Samsung Galaxy’s return to the world stage was less convincing than its prior appearance in 2014 with Samsung White and Samsung Blue. After overcommitting to a dive against Splyce in the bottom lane, Samsung had to contest with the European squad's teamfighting capabilities in order to etch out a victory. With the help of a translator, Colin “CD Mangaka” Nimer got to talk with AD carry Park “Ruler” Jae-Hyuk about his first time at worlds, Samsung’s rebuilding, and the worlds meta.

Colin Nimer: This is Samsung’s first time on the world stage in two years and Ruler’s first time ever here! You just won against Splyce after having a great early game but a shaky mid game. Why do you think you guys had so much trouble closing that game out?

Park Jae-hyuk: As soon as the dive for the bottom lane happened, we tried too hard to catch Jinx and neglected to keep in mind what Tahm Kench could do. We bought the bait hook line and sinker. It snowballed into one bad decision after another, leading to a close mid game.

CN: When it came to champion picks, we saw your bottom lane go for Ezreal and Nami combination. Wraith is a very good Nami player and Nami has been seeing a lot of play in this tournament as one of the top tier supports. How do you think the bottom lane champion pool has changed from the playoff patch, 6.15, to the worlds patch, 6.18, and what practicing have you been doing to keep up?

PJ: I don’t think the bottom lane changed all that much. If anything, the mid lane and top lane changed a whole lot. The change you can see in the bottom lane is because the lane swap meta is officially dead with the new patches. The bottom lane now prioritizes strong lane compositions, which explains the Nami supports that are popping in for sustain and damage. I don’t think the meta changed all that much for the bottom lane though.

CN: When we saw you guys last was in the gauntlet where you finally got the upset win over KT Rolster that got you to worlds. In that gauntlet you guys played with CoreJJ at support rather than Wraith, but here we see Wraith back and performing very well. What are the differences between CoreJJ and Wraith and what they bring to the team as players, and why did you guys go with Wraith tonight?

PJ: I can’t say too much about how we choose between CoreJJ and Wraith, but they split scrims evenly. We mostly decide who plays based on who plays better for that time. As far as differences… when I first started out and CoreJJ switched position, I had a better idea of how they were different. But now, they are both so very good I have a hard time figuring out who is better and how they are different.

CN: Samsung Galaxy has been going through the rebuilding process for the past two years. They first secured CuVee and Wraith who have been with the roster ever since, and then they eventually got Crown and Ambition. The AD carry was always something that seemed very difficult for Samsung to fill ever since Fury left. Then you came in as a rookie in the summer split, and people have said you are very good, especially for a rookie, and I think you’ve shown on the international stage that you are as good on the international stage as you were back home. Are you going to be the AD carry Samsung has been looking for the past year? Are you going to fill that carry role they’ve been looking for since Fury left?

PJ: When I first came in, I didn’t really feel like there was a big problem with the AD carry position even when I began starting. I do have a tendency to throw games and lanes, but if I shore up my weaknesses and that tendency, I feel like the rumor of Samsung rebuilding that dynasty could be a reality.

CN: Now the TSM and RNG game is still going on right now, so we haven’t seen them yet, but of all the teams in Group D, which team do you think you are going to struggle the most against between the other teams?

PJ: As the AD carry for Samsung, I worry more about RNG’s bot lane because they have Uzi. He’s a legendary player. Part of it is that I respect him a lot, and part of it is I really want to test myself against him and see how I measure up.

(Feature image courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr)