Interview with Clearlove // “I have confidence we can beat SKT.”
Compared to their game against IG, EDG’s race to the World finals is a lot easier. Against BKT, EDG didn’t give them any openings and took the victory with ease. After the game, EDG’s jungler–Clearlove–was in a good mood. He even cracked a few jokes with the media. During the interview, we could see that Clearlove had a great attitude–and he had lot of confidence for his next match.
Could you tell us briefly about the game?
Clearlove: Our opponent had Maokai–and they tried to flash+W onto Pawn, but ended up on a minion instead. I think this is the main reason they crashed and burned. Afterwards, we killed him under the outer tower–and afterwards, we killed him again. I felt like, for them, the game was already over by then.
Your opponents’ pick and ban was pretty unique. Why do you think they chose Zed?
Clearlove: We understand them as a team, and we knew their mid laner really liked playing assassins. That’s why we banned out his Yasuo. Yasuo works really well with Maokai, and Malphite, so we knew he could become a threat. Outside of that, we knew he liked playing champions like Zed and Leblanc.
Did you think they were nervous?
Clearlove: Yeah, I think they were pretty nervous. This was their first time on an international stage.
From your perspective, why did IG lose their first game?
Clearlove: Well, first off, I think they had problems with their pick and ban. Fnatic chose Sivir, and IG chose Ashe. I feel like that’s a losing matchup. If it was a sieging composition, I think Jinx and Tristana would be a better choice. Second off, KaKAO only used his ultimate once on Skarner. He paid too much attention to farming. After level 6, he should’ve looked for an opening.
Today, Europe and North America both took home victories. Fnatic, C9–they both won. What do you think of them this time around?
Clearlove: Because they’re in Group B, we’ve practiced and scrimmed against them. I think the way they think is really smart. If all goes according to plan, they can win. But I think AHQ’s game against C9 was really a shame. On the other hand, Fnatic has always been really strong, but our chance of beating them is higher.
What did you think of SKT’s game today? Where do you think their strength lies?
Clearlove: I feel like you can still take advantage of their mistakes. Their team composition was really conservative today. When they play against us, they’ll probably choose a more aggressive team composition.
Have you made any preparations against SKT?
Clearlove: Nothing special. EDG has always played their own style–if we play to our strengths, we can win.
Aside from you, all the players have been sick. Could you tell us about it?
Clearlove: Pawn’s injury is serious. It hurts everyday for him. But the pain has been contained a bit. AmazingJ’s posture ended up giving him lower back problems. Right now, it should be okay for him. Koro’s back has an injury, and his neck hurts. It’s also because of his bad posture. Meiko is a little sick, and Deft doesn’t have any medical ailments that should interfere too much.
Why did EDG play AJ and not Koro today?
Clearlove: We felt like AmazingJ adapted to the patch better, so we went with him. This is also a test for AmazingJ. This is his first time on an international stage, so we decided to start with him. As for who’ll be on the starting lineup later on, we’ll have to see what the team decides.
Koro and Marin had the best top lane performances at MSI. AmazingJ is a relatively new player on your team, and this is his debut on the international stage–is there pressure on him?
Clearlove: AmazingJ said he wanted to play Garen in his first game. But when competing, he has the ability to think ahead, and to exercise restraint. I think he’ll be stronger than Marin.
What’s the chance of EDG beating SKT?
Clearlove: At the least, I think our chances of winning are higher than their chances of winning. Whoever wins in group stages doesn’t matter though. When we get to the knock out stage, that’s the most important. If we meet SKT in the finals, I have confidence we can beat them.
Source: http://qt.qq.com/static/pages/news/phone/52/article_11552.shtml?from=timeline&isappinstalled=1
