Gen.G Duro on the Western teams: "They have improved quite a lot — I cannot ignore them"

We’ve heard a lot that the gap between the East and the West is closing. By eliminating one of the last Western representatives that comfortably, do you feel you’ve proved it actually isn’t?

Throughout this whole year especially, I felt like the Western teams have improved quite a lot. So it felt like the gap might have narrowed down a little bit. And that’s what really put me in the mindset of, “oh, I cannot ignore them.” I really do have to work harder. So I think that’s just something we were able to work on. We definitely stayed wary of them, and that’s why we were constantly improving against them as well.

Full interview on the OTPLoL broadcast from 23:53.

This is your second Worlds. With so much expectation on Gen.G, what would make it a satisfying run for you? Would you only be satisfied with the title, or do you see other ways to be satisfied?

Of course I’d be really happy if I were able to win the title. But I believe that the process of getting there, just the process of what I’ve gone through this whole Worlds — the type of improvements that I made, some of the areas I was able to fill in, some of those weaknesses — I think those will actually make me satisfied as well.

Did you learn anything specific from your experience at Worlds last year that has helped you in this run?

The biggest takeaway from last year was just having control of the prio that we need. I’m sure that every lane definitely needs prio in order for you to have a successful game. But I just realised so deeply that bot lane prio is just so crucial to a game. So I think that’s one thing. And individual mechanics and skill sets are really important, but I think it also comes down to how you manage your condition.

Last question. You’ll be facing IG next, a team that plays much faster on the map, at a much higher tempo than a team like LYON, who like to take it slow. How do you see this matchup, and what do you expect from them?

IG as a team have an incredible roster. They have such incredible, talented players. And of course there’s a chance that they may be better than LYON. But no matter who our opponent is, I’ll just focus on my own game. I want to make sure that I put in absolutely everything in order to prepare well against them.