On May 18th, we interviewed Hyunwoo “CloudTemplar” Lee, ex-pro player who is now casting LCK with OGN, via telephone for a comment on the semifinals. He sounded very excited for both matches, and he shared a small hope that he wants to happen in the MSI.

Flash Wolves do pretty well against LCK teams. Are you worried that SKT might lose?

I'm more excited than worried. Although FW has been doing well against Korean teams, I can't imagine SKT losing the series in semifinals, let alone finals. I'm looking forward to see how well FW can do, but I admit that I'm a bit worried whether SKT will be shaken up if FW does well. It should be an interesting match regardless of who wins.

Who are you expecting to do well for Flash Wolves?

Top and botlane duo are very solid, and they sometimes make impressive plays. However, their playmakers are definitely the mid and jungler. Mid and jungler are definitely among the best in the world because of their solid mechanic, playmakings and fundamentals. Overall, they are well-centered around mid and jungler, and they fight well enough to be considered among the best.

Are you worried about Faker not doing well?

I'll say Faker is a hypercarry player. There are inherent risks of feast-or-famine for this type of players, but Faker has been carrying games at least ten times more than he couldn't. That's why he is still called the best.

He might not be doing so well in the MSI, but I think it's more to do with how even the smallest stumble can look uncharacteristic of him. I'm sure he'll get back in shape in no time.

This is why I gave up on expecting how Faker will do. I cannot see his limit nor how well he'll do in a match. All that I'm sure of is that he is the best player in the world. Faker (and Peanut) might look shaky in the MSI, but it shouldn't be anything out of ordinary.

What do you think will be the decisive factor in SKT vs FW match?

I think SKT T1 will win if games goes into mid to late game without SKT struggling too much. So, SKT T1 will have to prevent or at least predict any unexpected turn of events in the early game and even as early as in the draft phase.

If a game goes as everyone expects, there'll be nothing for FW to exploit at all. On the other hand, If there's a twist that allows FW to play aggressively in the early game or even something like WE's mid Lucian, SKT T1 will have to be very careful.

Do you think Blank will get a chance to play?

He doesn't get subbed in when SKT T1 is ahead, so I expect him to appear only if Peanut doesn't do well. Since jungle champions are pretty much the same nowadays, I hope he is prepared to show some unexpected picks if he does appear.

Who do you think will win in the match between G2 and WE?

WE looks stronger at a glance. It might be because WE is an aggressive team while G2 has been playing defensively. However, It doesn't feel like either team is stronger than the other. The match will be closer than expected, and there are too many factors to consider.

Trick isn't playing as well as he had been: If Trick gets back in shape, G2 will be a strong team; if Trick stays that way, WE will certainly be stronger. WE looks solid both individually and as a team, and G2's reactive plays don't really fit well in the current metagame.

If they want to keep playing 'Protect-Zven' composition, Trick needs to do more. WE might have slight ups-and-downs, but they don't have glaring weaknesses. I guess I feel that WE has a better chance of winning.

Which lane do you think will be the decisive factor of the match?

The Botlane duo is going to be important since 'Protect-the-ADC' compositions are pretty popular. Even if the game is more fast-paced, the botlane duo will still be important. Though, I guess it will depend on the draft phase first.

Trick's Nunu was an interesting pick to say to least, and it gets more interesting since he picked Nunu multiple times even without the element of surprise. It's fascinating - they still managed to turtle their way through the group stage. If we expect SKT vs FW match to be a slugfest, G2 vs WE would be a slogfest.

Who do you think will win in the end?

I don't have a particular team in mind. I just want the better team to move up. I hope games will not only be impressive but also fierce. I shouldn't be saying this as a Korean caster, but I really hope that there are matches where teams from other regions can be a credible threat to the best of Korean teams - I hope 'Gap is Closing' meme isn't a dream anymore.