k1ng on the road to Worlds – Interview with Mammoth OPL player

Fresh off the back of their win in the OPL grand finals, k1ng and his team are off to Worlds. While this will be the first Worlds for many Mammoth players, k1ng is no stranger to the competition. This will be his third trip to the event. In 2017 and 2018, he competed at Worlds with the Direwolves. He signed onto Mammoth this earlier year and has already seen success.

We caught up with k1ng at the Melbourne Esports Open to chat about his team’s win and the road ahead.

Mammoth comes back in game three of the OPL finals

The Chiefs were beaten 3-0 in the OPL grand finals held at the Melbourne Esports Open. Game three, however, looked like it could go to the Chiefs. We spoke to k1ng to understand how the team turned around the third game to claim victory in a clean sweep:

Before the third game, when we got back into our room, we knew the Chiefs had their backs against the wall. We knew they were going to change everything up. They subbed in a different top laner. And we knew they weren’t gonna down without fighting. We knew they were going to be really aggressive. They were going to try and pick the early game and they did that. And we just stayed calm. We’re like ‘okay guys, we gotta farm, we gotta scale, don’t have to take any bad fights. We have this game under control’. And that’s what happened.

Well, they simply did just that. Staying calm under pressure and communicating with your team often proves a key to winning. And with it, the game turned around quickly and Mammoth managed to claim victory against the favorites.

First to Five 👑 pic.twitter.com/A86wc9sJCc

— C9 k1ng ⭐ (@k1ngYB) August 31, 2019

Journey to Worlds

Now, k1ng and his team have the invitation to head to Worlds. While k1ng believes he’ll do much better than previous years, he sees this year as a year for his teammates:

I’m gonna do a lot better this year… I’ve gotten better and better with every international tournament I’ve been to… I’m happy [about the OPL win], I’m really happy for my team, because this is Babip and Fudge’s first championship. Fudge, I feel really happy for him!

k1ng thinks one of the key defining features of their team is their teamwork and communication. Rather than having one shot-caller or captain, the team works to their strengths. If someone sees an opportunity, they call it out and capitalize:

This team is probably one of the most democratically run teams in League. I feel like we’ve instilled a very heavy, like – if you want to make a play, you form it, and if you don’t have a play, just follow someone else’s.

Mammoth plans to celebrate their OPL victory with a dinner out at a nice Melbourne restaurant – fancy!

k1ng’s before-game ritual

You might remember from our previous conversation with k1ng that he has a ‘ritual’ he likes to do before games. We asked k1ng if he was still eating his favorite KFC before each match. He says he’s ditched the KFC for something a little different:

I quit KFC! But I made a whole new ritual. I’m really superstitious because we had a 0-2 week in the OPL, and I was wearing different shoes and pants. I’m like okay, I’m never wearing these pants again. So now I only wear the exact same shoes, pants, and socks for every game!

We hope k1ng washes them regularly. To be honest, swapping KFC for clothing is probably much healthier. We’re sure k1ng’s coaches think so, too.

k1ng and his team are off to Worlds later this year in Paris. He’ll take this victory and his new ritual along with him. We wish the Mammoth team all the best.

Don’t miss any of the OPL action, and rewatch all the glory, on the official RiotOCE Twitch channel. There’s also plenty happening in the Northern Hemisphere. Read up on the LCK Summer Split Champions or check out our interview with Golden Guardian’s Hard.