FBI confident that Golden Guardians will be in the LCS playoffs

Olivia Richman Published 29/07/2019

The Golden Guardians are one step closer to making playoffs after finishing the weekend with a 2-0 record.

Many analysts had not expected GGS to defeat 100 Thieves or OpTic Gaming, but that’s exactly what they did. And while their two wins may have surprised the League of Legends community, but bot laner Ian Victor “FBI” Huang was quite confident his team could do.

WIN.gg spoke with FBI about his promotion from the Academy team and how he overcame his initial nerves on the LCS Arena stage.

How do you feel about the win over OpTic today?

FBI: It’s pretty exciting. I think we played more like we would normally play in scrims. The team was pretty comfortable, and me personally. I’m pretty happy with the win.

What do you think helped you guys take the win?

We were confident that if we got the picks we wanted, we could beat them. They drafted a pretty good composition, and it was actually pretty hard to deal with in mid to late game.

Why were you feeling so confident going into the match?

I was just feeling confident in our team. We’re a lot better than people think we are. Huhi and I personally haven’t been able to show how good we are yet on stage. That’s possibly due to nerves. But we’ve been playing for a while now, and we’re getting more comfortble.

You were also able to defeat 100 Thieves yesterday. Huhi said that he was confident your team could take them on. What do you think helped you guys defeat 100 Thieves?

I was pretty comfortable on Ezreal. I have a lot of practice on Ezreal. I felt I would be able to carry the game. But I wasn’t able to get items and carry because the rest of the team did so well.

Are you confident that your team will make it to the playoffs?

I’m feeling really confident. Next week we have Cloud9 and Clutch Gaming. They’re both good teams, but I think we can take them out. We only need one more win to guarantee playoffs, so I’m feeling super confient.

You joined Golden Guardians earlier this month. How did it feel to join the team in the middle of the LCS?

There was a lot of pressure. I personally felt a lot of pressure and stress. There was a lot weighing on me. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the LCS yet. It was just nerves on stage. It’s a pretty nervewracking thing playing in front of people on the stage.

But I think my teammates made it really easy to transition. They were all super nice and really welcoming. I’m really thankful for that.

Do you feel those nerves affected your gameplay?

I was kind of shitting myself at the beginning. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be nervous. I played at MSI and I told myself it was the same thing. But when I got up there, it was just so nerve-wracking. But once the game started, I didn’t feel I was. When I watched the way I played and communicated, I felt it wasn’t me. It had to be nerves.

What do you like about playing with Huhi?

It’s been great playing with him. He’s really experienced and has a good understanding of the game. He’s taught me a lot about the macro of the game. And I’ve been teaching him about bot lane match-ups. He’s gotten a lot better and hopefully I’ve gotten better at macro. He’s a really positive guy and he brings a lot to the team.

Do you feel your background on the Academy team has benefited you in your matches with the main roster?

I would say so. I played on Academy not for a long time, but I learned so much. They have a really good coach. He taught me so much about the game. I felt I needed that to play in the LCS. It really helped with that step forward.

Your former Academy teammate, Matthew “Deftly” Chen, is now on the Cloud9 Academy roster. How do you feel about facing them?

I would say it’s bitter sweet. I really liked him. He’s a really nice guy. We would talk about match-ups on bot lane. But it would be cool if they played Deftly so we could have our showdown on the LCS stage. I hope he does get to play.

You’ve only been playing LoL professionally for a little over two years. What is your favorite thing about playing professionally? How has your journey been?

When I first started, it was a lot different than the LCS. I had just finished high school. In Australia, on Sin Gaming, it felt like playing with a group of friends. It was really chill. But the jump to LCS is a bit more professional. I want to really work hard to justify my spot here.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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