Foreign media Inven Global published an article titled Clams and drinks with T1 Wolf: "Calling me back [to T1] was an excellent choice." (T1 Wolf interview). The original meaning is as follows (reprinting and handling screenshots are prohibited without permission):
I don't remember how the clams tasted when I interviewed him. That was more than 150 days ago, and it was a serious interview. The taste of the food doesn't matter. It should be delicious, but the bitterness of soju and retirement should mask the deliciousness. I hope to go to those places where you can eat grills with foodie Wolf without worrying about work or interviews. But the epidemic is coming...
We repeatedly postponed our interview until one day when the news came, we didn't meet again. It's about Wolf's return to T1. I think work belongs to those who are capable, even in this case.
When we wanted Wolf to talk about his return, we gathered again at a restaurant selling grilled clams. While sitting, we ordered a bottle of soju and beer. "Interview" is a good excuse, and the business card is quickly scraped off. After chatting for a while, the clams began to speak and the interview finally began. Wolf, don't you be fine?
Q: This is your second retirement interview. How are you doing?
A: I'm very busy these days. I have had some extra time since LCK was suspended in March, but I have been live streaming in February and April. And there are meetings... there are too many meetings. The radio station called me, and some teams called me too.
Q: What did you discuss with the team members?
A: They suggest some cooperation. It's not like the coach's proposal. I rejected all of these proposals before. Anyway, I talked to some teams about cooperation because I was going to join T1…but aside from that, there are many places to call me. When I'm not in LCK, I'm always in meetings.
Q: This is your happy time. In this case, you can choose your job.
A: This is lucky for me. This may be because of the unique characteristics of e-sports .
Q: You suddenly announced that you have signed a contract with T1. Is there any story behind this?
A: T1 did say they wanted me to work in the club, but they never called me. I didn't know at the time, but after signing with other teams, they told me they wanted to give me time to rest. They knew I had been working for a long time.
Although they wanted me to have a break, it's been over a month since they called me in my case, so I thought "Why didn't they call me?" So I gave up on waiting and signed with the sandbox. Then T1 asked me why I signed a contract with the sandbox, and I replied, "You said you would call! Why don't you call?" (laughs)
Q: Since they didn't call, it must be "we should find some time to have a meal together."
A: Yes. Anyway, at the beginning, I planned to stay in the sandbox. There are many benefits to doing this. I also worry that if I go back to T1, I might not be able to live and create in my style. I'm worried about some restrictions. But I've been working in T1 for a long time, so I'm very close to the operations team and the content team, so I can ask them something. For example, the case of T1. The answer from
T1 is: "No, no. We asked you to come because we like you. You can do what you want." I was not asked to do anything. They used to be considerate to me, and they are still considerate to me, just like before.
So I talked to the sandbox, and after negotiation I came to T1. Sandbox regrets to terminate the contract with me. They told me, "You will have more advantages when you go there, and your image is more suitable for T1." I'm very grateful. In their opinion, I may have violated business ethics.
Q: The sandbox looks very generous. Do you want to work with T1 again from the beginning?
A: I thought a lot. As I said before, I think there might be some limitations if I work in T1. But T1 told me they wouldn't involve my live broadcast style.I also think that if I were a member of T1, I would like to say anything more convenient. So far, it feels pretty good. I shot an interview or something on Monday and the content creation team treated me as a brother. I think it's worth it to maintain a good relationship with people. I live a good life. (Laughs)
Q: After you leave, you will find "real" connections and relationships.
A: I really feel this way recently. I know a lot of people on the Inven radio station and I also do a lot of content on OGN. The people I met at Inven and OGN's youngest writer now have higher positions than they were then. I am grateful that everyone is still there and everyone has a good relationship with me.
Q: How is your life like as an anchor? Rumors say that sometimes your live streaming is more popular than official live streaming.
A: I don't think I know how the world works. When I left the team and was alone, there were so many things to consider. Including making money. The team has helped me a lot so far, so it’s very convenient. When I retired, I wanted to live alone for a while without lying anywhere, but with April on the way, I began to think that I should have a place to rely on. Back to T1, although it didn't take long, I was very satisfied. It feels like I'm back to my place. I felt relaxed…like I was back home.
Q: Anyway, are there a big difference between the new T1 and the old T1 in the past few months? The players are different, there are more sponsors... I thought you would feel differently.
A: I have a lot of this feeling. I have no contact with Coach Kim, although I know Coach Comet. Even the players are not familiar with each other, except for Faker and Effort. So for me, it was a bit awkward to meet the team members. I just said let's have a cup of coffee. If kkOma is still here, he might introduce me to the team and say, "Guys, this is your brother Lee Jaewan."
doesn't feel embarrassed at all with the content creation team. I just walked over and said, "I'm here." Let's take your business card out for dinner. (Laughs) The business card is great. When I go to the office, they always treat me to dinner.
Q: Business card means power. There is one thing I'm curious about, maybe it's a bit too materialistic. You got the last time Jordan's sneakers. So what did you get from BMW?
A: I don't know the details. I think they are sponsoring the team. Not for individuals, but for the entire team. Anyway, the most important thing is that there may not be a driver's license in the current T1 team. We've had some conversations about this, so I also asked if I would get a car (laughs).
More importantly, I am very interested in the fact that BMW sponsors the team. I've heard a few things about the future plans of T1 and I think it'll be very interesting. But I really regret that BMW is coming this year... no one has a driver's license... (You seem to be emphasizing the fact that you have a driver's license.) (Laughs) Think about it. In the past, Huni, Bang, and kkOma had driver's licenses. Wouldn't it be better if BMW came at that time?
Q: It looks like you do want what. Anyway, have you talked to your former teammates? Effort likes you very much, he is your old fan.
A: I usually like to exaggerate the facts. I told Effort that I will return to T1, probably coach. I told him that I would have my own room in the new base in T1 and look forward to his reaction. But Effort thought for a moment and replied very formally, "Oh, then, then, come on, very, very interesting. So I said, "What?" Are you not excited? "If Blank was still here, he would have reacted very surprisingly. Because of this, I think Effort is a very serious player.
Q: You watched all the games. Are you proud of Effort? Have you ever thought about being the one who operates there?
A: After retirement, I never thought I wanted to operate there. I think it was a timely retirement. Because it was due to my health issues, I was sad, but I don't regret it. I just hope everyone in LCK is happy and everything goes well.
In this regard, I'm really happy to see Effort do so well. Effort often mentions me on his livestreams, and I think his POG posture is to remind people to remember me. I'm really grateful.
Q: Where is Faker? I asked Faker in an interview and he said he has no idea about your joining...
A: This may be true. Faker is that. Because it's more like I'm back to the content team or team office than back to the team. If I came back as a coach or head coach, he might feel differently.
Q: If you really come back as a coach, it will be fun. You will come back as a coach, but your old colleague becomes a partner.
A: (Laughing) To prevent this shameful situation, I cannot be a coach.
Q: But, if you are a T1 anchor, can you still be the official "shell black"?
A: Yes, I can. So can I. We are in different departments. Many fans are worried that I can’t speak out my thoughts. For those fans, I asked them, "Do you really think I'll give up?" T1's content team actually liked me criticizing Faker, too. I think everything will be fine unless I make a big mistake.
Q: Why do you stand in that position? To be honest, deep down, don’t you support and support Faker more than anyone else?
A: Of course I like it. One thing is not fair to me. I'm not a "shell black". I criticize everyone. It's just that people pay more attention to Faker, and he has a greater influence on this stage, so I seem to be just criticizing him. I criticize everyone equally. I do cheer him up often. I really don't compliment him much... Complimenting friends can make people feel a little embarrassed.
Q: On the other hand, who do you praise the most?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. When I criticize others, I try to be equal; when I praise others, I try to be fair. But I often praise Effort and Canna. In addition to them, I also praise newcomers or young players, such as Keria and Chovy. Kuro is an exception.
When I praise newcomers, I usually add a few words: All newcomers have the opportunity to do a good job. They can play aggressively and succeed, but newcomers tend to be overshadowed in the second year. The advice I want to give to all new players in the arena is: "Don't lose your style." Obviously, this is the most difficult thing.
Q: The reason you often like Kuro is that he has not grown old for so many years?
A: I have known Kuro for a long time, and to some extent, he is a bit like Faker. Although he has been on the field for a long time, he has maintained his strength and he feels he will not fall in the future. He is the mainstay of the KT team now.
When a player like Kuro has a long career performs well, that feels good and also creates a strange feeling. Whenever I see their game, I feel a little strange. I hope the rookies can work hard and do a good job, but on one hand, I don't want the old players to fall.
Q: Because many fans are looking forward to your return, I have brought some fan questions.
A: Oh, very good. I like this very much.
Q1: When I asked fans about Wolf’s question, your CEO Joe Marsh immediately asked a question. When are you going to follow him?
A: I saw this. I don't really pay much attention to others. In my four or five years of using Twitter, I rarely clicked on the follow button. My fans have been talking about it on my livestream since Joe Marsh said so, so I followed him.
It is important as a player to manage my Twitter account, but sometimes, it's really annoying. Joe Marshshi sent me a private message, but I haven't replied yet (laughs). Because I drank wine during my interview today, I might go home…ask him for a car.
Q2: OK. The next question is, what is the best thing to go back to T1?
A: That feeling I belong here.
Q3: It seems that there are many souvenirs in T1 that are not sold. Do you have such souvenirs? Will you give them for free?
A: I have some. They are planning to make my jersey, too. I think they will sell the goods soon. T1 office piled up tons of goods. I think they are ready to sell.
also has a gift, yes, very likely. T1 cares a lot about fans… (No, the question means you will make a giveaway by yourself?) Oh, me! Yes, of course! I might need to get something from the team, but I think if I ask them if I can get some, they would say yes. (So if they give you free gifts when you ask, will you give them too?) Yes. If not, then it won't work.
Q4: How do you feel when you see the current new lineup?
A: To be honest, I can't feel anything. After kkOma left and foreign companies came in, I just felt like that was the case. Obviously, I hope the players perform well. Maybe I feel a little distant now. In the past, I only considered the players personally, but now, I just wanted everyone to do better. Effort, Faker…I hope T1 can perform well and succeed, but when I see the list, I don’t have much emotion.
Q5: When will you talk about the "stories of fighting with Faker" and you didn't talk about it completely during your anchoring period?
A: That's really hard (laughs). Maybe it was when I left T1? (So you guys really played?) Maybe it was, maybe not. We have lived together for five years and we won’t have nothing, right?
Q6: If there is nothing, then we are not friends. Next question, is there a game you think you played very well? I think this person should want to watch the playback of that game.
A: I'm not very good at memorizing competitions, but I want to choose one. I think it's against EDG, right? When my Luo turned the situation around, it was very impactful. I think I did a good job and the 2017 MSI, my last game of Zyra. What’s especially great in that game was that I made a plan in the first 30 seconds of that ultimate move and everything went as planned. Apart from that, there are a lot of games I did well. You can watch any of my games except for the 2018 game.
Q7: So far. What do you think of the cooperation between Clockwork and Luo’s ultimate move? This person mentioned registering Twitter is to ask this specific question.
A: It is important to play well in the lane, but Rakan was weakened a lot, and he and Clockwork were both weak in the lane stage. Teamwork is very important. There are many factors to consider to make this combination powerful.
Q8: How is "winter" now?
A: "winter" is doing well. It's almost 11 kilograms now. Every year, it grows up, but it doesn’t mean it has a lot of fat, it’s muscle. My mom takes it for two hours a day for a walk. (It's hard for people to have two hours of walking…) My mother said the same. I go to see "Winter" at least once a week. A lot of money is spent on snacks. I think we spend about 400,000 won ($324 per month). (Even people don't spend that much money on snacks) (laughs) "Winter" has her own snack refrigerator.
Q9: Do you have any content prepared after LCK? This fan wants to play with Wolf. I think they want something that can be involved.
A: I don't think there will be a lot of content with audience participation. At least I don't plan to do that. I'm focusing more on esports and the league itself. Activities that audiences can participate in may be discussed in T1. However, I also like the activities that audiences participate in.
Q10: Which or which contestants do you think will be anchors in the future?
A: It's hard to say... maybe it's GorillA? If he becomes an anchor, he may have involved more expertise. Some people know that in esports, GorillA is a very social person. He has all the information. All news must be spread to GorillA first. If he does start live, he will be able to tell a stadium story for more than a year. Maybe it was telling stories with a mask...even though everyone already knew those stories.
In addition to a few situations, it is not easy for professional players to become successful anchors. People like Ambition, Pray, CloudTemplar have long been known. They know how to communicate with people and how to live broadcasts interestingly. There are very few people like that. Although the overall environment has changed, some teams still don’t like communication.
Q: This is the last problem for fans. It is difficult for people to be happy all the time. It is difficult to maintain this positive energy in live broadcasts. Have you ever been tired of live streaming?
A: Of course, even if I haven't been an anchor for a long time, I often feel this way. Live streaming itself is a pleasure because I like to talk. But sometimes, some viewers fight each other. Managing these people is sometimes annoying and tiring. Sometimes there is a person who raises sensitive topics and if I don’t stop them, this person will become ten or hundreds of people. It's also hard for me to find the line between the people I have to stop and the people I can't stop.
Another idea that came into my mind was whether I could stream live like this. The longer I feel like I lack professional knowledge. Maybe because LCK is no longer the LCK I used to be, so I thought, "Do I want to watch foreign leagues too?" This may be very sensitive, but I often hear people say that I am the LCK Wolf Warrior. I think LCK is a very interesting league. I believe LCK is really good, and although not the best, there are still many interesting high-level matches. Since LCK is now considered to be below LPL or LEC, I am a little confused.
Usually when people watch Go or chess, they say it's boring. This may be what many fans think of LCK like Go or Chess. If you have a better understanding of Go or chess, you will find that every round of mental games is very intense, and it is really fun to watch this kind of game. Anyway, if I start to worry about this, I lose energy.
Q: Is there anything that makes you cheer up recently?
A: More than one thing, many things make me cheer up. One is to lie on the sofa and watch Netflix in your spare time. I sometimes cook and sometimes play new games. Recently, "Mount Blade II" was launched. These things really make me happy. But most importantly, shooting (team) videos is the most helpful. If I go out and shoot videos, I will meet a lot of people. I talked to them and learned a lot of things I didn’t know before, and I said what I wanted to say. I also like to be interviewed, like now.
But now there is a problem. There are fewer and fewer opportunities to shoot videos, and less and lesser things to watch on Netflix. I'm tired of Mount Blade. So I did nothing yesterday. I just lay down like I was dead. I looked for any interesting mobile games, but got nothing. I encountered a bug pop-up while playing riding and chopping. Open Netflix and I think nothing is good. This is the biggest problem at the moment.
Q: You said you like planning. Do you have any special plans?
A: There are two. First, I told you during the live broadcast. Go to visit each team's base and evaluate their food, which will be called Wolf's Michelin Guide, or Wolf's Guide. But if I rate all the food, it could hurt the feelings of those who work hard for the team, so I think maybe there are only the top three. Just as KaKAO once did a food game, I will ask more teams to help. (Maybe it would be nice to have a guest having dinner with you.) Yes, let one of the team members introduce the food and eat it together.
Another is the Youth Training Competition. I think the difference between the championship system and the league system has brought a lot of changes to the LOL esports field. Before that, when the game mode was a tournament, it was easier for super newcomers to stand out. The best example is Faker. But when they convert to league format, a player has to play many games and there are more metrics to evaluate a player.
Finally, it was found that the rise prospect became more difficult. And, before, if you were good in the solo order, you had a lot of chances to get into the first team of some teams. I'm the same, but now, you have to go through the youth training, the third and second tiers to get into the top teams.Even in youth training, there are team one and two teams. These players may give up their studies and pay much less, and they will definitely work hard. However, they have fewer opportunities to reach fans.
I want to follow those contestants. The Korean e-sports youth training must be strong enough to create more meaningful competition in the starting lineup, and if this happens, the Korean e-sports ecosystem will operate healthily.
So far, the plan is to have four teams play under a coach's offseason and broadcast it. The coach can introduce the youth training team to fans, and they can explain the specific strength of these players. I can also add some comments. Then, with my own money, maybe with some support from T1, we can hold a ranking contest to get the prize. There can be more ways to provide bonuses, such as collecting all sponsorships to the winning team or assigning them to participants.
In the e-sports industry, someone should be interested in running such a program. I personally think my image is very suitable for this project. If the team heard that there is a player with a good career running this project, they would be more interested.
Q: Do you have any expectations for T1's live broadcast?
A: This is one of the reasons why I joined T1. For an anchor, there are many restrictions on doing anything. I want to do more for the team, and T1 wants to do the same. I hope everything T1 does goes smoothly. Although trivial, it is important.
Q: I'm full now. Finally, let me say something to my fans?
A: I'm always too formal on this issue. As usual, I want to say thank you, but this time, I want to say I am more grateful than before. I could feel that the fans who cheered me were still supporting and loving me. Because all the fans like me, I think I have a chance to go back to T1. I can now produce more live and creative content. Thank you!
Q: What do you want to say to the staff and contestants of T1?
A: For the staff, I want to say that calling me back is a good choice. You've made a lot of choices for a long time, but this is probably the best choice you've ever made. For the players, you may have worked very hard. What I want to say is that you should pay attention to your health when playing a profession. Many people have told you to do your best, so I hope you are healthy and happy. Don't blame yourself after the game.
Q: This is the last question. How was the meal today?
A: Compared with the roasted clams we ate last time, this time it tasted better. Maybe it's because I feel more comfortable than the day I announced my retirement. We drink as much as we eat clams, but today, I feel like I prefer clams over drinks (laughs).
Source: Inven Global
