After another convincing performance from Gen.G at Worlds 2025, Canyon looked calm and collected, a demeanor that mirrored his plays on the Rift. The star jungler, long known for his explosive presence on the map, reflected on both his own form and the rise of his LCK rivals, KT Rolster, who became the first Korean team to reach the Knockout Stage.
“Today, to be honest, I didn’t really find myself making too many mistakes, any particular significant ones, so I think it went pretty smoothly,” Canyon said in an exclusive interview with Dot Esports, when asked how satisfied he was with his individual showing in the team’s dominating performance against defending world champions T1 in the Swiss Stage.
“I would rate myself, maybe eight or nine points out of 10,” he added.
Going into Worlds 2025, Canyon had mentioned that he was playing at “about 80 percent” of his potential. Despite Gen.G’s recent dominant form against T1, he maintained that perfection is still a work in progress.
“I don’t think I would say that I’m at 100 percent even today,” he said. “I think that’s really according to how I came to Worlds and how the meta has shifted, and (I’m) just trying to find my own jungle gameplay that fits me best and the meta.”
He added that the remaining gap comes down to execution and preparation. “Also, trying to find the best, the most perfect draft. Everything has to be perfect for that remaining 20 percent to be filled, so I think we’re in the process of filling it to 100 percent right now.”
Canyon touched on Gen.G’s dominant best-of-one win over T1, a matchup he has historically described as a constant back-and-forth battle. This time, however, it was a one-sided affair.
“Personally, I think, until we were up to three picks during the draft phase, we had a very even draft,” he said. “It was very viable on both ends. And when we noticed that the enemy is going for that rush comp, for our fourth and fifth pick, we were able to secure Poppy, which made it easier to play our comp and comfortable to execute.”
T1 coaches admitted that they had Poppy in their champion ban list, but they prioritized banning other high-priority champions, which cost their draft quite a bit as their engage-heavy composition fell behind early in the match, paving the way for Gen.G’s domination.
Canyon also commented on KT Rolster’s recent success as they became the only Korean team to win all their three matches without dropping a single game to qualify for the Knockout Stage. While he didn’t think that KT has something that makes them stand out in comparison to other dedicated Korean teams, he did shower praise on their read of the current meta.
“When I watched them play, so far, all the matches that they’ve been a part of, I feel like they’ve really picked up on their own meta read quite quickly. I think they’re quite good at playing out according to their own picks that they prioritize. I thought that they played really well against Top Esports,” Canyon said, referring to the match where TES coach Homme openly took responsibility for the team’s drafting struggles in that match.
With Fearless Draft shaping this year’s Worlds, Canyon said he hasn’t yet felt a major shift in the jungle meta, though he expects variety later on. “I personally cannot feel it first-hand that there is a difference that changes everything. But I believe that by the time we get to those BO5s towards the end of the series, you’ll definitely start seeing those unique picks.”
When asked about Gen.G’s chances at claiming their first Worlds title, Canyon paused before smiling. “I can’t really come to a really good answer. I can’t put it into words,” he admitted with a calm grin. “I’d want to say 50 percent, but I really don’t know. This is such a difficult question to answer.” It was a modest response—one that reflected Canyon’s trademark humility and focus on quietly improving as he keeps his head down in pursuit of that elusive championship.
Published: Oct 21, 2025 07:18 pm