Blaber Talks Victory Over TSM, Series Prep, And Matchup Versus 100 Thieves
Cloud9 took a 2-1 victory over storied rivals in Team SoloMid in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Lock In — being part of the only series to go to three games.
In the first game, Cloud9 showcased some drafting that seemed out of the norm for them, resulting in a game one victory for Team SoloMid; surprising many, as they looked like one of the weaker teams going into the playoffs. After this, Cloud9 seemed to correct the ship back on course — going back to their normal style of drafting. After getting their bad game of the series of out of the way, Cloud9’s bot lane went huge, absolutely dominating Team SoloMid’s. Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme’s flanks and Alistar play were immaculate alongside the rest of the team.
One of the players to remain on Cloud9 this offseason was Robert “Blaber” Huang. We had a chance to talk with Blaber, and he gave us his musings on their win over Team SoloMid and the preparation going into the series. As well as this, he discussed his thoughts on the new LCS format after having played a best of three, and what he looks forward to in his upcoming match against 100 Thieves.
Seeing how Team SoloMid’s games were not too impressive compared to Team Liquid or 100 Thieves for example; did you look at them differently going into this playoff match?
No, we treat all our opponents the same. And obviously, you’ll draft different things for different players, right? On different teams because of their priorities. But we definitely didn't look down on TSM because their wins didn't look as convincing as TL’s or 100 Thieves’.
What do you think about the series that you just played overall?
I think this series was decent. I mean, we had some very long and close games, but I think we definitely could have played better. I do think our drafts in game two and three were very good. So we were able to show that in the games. And [...] yeah, I mean, I think it was a pretty good series overall.
Well, we didn't really care too much that we lost game one.
Knowing that if you lost one more game that meant you were out of the tournament due to no loser’s bracket - what went through your mind when you lost game one?
Well, we didn't really care too much that we lost game one. We actually knew that we didn't draft particularly what we've been practising. So [...] we knew that we just change up for the next game and we'd be good to go. And we were like, not hesitant at all to run back Kai’sa and Hecarim again.
Now that you’ve played a playoffs match in the new LCS Lock In format, how do you like it so far? Does it weigh as heavily as a normal playoffs match or is the atmosphere different knowing that teams aren’t still aren’t full strength?
I mean, the Lock In tournament doesn't feel as good. It lets us show my scale before the season actually starts. And for example, playing best of threes feels really good. Because for example, if we played the best one, we would have lost the series. And so I've never played best of threes in my life — It was actually my first ever. But I can see why like all pro players want to play best of threes.
You touched on this in your post-match interview with LeTigress, but is there anything specific that you look forward to when you go to face 100 Thieves next week? Is there anything that you’re looking forward to, apart from getting to play against Can "Closer" Celik?
No. I mean, there's no specific thing that I'm excited about playing 100 Thieves. I mean, it's always nice to play against good teams to showcase your skill and also just have good games. You know, usually, when games are stomps, it's not exciting for viewers; it's not exciting for the players. So I'm excited to have a good game versus them.
I think there are new players coming up showing that they can become one of the next Bjergsens, the next Doublelifts, right? So although it's sad to see them gone, I'm excited for the future of the league.
Click to enlargeThere was a historic amount of turnover this time around as nearly half of the players that were playing last year are no longer in the league. As one of the younger generation of players, what do you think of what went down this offseason?
Well, obviously, it's going to be really bad. Or like, it's going to hurt the league when such big names retire, right? But also, like, it's not like their prime was when I was playing. So for me, like, obviously, I miss them in the scene. But I think the league always has to move on, right? Last year, Sneaky (Zachary Scuderi) was one of the big names that left alongside Bjergsen (Søren Berg) and Doublelift (Yiliang "Peter" Peng), and I think there are new players coming up showing that they can become one of the next Bjergsens, the next Doublelifts, right? So although it's sad to see them gone, I'm excited for the future of the league.
After their 2-1 victory over Team SoloMid this past week, Cloud9 look to show they are one of the teams to beat when they face off against one of the tournament favourites in 100 Thieves on Friday, January 29.
Images via Riot Games
