[EXCLUSIVE] Gen.G Munchkin on their fluctuating form "You have to understand the game in a more intellectual manner"

VCT Pacific Stage 1 Finals Week started off today, with T1 taking on Gen.G in a thrilling Bo5 showdown.

With both teams fighting it out in the Lower Bracket Finals, it was evident that one team would be eliminated at 3rd place, while another would go on to face Paper Rex for the crown of VCT Pacific Champions.

Gen.G came out as the victors in this matchup, getting their revenge from the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Following the match, Strafe Esports had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with Gen.G’s IGL Byeon "Munchkin" Sang-beom.

In the interview, Munchkin talks about their dominant 3-0 win against T1, their fluctuating form in recent days, and also about their chances in Shanghai.

Fluctuating form of Gen.G

Gen.G has a bit of a dip and rise in form during VCT Pacific Stage 1. He talks about how they managed to recover this form in the nick of time.

[Interviewer] So first of all, congrats on the win. So my first question is a bit about the game. Even though you won 3-0 today, your form is not looking quite as dominant as it did back in Madrid and also during [Kickoff]. Why do you think this has been happening? And do you think this will affect future tournaments?

“I've been a pro player for a long time now. So in my experience, I think for every player, there comes a point where you go through a slump because you're trying to think about the game too much. Because at a certain point, you don't just play off of your mechanics, right?

You have to learn to play smart, you have to understand the game in a more intellectual manner. So I think trying to go through that process of learning the game affected some of our players in a negative way in terms of individual form. But after going through some losses recently, I think what's more important is just playing with confidence, going for plays that you want to go for.

And so that sort of change in mindset, I think, helped us recover our form.”

Revenge against T1

Gen.G were set up to face T1 once again after their initial clash, and came out with a dominant 3-0 win. Munchkin talks about how he predicted  T1’s game plan and adjusted accordingly.

[Interviewer] The first map was actually very dominant from you guys. And the other two maps got quite close, but you still managed to win them out. So, do you think you managed to out-call T1 each and every time? Or do you think maybe sometimes you got lucky, maybe sometimes you were actually the better side on those maps?

“So I expected, before coming into the match today, that T1 would be running their previous comps for all the maps. But in some of the maps they came in with a new comp. but these comps were not completely new or anything. These are comps we have seen before from other teams.

And also, having played on T1 last year, I thought their mastery on these comps would not be perfect. So I think the mid-rounding was fairly straight-forward throughout the matches today.”

We also wanted to get his thoughts on his upcoming matchup against Paper Rex. It will be a rematch of the VCT Pacific Kickoff Grand Final, where Gen.G managed to clinch the title.

[Interviewer] So now once again, you are facing PRX in a grand final of another tournament. So what are your thoughts on facing them again? And do you have any plan of action? Or do you have any expectations that you want to share with us on this match-up?

“So having watched the matches for PRX as well, I have a sense of how they want to play and how they prep going into matches. So for tomorrow, if they rely too much on their setups, I think we’ll have a fairly easy time beating them.

But I think if they do allow their individual strengths to shine, then we'll have a more difficult time.”

Talking about Shanghai

This is going to be Gen.G’s second international tournament of the year. And they have already solidified their status as international contenders during Masters Madrid. And Munchkin is confident that they’ll do well again.

[Interviewer] Masters Shanghai is actually going to be your second international tournament for the year. And you guys obviously look very strong in Madrid. Do you think you'll be able to replicate the same level of success and the same form?

“So I'm confident that we'll be able to do well at Shanghai.

And one of the big reasons is that there was a big patch recently. And Viper and Cypher, the power levels of these agents have been brought down to match the other agents. So, I think that opens up the space for new comps to come in.

And with new comps, we can develop new strategies. And I think that will work very well for us. So, our goal is to beat PRX tomorrow and take the number one seed. So that we buy more time to prep these new ideas, new comps, etc.”

[Interviewer] Final question from my side. Which teams would you like to face going into Shanghai? And also, which teams you won't like to face on the first day of the tournament?

“The team I’d like to try playing against is Fnatic. Because when we were in Madrid, we scrimmed against them. And since then, I think they’ve improved a lot, having watched their matches recently. So I would like to see what the new look Fnatic sort of feels like in the server.

And the team I don't want to play on the first day is FUT Esports. Because when I was in T1, we lost to them twice. We also lost to them during an offseason tournament with Gen.G. So they've been kind of scary for me. And I think having watched their matches recently, they look like they're in good form. So maybe I want to avoid FUT on the first day at least.”

[Interviewer] That was all of my questions. Thank you for taking the time to agree to this interview. All the best for the finals and also all the best for Shanghai.

Gen.G will be going head-to-head against Paper Rex in an exciting Bo5 Grand Final for the crown of VCT Pacific.

The opening draws of Masters Shanghai have not been done yet, so stay tuned to Strafe Esports for further updates and more exclusive content.

Featured Image Source: VCT Pacific | Riot Games

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