Hanwha Life Esports secured a comeback victory against kt Rolster in the Legend Group of the 2026 LCK regular season's 4th round, held at LoL PARK in Jongno on the 15th. Despite losing the first set, the team, led by 'Kanavi' Seo Jin-hyeok, quickly snowballed from the early game to close out both subsequent sets in under 20 minutes.

The following is the full transcript of the post-match interview with 'Kanavi', who was named Player of the Match (POM).

Q. With today's win, you've secured a spot in the playoffs and Worlds 2026. How do you feel.

Kanavi = We played well in the first and second rounds, so we could have clinched our spot earlier, but I'm happy we secured it now.

Q. Player 'Bluffing' started today. As a senior, what advice did you give him? And how was it playing with him?

Kanavi = I just told him to play comfortably. We couldn't get the win when 'Bluffing' was called up last time, so I'm glad we were able to secure the victory for him today. He matched our tempo well and used his skills effectively in every skirmish; he played very well.

Q. Hanwha Life has recently shown a strange pattern of consistently dropping the first set. How do you analyze the reason for this internally?

Kanavi = We used to be a team that was strong in the first game, but lately, we haven't been able to win a single Game 1. We need to identify this issue internally and make sure we fix it.

Q. In the early stages of the second set, your team's setup, including Akali's triple kill, worked perfectly. Did the game go as planned?

Kanavi = In Game 2, Akali picked up three kills in the bot lane early on, which made the game much easier. Akali used that advantage to snowball effectively, and the game flowed well from there.

Q. It was impressive that you kept 'Shyvana' as an option during the pick-ban phase in the third set.

Kanavi = I could have played Shyvana in the third set, but since the opponent's composition—Nocturne, Nautilus, etc.—was good at diving the front line, I felt I needed to be a sturdy front-liner, so I picked Skarner. Shyvana is a champion I can pull out whenever the situation is right, but lately, public sentiment toward her isn't great, so I'm a bit hesitant (laughs).

Q. In the third set, we saw an 'Olaf vs. Kled' matchup in the top lane. Kled had a favorable record against Olaf; were you concerned about this matchup as a team?

Kanavi = Recently, Olaf is in a position where it's hard to say if he has a clear counter or if he's a 'no-counter' pick. I just played with the trust that 'Zeus' would do well on Olaf.

Q. You scored big early on with a counter-gank in the top lane. What was the situation like?

Kanavi = I was just finishing my bottom camps and heading toward the top side. I judged that the opposing Nocturne had no options other than ganking in the top lane, so I asked, "Should I hover for a counter-gank?" 'Zeus' said he could handle it based on the jungle timing. As it happened, the opponent went for the gank, but Olaf handled it so well that we got a great result.

Q. Then, what is your personal know-how for top lane ganking, Kanavi?

Kanavi = There are timings when top laners are forced to push the lane, and if you gank then, they are very likely to die. Also, 'tunnel' ganking by hiding in the lane bushes is quite effective.

Q. With today's win, 'Zeka' reached 2500 career assists in the LCK. Please share a congratulatory message.

Kanavi = I want to congratulate him on reaching 2500 assists, and I hope he continues to build on this record toward 3k and 4k assists.

Q. Your next opponent is Dplus KIA, who is currently on a 3-game winning streak. What is your mindset heading into that match?

Kanavi = Looking at Dplus KIA's recent games, their in-game performance is very good, and the players' form has improved significantly. We won't let our guard down, and we will prepare well to get perfect revenge for our loss in Round 3.

Q. Lastly, a word for the fans who are cheering for you.

Kanavi = Thank you for always supporting us. My performance has been a bit inconsistent lately, but I will prepare more thoroughly to ensure we win the next match and all remaining games so we can finish the season on a high note. Thank you, as always.