EPTLet us meet ‘Pawn’, who is the mid laner and a critical part of the rising team Samsung Blue.
The past WCG Korea Qualifiers was indeed a tournament of turmoils and upsets. SK Telecom T1, who just a few weeks ago were crowned World Champions, crumbled as if that was a lie, and CJ Blaze, a team that wasn’t very strong or active recently, won the right to go to Kunshan, China after a period of rebuilding.
In the midst of this storm, there was a team that was always there. That team was Samsung Blue, the brother team of Samsung Ozone that always was in Ozone’s shadow, but was able to demonstrate their true strength. Although they were not able to produce good results like Ozone did during Champions, they came out strong during this preseason and were given a nickname they didn’t feel so good about: ‘Preseason Champs’. Bringing in new players and changing positions of existing ones, Samsung Blue looked much different after the rebuilding process than before.
When they met Ozone in the WCG Korea Qualifiers, they upset them and moved onto the next round, then defeated the Season 3 World Champions SKT T1 and advanced to the finals. Even though they ultimately lost in the finals to the traditionally strong CJ Blaze and couldn’t be the WCG representative for Korea, they showed that they are a force to be reckoned with. Now, with Samsung Blue looking to prove that they are not just ‘Preseason Champs’ but for real, we met with Huh ‘Pawn’ Won-Seok of Samsung Blue.
‘The Winter season draws near. We will show everyone a different side of us!’ –Pawn-
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LMwVeLw.jpg)
Q: Hello! This is your first interview after moving to Samsung Blue. Please introduce yourself briefly.
Pawn: Hello! My name is Huh ‘Pawn’ Won-Seok and I am the mid laner for Samsung Blue. I am 17 years old (T/N Korean age), and I was the mid laner for MiG Blitz before joining Samsung Blue.
Q: With your recent memorable and impactful games, I think it’s safe to say that you have not only entered the line of ‘Crazy High-Schoolers’ (T/N: This refers to those young players who are considered some of the best. Ex. Faker), but stayed true to it. To be honest, you didn’t have such effect when you were with MiG. Is there a reason why you played so well recently?
Pawn: Uh… Isn’t it because I’m good? (laughs) To be honest, I have to give credit to my teammates. The games I played with my teammates have gone well up to now. My team gives me first blood and helps me out a lot in-game, so I couldn't lose. I, in turn, tried to focus and work hard to not lose as well.
Q: From MiG, you moved to Samsung, a big corporation team. Is there any difference between living with MiG and with Samsung?
Pawn: First, Samsung installed an SSD in my computer. I haven’t moved in completely to the Samsung team house, so I think I’ll be able to feel the difference when I do. I also received many things from Samsung such as a new uniform, fresh pair of shoes, and Samsung Galaxy Gear.
Q: Oh, I see. It must be hard for you to adjust, since you haven’t been part of the team for very long. How’s living at the Samsung house with your teammates?
Pawn: I’ve been part of Samsung Blue for a month now. Personally, I really like the team house. There’s plenty of food and space. When I first came to the house, Samsung Ozone was away in LA for the World Championship, so there were only Samsung Blue players in the house. Since there weren’t many people inside the house, we happily played games and ate good food with each other and had a good time. ‘Cheonju’, especially, bought me lots of food. I like people who buy me food (laughs). Nowadays, there are lots of people in the house and we’re all very busy, so it’s a little sad that there aren’t as many opportunities for bonding like that.
That doesn’t mean I am not friendly with other teammates. We’re all friendly with each other and having fun. I am also very friendly with Lee ‘Spirit’ Da-Yoon. Since he’s the jungler and I am mid, we share a lot of our thoughts in-game.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2OPb96n.jpg)
Pawn with Cheonju, who buys him delicious food.
Q: I understand that there are a lot of young friends in the team, but you are the youngest of all. Are there any difficulties as the youngest member?
Pawn: To be honest, being the youngest is not always the best. You can be coddled by the hyungs, but you have to do a lot of chores as well. However, I don’t do ALL the chores. Other players help me a lot, so I don’t have a specific hardship.
Q: It’s good to see that you’re adjusting well. Now, let’s talk about the WCG Korea Qualifiers. In the finals, sadly, you lost to CJ Blaze. How did it feel right then?
Pawn: Yes, it was sad. I thought we could definitely win. CJ Blaze had rebuilt the team just recently, so we knew we had a good chance, but they played much better than I thought (laughs). So while it is indeed sad that we lost, I hope that, since they beat us, CJ Blaze shows good results in China.
Q: While losing in the finals is indeed unfortunate, I feel that you have shown the power of Samsung Blue through the Qualifiers. Is there any particularly memorable game?
Pawn: I think the game against KT Bullets is the most memorable. We beat KT Arrows in the preliminaries, and I practiced really hard thinking that if we beat KT Bullets, we would’ve defeated all of KT. However, the game didn’t go as planned. KT Bullets is really a strong team. In the end, however, we were able to pull off a comeback victory, so I remember that game the most.
Q: Is that so? You played many other games and the one the fans and viewers remember the most is your game against the World Champion SKT T1. How did you feel going up against arguably the best mid laner in the world, Faker?
Pawn: In the beginning, the top laner and jungler helped me a lot, so I even managed get a solo kill on him. Before the game, I truly thought I was going to lose. I personally think that SKT T1’s team cohesion was a little off that day. Faker really is a great player. If I didn’t have active support from my teammates, I would’ve had a much more difficult time trying to win.
Q: You also had your main champions, Nidalee and Fizz, banned recently. You probably felt a bit pleased. How did you feel then?
Pawn: In practice, I am focusing and working hard on expanding my champion pool. However, that’s not enough. I have a secret weapon… I am debating whether to pull it out in the Champions qualifiers or not.
Q: You are playing against IM #1 in the offline qualifiers. What do you think?
Pawn: Our win percentage in scrims is not very good as of late. We probably won’t really know what will happen until we play each other. I plan on playing the best I can as usual. Preparing for a team like IM #1, a team we have difficulty gathering information on, is quite hard.
Q: I hope that you play a good match in the qualifiers. What is your mindset going into this Winter season?
Pawn: Victory in WCG Korea Qualifiers slipped from our grasp. However, we were able to advance to the finals and showed ourselves as ‘Preseason Champs’ once again. Although we don’t hate this nickname, we can’t help but gain some ambition from it. We want to advance far this season. With the force we have shown so far, we want to show even better games and plays.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/c0eBr5u.jpg)
We will prove that we are a different team from before!
Q: Lastly, is there anything you want to say to the Inven.co.kr users who will be reading this?
Pawn: I feel good that I was able to play better compared to before, but this is not the end. This upcoming season, I want to show the world my full potential and greet you all with more impressive, splendid games. I will do my best!
Source: Inven
Translated by jpak
