Beomhyung “Gorilla” Kang was not shy about giving compliments to Yongjun “Fly” Song and Dongwoo “Crash” Lee despite criticisms surrounding the teammates.

On January 21, Longzhu Gaming narrowly defeated Jin Air Green Wings 2-1 in the second matchup of day 4 LCK Spring Split 2017, held at Seoul OGN eStadium, scoring a first win in the season. In this long and close series, Gorilla’s superior vision control and supplemental damage output led the team’s victory.

Below is the post-match interview with Gorilla.

How do you feel about today’s victory?

I’m so glad to take the first win in the season. We yet have a long way to go, but we’ll continue to improve and show our best plays.

After dropping Set 1, what was the team’s atmosphere like?

We ended up losing despite our doing well in all lanes. We thought we could easily win since we dominated the opponent in laning phase, if we found composure. These days, early game is the key. We lost in Set 1 because we were the first ones to make mistakes. We reminded ourselves that we had what it took to take the victory.

How do you feel about Crash’s Rengar in Set 2?

Rengar is a phenomenal champion, but the opponent banned two supports while taking Malzahar. This is intentional on their part to force trades. Crash outdid himself on Rengar.

Were you worried that Set 3 wasn’t going your way even though your comp was geared toward getting an early lead?

We were aware of the fact that we were favored in the early game. There were many ways to take the game, but, for various reasons, we didn’t communicate well and had to play from behind. I think we can remedy the issue by giving ample feedback and bonding together as a team to tailor our strategy.

Have you ever felt that you had the game in your hands?

Actually, I thought we won when we got the first Baron, but things went sour as Maokai and Singed showed significantly different effectiveness as champions. So did Zyra as the game went on. I felt like the game was out of my hands. Thankfully, we stacked multiple Dragon buffs in early and thought to ourselves we could still turn it around.

How do you respond to people pointing to midlane and jungle as Longzhu’s weaknesses?

Both players are doing well in practice. They’re veteran players but still get somewhat nervous in tournaments. If Pray and I can help them find their footings, they’’ll become even better players. I believe they’ll do well, and I know so.

Are you afraid that jungle-centric meta is becoming stagnant?

It’s understandable. You can see it from the match against kt Rolster. After dominating in the laning phase, junglers have to disrupt the backline to seal the deal. I think that’s where the current meta stands. Granted, Mata’s shotcalling is exceptional, but that’s how things are now.

If Crash doesn’t get flustered and confidently make his plays, it’ll be an opportunity for the team to step up to the next level. If we adapt to the meta, I think it’ll be a stepping stone for us to become a strong team.

Any thoughts on your next matchup, kt Rolster?

They’re probably relived to see today’s game. We’ll do our best to prepare and show that we can hold our own against them.

Any last words?

I want to thank the people who watched the match into the late hours. It’ neither easy for us to play, nor for viewers to watch. We’ll be back with better plays next time. Thank you for cheering us on.