On Nov. 4, in the 2023 LoL World Championship, JD Gaming faced KT Rolster. Although KT Rolster put up a good fight, JD Gaming had a decisive 3-1 win. KT Rolster had a tough competition throughout Worlds 2023, and their journey ended here in the quarterfinals. After the match, KT Rolster bot laner Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram joined Inven Global and reflected on his journey at Worlds.

It was a great fight. How was it?

We knew JDG was a strong team, but we were determined to win when we got here. Unfortunately, JDG was stronger than we thought. Our focus was to play without regrets.

KT Rolster’s matchups throughout the Swiss Stage were really tough, and your quarterfinals opponent was the worst in JDG. What did you think when you were given all those matchups?

This was my first Worlds, so I thought I would meet many different teams at Worlds. I scrimmed often with the LPL teams, and we met opponents that I already knew quite well. They were good teams and good players, so I didn't want to meet them, but I’ve gained valuable and fun experiences through this Worlds.

Among your games, who seemed the strongest?

In other games, we made a lot of mistakes, and I didn’t do as well. That’s the reason we may have lost, but against JDG, we did pretty well too, and it feels that they were simply the better team.

Some people say that the snowball rolled a long way since KT picked T1 in the playoffs.

They could say that since we lost to T1 after we picked them, but it was our choice, and we lost because we didn’t play well enough, so there are no regrets about that.

Since Gen.G was eliminated yesterday, there could have been some pressure upon your shoulders.

There wasn’t any pressure for us because Gen.G lost. All we did was try to win against one of the favorites. My only regret is that we lost.

How did you prepare for today’s match against JDG?

We focused on laning and securing objectives, but JDG had aggressive engagements during objective fights. We were entangled in those fights, and that’s probably why we lost.

Were there any weaknesses in JDG as you prepared?

In League of Legends, all lanes are important. As much as JDG is considered one of the favorites, they didn’t have a clear weakness. They’re a team that’s good from top to bottom.

How was it facing Ruler?

Ruler is the best bot laner in the world right now. He’s like a huge wall among the bot laners for me. Although I lost today, I think I’ll need to work harder so that I can jump over that wall.

How was it playing at your first Worlds?

It was fun since it was my first Worlds. Since it was held in Korea, I played without any nervousness. It was fun to feel all the roars of the crowd and see everyone’s passion.

How would you evaluate KT’s year and your own performance over the year?

I have many good memories to take away. First of all, we finished 1st in the regular season. Although our playoffs games were regretful, there are good memories for me. It was fun for me throughout the year, playing with my teammates.

I heard that KT’s team atmosphere was great throughout the year. How was it?

We’re all around the same age, and everyone is interesting. We talked a lot about the game and did other activities too. I think our atmosphere was great since we all were able to say what we wanted to say.

Communication was one thing Bdd mentioned. Compared to the other teams you’ve played in, how was it different?

Bdd is a really good player, so he usually wins lane. He communicates and plays through his lead, and I think he’s one of the best mid laners.

What is your plan for the rest of the year?

I’m not sure what I’ll do after today. I’ll probably get some rest and watch the remaining games at Worlds.

Any last comments?

There were many people who cheered for us. I heard all of that, and I’m grateful. It’s regretful that we lost. I wanted to show ourselves hoisting the Summoner’s Cup for KT fans, but it’s regretful that we weren’t able to. Still, it was a great season. It was fun, and I have great memories to take away. I hope you all keep those memories as well.