first week.

Score: We play KT and T1 in the first week. If we get off on the right foot in our first match, we’ll gain more confidence to play against T1. So we should focus on our match against KT first.

Bengi: The regular season is long. If we have a good result in the first week, we can prepare more comfortably with an easier mind. So my goal is to raise our form until the match.

(To Irean) You said that you gained your first win earlier than expected, but the later end wasn’t that good. How did you improve that?

Irean: It’s true that we got our first win earlier than thought, but the players made big mistakes when we had the lead sometimes by getting anxious. The players have gained much more experience now. There’s a lot to learn from the losses, so I told my players to rewatch the losses. That would make them gain more experience faster. I believe that improved much, and that is our main focus for the summer season.

(To Sylvie) How was it playing a full season as the starting member?

Sylvie: Based on the experience last season, I’ll do my best to show a good performance. My mind wasn’t at ease during the spring, but I’ll try to play less nervously.

(To Gumayusi) It seems that your mentality got much better this year. What’s your secret?

Gumayusi: There were many incidents last year. I’ve been through success and failure, so I learned a lot from that. Besides that, I exercise, read, watch videos, and pray to strengthen my mentality.

(To BeryL) You’re called LoL whiz. Which lane is key in the current meta?

BeryL: When the season begins, there are patches every two weeks. I believe there could be another Ardent Censer meta, and a lot of utility champions will appear.

(To cvMax) Two of your former players made it on the Asian Game roster. Are there any players on your team that could make it to the roster in 2026?

cvMax: If they reach their max potential, I think DuDu and Taeyoon can make it.

(To DuDu) How high do you want to get this summer? How’s the teamwork with your teammates?

DuDu: When we beat Gen.G, we had some luck. Still, I believe we were able to pull it off because we all concentrated until the end. For the summer, I really want to reach the playoffs.

(To Gumayusi) You seemed to be struggling more than usual after the loss at MSI. What has changed? 

Gumayusi: We kept losing in important matches, so I gave a thorough thought about what we can improve. I always try to become a better version of myself, and I thought we made good improvements after the loss in the spring finals, but we lost again at MSI. That made me think doing my best isn’t enough. However, I do believe if I keep doing my best, results will follow one day.

(To bot laners) The item builds for bot laners have changed. What do you think about Stormrazor?

Teddy: There are more legendary items, so we can use many different champions. I’ll need to study more about the items. As for the Stormrazor, it’s a great item.

Gumayusi: Stormrazor is a decent pick among the items that use Noonquiver, so I think people build it often. But it’s getting nerfed in the next patch, so I don’t know how it’ll change.

(To Junglers) Do you have tips on acting with Neeko?

UmTi: I think Riot is trying to make Neeko completely into a jungler. I don’t think I can share tips, but I like it and think it’s OP.

Sylvie: Neeko is a good pick that can be swapped with mid lane.

Canyon: You can create many variables with Neeko, so it’ll be useful in the games. 

Clid: It depends on how well players utilize it.

Peanut: Neeko’s jungling is fast, and it can be swapped between jungle and mid. It’s a great pick. I think Canyon can play it best.

(To all players) Can you pick one team that you want to beat no matter what?

BeryL: For the long run, we should aim to get to the regional qualifiers, so I hope we can beat Liiv SANDBOX in all the regular games and make them fail to reach the playoffs.

Teddy: I want to beat DRX in all games so that they wouldn’t even think about getting to Worlds.

DuDu: I want to beat Hanwha Life Esports since DanDy is there.

Clid: I want to beat KT and Gen.G this summer.

Lehends: I want to beat Hanwha Life Esports.

Peanut: We beat all of them in spring, so I just want to have good results.

Canyon: I want to beat Hanwha Life Esports. I want to beat them in the playoffs.

UmTi: It’s been a while since I beat KT, so I want to beat them 2-0 at least once in the summer.

Sylvie: I want to beat T1. They’re a strong team, so if we beat them, it’ll be a great experience.

Gumayusi: I wanted to answer like Peanut, but we didn’t beat all of them. If someone gave me the ability to beat one team no matter what, I would pick Gen.G, since we meet them often in big matches.