Lucid on DK’s quarterfinal exit: “If I’d played to that expectation, I could have definitely won the championship”

How are you feeling, and what do you think went wrong today?

Today was a very helpless defeat. I feel very empty inside. That’s just the emotion right now. But I think what went wrong today was that even in the areas where we could have capitalised, those small wins, we ended up losing them. We just kept getting more and more disadvantaged, more and more behind. I think that’s why we ultimately lost.

Did it feel like DK played at their usual level today? What was hardest about getting into your usual rhythm?

I think our performance was very bad today. I just feel like we didn’t play very well overall, and I’m sure there are a lot of people who were expecting a lot more from us. I had also expected a lot from myself, and if I had been able to play at that expectation and at that level, I feel like I could have definitely won the championship. It’s just that practice was going well, we were stacking up and getting more experience, everything was going well. But it feels so unfortunate and so regretful that this is our end.

DK had some really strong performances this year, but there were always ups and downs through the season. What was the biggest challenge in playing at your top level consistently?

Ultimately, I don’t think there were big challenges, or really any challenges, as a matter of fact. Because I feel like if we had just kept our basics, we would have done better and we would have been able to win. But I don’t think we were able to reach that fundamental level from the start.

Do you think BLG caught you off guard in the draft as well, especially in game one where they flexed the Galio? Were you expecting it?

No, it was not something that we saw coming. And with the Galio being against Akali, it actually makes it a little trickier. But given that the enemy had a lot of melee champions, we thought that even with that draft, it was doable. We had Corki and we had some range as well. So I think it was not just about the draft.

This was also your first Worlds quarterfinal. What was the most challenging part of this tournament for you? People usually say Worlds is about which team stays the strongest mentally — would you agree?

I don’t think there were necessarily any difficulties. I just feel like we had a long period of practice time, and that means the more we make use of it and the better our practice goes, the more we can take advantage of it. In the end, all we had to do was win after that. Not being able to win, I think that’s just the biggest regret. I don’t really have any other excuse for what other difficulties there were.

DK are such a young team and had such a beautiful progression to watch through the year. You’ve won the hearts of a lot of fans, even in the West. Are you still proud of what DK achieved this year, despite today’s result?

Compared to the expectations we received at the beginning of the season, we have gone through a lot and we have made a lot of progress. We actually did well and we were able to win some titles. So yeah, I do feel proud in some aspects. It’s just that the way we closed out our year leaves so much to be desired. Even if I look back, this whole year wasn’t too bad, and I feel like we were able to make something out of it. But given that we could have done even better, and given that we could have ended things on a higher note, I just feel so regretful.

What’s your prediction for the rest of the tournament? Who do you think will win it all?

Everyone’s such a strong contender, but personally, I would like the LCK to win. I think Gen.G and T1 have a really good chance. Personally, I just want the LCK to win.

A last word for the fans?

I’m sure you guys had us performing well in your minds, with all those expectations. I just feel really sorry and bad that I wasn’t able to reach that expectation. All I can say is sorry. I apologise.