Intro: After Xiaoweixiao (XWX) was affected by the “Elo boosting” incident, he returned home to China for a temporary rest. Let’s take a look at our interview with him.

Q: Did XWX return to China yesterday? Is this trip a vacation or a departure from TIP?

XWX: Yes, just a temporary rest in China. I am still contemplating my future.

Q: In regards to the “Elo boosting” incident, is it possible for you to discuss what happened? Currently, Riot officials are paying close attention to the actions of pro players in game. This incident seems a bit immature on your part.

XWX: I did not think this through beforehand, and it led to really bad consequences that negatively affected the club and the fans. I deeply apologize. I will increase my awareness of this topic in the future.

Q: Is Elo boosting normal in the NA servers?

XWX: Since many players are attempting to reach higher Elo brackets, there will always be some Elo boosting in every server.

Q: Speaking of different regions, you were the only Chinese player in LCS this season. You and your team, TIP, both performed very well, and TIP has an excellent chance of making into S5 Worlds. In your past two years competing in a foreign country, what do you think is the most special about the LCS region? How is it different than your previous competitive career in China?

XWX: The biggest difference between NA and China lies in the playstyle. The laners and the Jungler in Chinese servers tend to play rather aggressively and prefer to skirmish in the early game. In NA servers, players mostly focus on scaling and team fighting. The Jungler tends to focus on scaling, farming, controlling the Dragon, and teamfighting. These are pretty much the differences between LCS and LPL. In conclusion, the Chinese style leans towards actively killing the opponent with mechanical outplays, while the foreign style leans towards playing passive and scaling.

Q: So you must have played a few Solo Queue games back in China right? How did you feel now that there are many Korean players at the top of the Chinese servers? Having reached the top of the Chinese server in the past, do you think you have a chance to do it again?

XWX: I felt ok after playing a few games. Since I am a rather aggressive player who likes to gain an advantage in lane, I am suited towards playing on the Chinese server. When I returned last year, I took half a month to reach 1000 Points Challenger on the Chinese server. I feel like this time around I should reach a very high Elo.

Q: Will you seek opportunities in Chinese teams to continue your professional career?

XWX: I would still really like to play professionally. I play a lot of Solo Queue in my offseason. But what happens after still depends on Riot’s response.

Q: After TIP lost you, will there be a weak spot in the mid-laner position? Do you think TIP still has a good shot of making into S5 from the NA region?

 XWX: They still have a chance. The Jungler, Rush, and the top laner, Impact, are very strong. The recent patch also suits Rush very well. And after more and more teams acquired Korean players this year, some veteran NA teams are not as strong as before.

Q: In regards to NA teams, can you tell everyone about them briefly? Like TSM or Doublelift, or why C9 fell so quick?

XWX: TSM and CLG are both in a downward spiral recently because they mostly have traditional NA players. Their playstyles also lean towards scaling and team fighting, which are hard to adjust after many teams changed their playstyles with Korean players. Speaking of C9, they played rather chaotically due to losing their main shotcaller, Hai. After he retired for a while, C9 didn’t have a shotcaller, which naturally led to their fast decline. But since recently Hai returned as the Jungler, C9 still has hope in the later part of the season.

Q: Godlike/Ackerman announced his official retirement this morning. Amongst your former LMQ teammates, only TcT/Mor is playing competitively, and currently Vasilii is only a substitute. Do you still keep in touch with your old teammates?

XWX: After returning to China, I got back in touch with my old teammates. We often go out to eat and stuff.

Q: How do you rate TcT’s team, QG? Keep in mind that it wasn’t easy for a team that came from LSPL to reach their current placement.

XWX: TcT/Mor was already a strong support back when he was in LMQ. He was an individual with a lot of insight. His new teammates were already decent. It is not surprising to see him achieve this kind of result.

Q: Have you paid attention to the LPL scene recently? Which do you think is the best team heading into the playoffs? How would Chinese teams perform on the international stage?

XWX: I watched LPL and OGN every day when I was in America. Personally, I think EDG is the best. I feel like they are particularly strong.

Q: Lastly, the speed answer segment for a few personal questions.

XWX: Ok.

Q: Who is the strongest mid-laner in LCS?

XWX: Judging from the current conditions, me.

Q: Do you like American girls or Chinese girls?

XWX: Chinese girls.

Q: Which is the stronger league at the moment, LPL or LCK?

XWX: LPL.

Q: Was the Solo Queue account that made it to the number 1 spot on the Chinese server in S2 yours?

XWX: It wasn’t a “Solo” Queue account. It was my friend’s account. At that time, I duo queued with Fzzf to reach the top.

Q: Which team do you want to join the most afterwards?

XWX: I haven’t thought about any teams yet. It should be a strong team.

Q: Should Yasuo be used competitively at the moment?

XWX: Yasuo’s Wind Wall is a disgusting ability when used properly. He should be especially powerful with a special team comp.

The following is a translation of an interview with Xiaoweixiao for Chinese League of Legends site Wang You that was translated by Steven Yu. The original interview conducted by "guoweipeng1" can be found at Wangyou.PCGames.com