Following the win against KT Rolster and earning the qualification to the Knockout stage, I talked to LNG Scout about the series and the team overall at Worlds 2023.

Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

LNG Scout – A hungry and demanding person

Despite the victory against the LCK #3 seed and locking in at least a top-eight finish at Worlds 2023, the Korean mid laner wasn’t too satisfied with the series overall:

Our performance in the early game for these three matches wasn’t that good, so I’d give it a 5.

The first game of the series saw LNG trying to keep up with KT Rolster following a tough first part. That said, the LPL team was able to turn the tides with a great baron call and a game-changing teamfight. When asked about it, Scout revealed it was the bot laner GALA who made the deciding call:

His itemization was great at that moment and we felt like we could rush and fight directly.

In the second game, however, KT ended up tying the score with a commanding win. LNG showed their struggles with the early game once again and this time they couldn’t close the gap. According to Scout, the team tried to fix a few issues in the drafts for the third game while also trying to be more focused in the early game.

Even though KT could still get a few early kills, LNG stepped up huge in the mid-game teamfights. By taking advantage of their team composition, they were able to land consistent combos and quickly open up a gap that the opponents could no longer recover.

Read more: Esportle – Guess the pro player

Scout speaks up on the Swiss Format and upcoming match

Scout is among the big veterans at this year’s Worlds, having participated six times. With the introduction of the new Swiss format, I asked him if he felt like it was different from the group stage from previous editions. The Korean mid laner denied that, as he convincingly said that strong teams will still advance in the new format.

LNG is now the third team to lock in the Quarterfinals and they will have to wait for the Swiss Stage Round 5 before finding out their opponent. When asked if there was any opponent he wanted to face in particular and what his thoughts were on the current Worlds meta, Scout has been setting his eyes on semis:

If our form improves a bit, we believe we can beat anyone in the quarterfinals. So, we’re more concerned about our potential opponents in the semifinals. I don’t think this patch is necessarily favorable for us, but we can still overcome it, so it feels alright.

Scout has been a big help for the LNG squad both in-game and out-of-game, as he lived in Korea for a big part of his life and shared his experiences whenever he deemed appropriate. “If I see an issue or something I believe is correct, I’ll bring it up and discuss it with everyone,” he added.

Just like in the interview with WBG Crisp, I ended up rounding the interview by asking how he deals with pressure and stress, despite looking like one of the most laid-back players in the tournament: “Recently, I might watch some entertaining videos or listen to music,” he said, adding that he doesn’t watch TV-dramas.

Read more: T1 vs BLG – Worlds Swiss Stage Round 4: Match Preview