Just before Anime Expo 2023, We had the opportunity to attend LCS, The League Championship Series, for week 3. Now, two weeks later, the brackets have changed pretty drastically with Cloud 9, Evil Geniuses, Golden Guardians, Team Liquid Honda, and Team Solo Mid (TSM) holding the top 5 spots. Although there is still a chance for the other five teams to potentially come back, it will be a long uphill battle. After FlyQuest defeated Immortals 16 to 4, we got the chance to sit down and interview FlyQuest’s Head Coach Sangsu Kim (Ssong).

For this interview, all questions will be bolded.

Ssong Interview

Introduction

All right. Can you introduce yourself by name and summoner name? 

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Yeah. Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Sangsu Kim. Right now I am currently the head coach of FlyQuest. Nice to meet you.

Matt – Nice to meet you too.

So, as a head coach, a lot of the coaches that I’ve already talked to were former players but did you play competitively?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) -Yeah, it was kind of a long time ago, like, I debuted in 2011 or 12. I was a top lane and jungler; then since I joined the team as a pro player, I was switched to mid lane. I went to Worlds as a pro player and got to the quarter-finals.

Okay, so as a player who was some of your favorite players to play against?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I like all players, but if I had to choose one player then I’d choose Pray the ADC player.

Matt – Treatz said that he wants to play against Faker.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Oh, yeah, he was my best, my teammate. And also, I think that is one of the really greatest players, one in ADC and in all roles.

Coaching

So in the coaching role, obviously it’s a different mentality because you’re managing the players, how do you adjust from your time as a player and instituting that basically into your coaching style?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I think that coaches always have to find/have a really good understanding of how you can play more comfortably and how you can get confidence from the graph and in the game. So basically for the fundamental things I just made a way for how I can have feedback for them and then try to understand like, what the player’s perspective was for the match like for execution of the microing or for the game is special on the stage. So yeah, I try to communicate and help with decision-making in the best way possible.

Matt – Basically, understand your player, why they chose to do what they wanted to do, and why they did what they did. Then figure out a way to make it better / help them out.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Yeah. And then I try to find reports with some stats of the base data from the combat and from the player’s perspective and then just decide with the player.

Matt – So when I talked to Reignover and to Svenskeren both said that their roles as a coach are a bit different because Svenskeren was also playing as a player this season.

How do you approach the coaching aspect? How do you view your role as a coach? What is your goal/focus? I know it’s hard

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) -Focus on personal mindset or focus for the team?

Matt – For yourself personally and executing it for the team?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Okay, I think as a coach, for the best, the goal is being successful and getting a good visual for our team. If we want to make it to that goal then. Then find out how to execute the goal. Find the right meta and then approach and understand with the player how to play the game as a team and focus on how you can make the potential better from our player with the help of my execution and knowledge and teaching feedback

So when you say executing the meta. Do you remember when the Unicorns of Love came out? And they were playing these wild comps. How they had these very weird picks? Do you feel like that still has a role in the game like a possibility or do you feel like it has to be strictly meta?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – The most important thing is if you choose the different way with meta even though you have comfort and confidence you have to doubt the first one you have to compare how much more organized compared to or against the meta champion meta tape. If you think there are high returns with whatever the reason, then you can, I think I’m down to try for that.

Now has anyone suggested anything wild this is outside of the box like we saw Contractz earlier with Sion Jungle. Then the Illaoi pick against Renekton. Anything that’s been like that?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – From my perspective, this meta is really high priority and the important thing is how you can destroy the enemy team or how you can have a better performance without understanding my champion and the enemy champion. So if you believe that Sion Jungle can make a good jungler matchup and pressure for the enemy champion with our team comp, then whatever champion you can do well with.

Matt – Okay, that makes sense to me.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I think a combination kind of different things is like not this meta kind of other meta. Like let’s say ardent sensor meta in Worlds even though you try Sion with good logic or your opinion, or perspective, you cannot beat it because already the item and the spike, the total spike, that moment is unstoppable. So you couldn’t be flexible but right now, you can be flexible because depends on, how you can snowball or how you can make some crack play or some like strategy it could work right now.

Introduction to League

So going back to your time as a player what originally got you into League of Legends?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – When I was a kid I loved to play the game and actually, I wanted to be a pro-StarCraft player. When I turned 23 years old, I said this is my last chance to be a pro player and I want to challenge really, and I saw League of Legends host the season 1 world tournament.  So I think I want to challenge it.  That’s why I tried.

Who were some of your favorite champions to play as?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Evelyn.

Matt – Even though she’s never played anymore?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – But when I was a pro, Evelyn I believe was very strong, and even though, I played the jungler, she kind of shows someone how to play the game and it was really good for me.

Matt – I personally have a love for Fiddlesticks. I miss his crow.

Hobbies and Interests

So when you’re not coaching or playing the game, what games do you like to play?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I usually do like soccer or TFT. I am likely to play those two games.

What are your hobbies outside of gaming?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I like to sew, sometimes go outside or get some restaurant food or like go to the beach. So I kind of like walking to the beaches.

Do you have a favorite beach out in California?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – All of the beaches are really good. But if I just pick one then Malibu.

Matt – Okay, I did enjoy Malibu Beach. Pacific Beach down in San Diego was one of the ones I enjoyed.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I’ve been there. I don’t even remember. But I think a lot of beaches I like in the state.

How are the beaches where you are from compared to here?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Compared to the other regions, I feel like the weather here is perfect for me. And I like to do those sight. Like if you see the sky or the vision of the front I feel like it’s kind of clean. And I personally like the scenic view.

Matt – I can appreciate that.

What are some of your favorite foods?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I like most food so really hard to pick one thing but I usually try to challenge myself for getting fresher or newer food from another country. Like those. So in the state. I like getting steak because compared to Korea the steak out here is really good. I like Italian restaurants.

Matt – Not Olive Garden.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Pasta and Pizza, something like that. I really like going to places that have a signature menu or signature dish; where they make their country’s food.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in California or LA?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – These days I’m too busy so I don’t have one. it is hard to say.

Matt – Whenever I come out here, there’s a restaurant called Dino’s Chicken and Burgers. it is closer to Downtown LA. They have a fry that has ground beef, cheddar cheese, pastrami, and some chicken sometimes.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Sounds good. I think I’ve heard of it. Come to think of it, there is a BBQ restaurant near Hollywood. It was really good.

What is your favorite movie and anime?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Right now, the one that is popping into my brain is Interstellar. I love that.

Matt – That’s what Treatz said as well.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Do you know Future GPX Cyber Formula? There is a racing car and they just competed with each other with like 10 to 50. teams and story. it is kind of older. But when I was a kid, everything was brand new. So it was really shock and surprise that, like, they made the anime; it was really good.

Matt – I can appreciate that. There are some older animes that I still enjoy more than the newer stuff

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Yeah, especially the older ones, I really loved that. Because that generation, like everything, was really brand new. And then everything is really creatively through the means. So it was really happy like Cowboy Bebop and like that kind of stuff.

Matt – So early 2000s?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Yeah, like kind of near that generation.

Matt – Yeah, like Trigun, Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball, and Slam Dunk. I love that generation.

Favorite team of yours in League or sports team.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I like Manchester, Manchester City. Actually watching their team and the game is nice I like it. I watch their documentary or so it was very good too.

I’m very curious about what playing against SKT was like. How was playing against Faker?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Yeah, I played against him actually it was not that good because they were too strong at that moment for me but I look back on their players and coaches, and their individual apart from us and individual skill mechanic level was high. The hardest to understand is that fundamentally the strengths of the team are really strong; their basic level is better their execution of the meta, how yeah how to play as a team was really strong I think that’s why they are able to level swap or just come back into the game even though they’re behind like all game.

Matt – You can never count them out.

Favorite Music and Inspiration

What is your favorite music genre and some of the artists that you like?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – Depends on how I’m feeling. I like everything so for example these days in the morning I listened to classical in order to relax. On the drive, I think about the team’s action, and I find it really helpful. Sometimes I like to listen to country songs. Recently, I drove back from Las Vegas to LA and that takes a lot of time, like a few hours from there. I just listen to country when I am looking at the desert or outside it looks like I can feel like I’m joining the movie. I choose music depending on the situation.

Matt – So just associating how you’re feeling and putting music on. Now what classical did you listen to? Do you remember? Is it just?

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – It is Four Seasons, by Antonio Vivaldi. So I can say I like Mozart. I usually listen to famous composers.

Who do you gain inspiration from? One person said their mother.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) – I don’t exactly have a role model. I tried to find a person and see how they process and how they find a solution in order to fix a problem. If I had to pick, I would say Pep Guardiola Manchester City’s Head Coach. I think about his past year, how he approached football (Soccer), and the struggle strategy. I saw the documentary and read the book, and I like his philosophy and what he is doing right now.

Matt – Maybe in the future, you can meet him face to face. Honestly, thank you very much for your time.

Sangsu Kim (Ssong) -Thank you.