Hanwha Life are into the MSI final. A tense 3-2 win over LYON in the lower-bracket final books HLE a title match against BLG — and a rematch four years in the making for Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, who lost the 2022 MSI final to Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin. RFT.GG caught up with the HLE top laner after the win to talk about the mid-series turnaround, his Swain pocket pick, and the revenge waiting for him tomorrow.
Looking back at the games we lost, we actually had a really good lead early on, but we were just handing the victory over to the enemy. So we really wanted to make sure that we just stop making mistakes. And moving on to games four and five, we were like "let's take it simple — let's just play what we're supposed to do and play the role that's given to us."
Swain is a champion I love since a long time ago. When I was in school, I actually won a PC bang tournament with Swain top, so it's been my favourite champion since then. And right now, the current meta isn't about hyper carries or damage dealers — it's more about being tankier, surviving longer, and still spreading your influence. So I think Swain is a really good fit in the meta.
Honestly, I was expecting G2 to make it yesterday.
Then I found out LYON managed to sweep them, and their performance was really good, so I got a little scared last night. Even in the games today, I could tell they know how to play — even when they're falling behind, they know what to do to buy more time and find their angle, and they know what they're supposed to do in-game. So it was definitely a very tricky opponent.
In that last BLG match, I think we also had a really bad day — our performance was way below our expectations. Now that we know so much more about BLG, their tendencies and their style, I think we'll be able to do a better job.
Against Bin, honestly, the tempo of the game last time was really fast — we were basically skipping the laning phase, always grouping for teamfights and skirmishes. So we didn't really have that typical top-lane 1v1 laning moment.
But even in that match, I think I had the upper hand in the laning phase.
So next one, I'm expecting something similar. I hope I can get lane priority just like last time and spread my influence all around the map.
That would definitely make me feel amazing. But not just that — if we win MSI as a team,
I think it's going to start off a great momentum for the upcoming EWC, LCK and Worlds. So it's going to be a great energy boost for us.
Hopefully we can win and start a great run for the rest of the year.
Gameplay-wise, back then I was just going for the play, thinking "we'll figure it out." Right now I give a lot more thought to the plays. As a person, I'm taking a lot of stuff more easy now, and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable.
It's only MSI — it's too early to talk about or think about the Golden Road already. I just want to say this: tomorrow we're going to have a final between me and Bin.
Four years ago I lost to Bin at the MSI final and ended up runner-up. Hopefully I can win tomorrow and get my revenge.
I know our performance today wasn't up to the level, so you must be worrying for us. But I'm looking forward to the final tomorrow, because I'm confident we're going to come back with a stronger performance. We're going to make it a day where we win the title — a great day for the Hanwha Life fans.
