The series between MSF and SKT was just as fun, if not more fun, than the games played by GAM during the group stages. The matchup itself was interesting - former champions versus the underdogs from the EU LCS -  but the games played today weren't as one-sided as people expected it to be, and the lead went back and forth between the two teams during the series. 

SKT's main weapon was to split-push and macro manage well. And to fight against it, MSF employed surprise picks. From Blitzcrank to Leona, from Thresh to Alistar... MSF's choice in champions wasn't "suitable" for the current meta. But by patching up the downsides of employing such supports with midlane Karma and even jungle Ivern, MSF moved forward looking strong and tall.

If MSF's tactic involved nothing more than simply picking up engage supports, the match wouldn't have been so close. IgNar's macro was what really shined for MSF. After taking the first win of the series, SKT fell trap to MSF's strategy. After the series, SKT's coach, kkOma, even went on to say that the game was difficult because of the botlane. 

MSF might've lost, but they proved themselves by pushing the former champions, SKT T1, to their absolute limits. As for IgNar, it won't be an exaggeration to say that he was the series MVP.

After the series, MSF IgNar was invited for an interview with Sjokz. 

It's a very unfortunate moment for you guys... First off IgNar, please say whatever you want about what happened today.

Although we lost against SKT, it was a close match, and I'm really happy. Our team used to be a Challenger team, but we made it to Worlds and almost beat the former champions. I want to thank everyone that is a part of MSF.


You picked Leona with Fervor! You made a lot of bold choices with these support picks. Where did you get the confidence?

When watching SKT play, I thought, "Maybe, we can't win against them by playing the normal way." So I wanted to try champions that I was fully confident in - engage champions. Our assistant coach, Hiiva, told me about Ferver Leona, and I used it. I tried it a few times, and it was really, really good. I used to today, and it was successful.


Can you look back on the whole year? What would be your best memory? What would be the best thing to think about when going forward with this team? It's only the beginning.

With this team, my "best" memory is always refreshed. The absolute best moment was when our team made it out of the Challenger league. Then, our team placed 4th in the EU LCS, which was a really good accomplishment. Then, we placed 2nd, made it to Worlds. 

The best memory is constantly being updated.