Gen.G reached the LoL World Championship (Worlds) finals for the first time in nine years, but fell 1-3 to BLG, finishing as the runner-up.
While all Gen.G players were surely disappointed, many fans had been wishing for 'Kiin' Kim Ki-in, who was challenging for a title 3,423 days after his debut, and 'Chovy' Jeong Ji-hoon, after 3,078 days, to win the Worlds title, but that will have to wait for another time. 'Chovy' Jeong Ji-hoon stated, "While this runner-up finish is disappointing, my confidence that we can do better next time remains unchanged," while 'Ruler' Park Jae-hyeok, who put on a great performance today, remarked, "There were things I did well, but there were also macro shortcomings that happened because of me."
Below is the post-match interview with Gen.G Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook and the players following their runner-up finish.
Q. (To Chovy) There were many twists and turns in this tournament. Based on the results of this tournament, how do you plan to prepare for the future?
'Chovy': I think we got a disappointing result because we judged that things would become disadvantageous as the game went into the late game, so I will pay attention to these aspects and prepare for next time.
Q. (To Kiin, Ruler) As the two most experienced players, how do you plan to overcome this difficult moment with your teammates?
'Kiin': Everyone has a lot of experience, and I don't think they're players who will be broken by a loss, so we just need to prepare for what's next.
'Ruler': It's similar for me. We need to think deeply to guide things in a better direction, and personally, I feel disappointed that I wasn't able to lead the team more.
Q. (To Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook) Although you finished as runner-up, what are you most proud of?
Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook: The players did really well. During the preparation process, we shared our thoughts and had a lot of discussions about draft picks and other details, so in that regard, I want to say that I'm proud of the players and grateful to them.
Q. (To Chovy) Your mindset seemed to have changed a lot. This time, you definitely seemed to be enjoying it?
'Chovy': It's disappointing that we couldn't get a good result at the end, but if I maintain this kind of mindset like I did in this tournament, I think we can achieve good results in the next tournament.
Q. (To Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook) You were undefeated on the path to the finals. Did that have any impact on the finals?
Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook: That had nothing to do with it at all.
Q. (To Ruler) How do you evaluate 'Viper's non-ADC picks?
'Ruler': His proficiency with non-ADC champions seems very high, so we paid attention to it during draft. Aside from that, the other players were also very impressive today.
Q. (To Ruler) Xayah seems like a special champion for you?
'Ruler': I thought things would go well since playing Xayah was working out fine, but it's disappointing that it didn't turn out that way.
Q. (To Chovy) What did you learn from today's defeat?
'Chovy': During drafting, we failed to stick to what was set, and I think there were also disappointing plays as a team.
Q. (To Chovy) You finished as runner-up. Do you feel deep regret, or is there more of a feeling of relief?
'Chovy': Of course it's disappointing, but thinking about the in-game play, it's regret over whether things would have been different if we had taken a different direction. And my confidence that we can do better next time has not faded.
Q. (To Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook) The draft battle must have been intense. What do you regret most about the draft?
Head Coach Ryu Sang-wook: I think we should have drafted better on the topside.
Q. (To Duro) You have the shortest career among your teammates, and it was your first Worlds finals, resulting in a runner-up finish. It must be very disappointing—what is your biggest regret, and could you share a short comment?
'Duro': It's disappointing because it was my first finals and we lost. It's disappointing that we strayed from our framework in drafting, and there's regret in how we played as well.
Q. (To Ruler) You put on a great performance today?
'Ruler': Looking back at the match, there were things I did well, but there were also macro moments that were disappointing because of me. That includes objective fights as well.
