Longzhu Gaming’s support Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyun said that one of the most banned supports in ranked play isn’t all that great on the professional stage.
Longzhu swiftly defeated ROX Tigers 2-0 on Tuesday, marking their sixth consecutive match victory. Korea’s veteran and innovative support GorillA pulled out a Janna pick which was quite successful, but when asked about it, he told Inven’s Shin Yeon-jae that he doesn’t think she’s a strong pick.
“I don’t think she’s a good champion,” he said. “But I think Ardent Sensor is over-balanced at the moment. It’s an item I built playing Morgana support as well. I think I picked her more because she works well with Ardent Censor, as opposed to her being good. She has many exploitable weaknesses, so I don’t think he’s a top tier support pick.”
GorillA said that with the new patch in the LCK, many support picks might see the light. He pointed out picks like Taric and Morgana in particular, and that whoever can find good champions for the bottom lane will be the key to victory.
As Longzhu is a strong contender for finishing first in the regular season, the fight between KT Rolster, SK Telecom T1, and Samsung Galaxy is something that GorillA is keeping a close eye on. For the sake of the team, GorillA’s allegiance shifts depending on the situation.
“To talk about KT first, there’s still one match left between them and SKT, so I’m cheering for SKT,” he said. “We have a match left with Samsung as well, but I think they showed some weaknesses as they lost to KT today. However strong teams are still strong, so I will continue to prepare to my best ability.”
The current summer split in the LCK is perhaps the most competitive, as SKT has stumbled in recent weeks, KT, Samsung, and the unexpected Longzhu have all rushed to the forefront and fill the void in the top spot. First place is a tie between KT and Longzhu, while Samsung comfortably sits two match wins above SKT, who is currently in fourth place.
Longzhu’s schedule has been quite tough with four matches in a row with only two days in between each, giving them little time to prepare for each match. Longzhu’s head coach Kang “Hirai” Dong-hoon commented in an interview with OSEN’s Ko Yong-jun that the fourth game will be the “turning point” for the team. GorillA admits that he is tired, but will keep up the pace as they look to face the Jin Air Green Wings next.
“I’ve always thought that Jin Air was a good team,” he said. “I am slightly concerned because I am fatigued and since we had little time to prepare. But I think we have a real shot to make it straight to the finals if we beat them, so I intend to give it my all.”