In week 3 of TLC Malaysia Playoff, iSg KTHXBAI faced off against Nothing to Lose in a Bo5 series. Despite a close 3-2 prediction by Vyprex, it is shocking to see iSg KTHXBAI to thrive over Nothing to Lose after a very close first game.
I had the pleasure to be able to troll Ashdragon, the manager of iSg KTHXBAI into a lame interview
Congratulations on the 3-0 win. How are you feeling after the commanding win against NtL
Well, I had mixed feelings after winning yesterday game [Laughs]. I am definitely happy that my team was able to proceed to the Quarter-finals in the Winner's Bracket. Despite the team making a few mistakes in the games, we were able to come back and keep a sense of consistency in the game.
On another note, I felt really bad that I pressured my teammate, Mashiro, just a day before the games on 22nd March 2014 despite being warned by Vyprex that it will be disastrous to the team if I pressure them too hard. Somehow it came true as I pressured Solomen "Mashiro" Cheah so much that he almost wanted to quit the team and skip the matches on 22nd March 2014.
After being advised by Daniel "Stance" Ha and Darryl "He-who-shall-not-be-named" Lim aka Voldemort, I was thinking whether or not I took things to an extreme level and pressure him till his breaking point. Fortunately, on the 22nd, he came to Kampar and I was so happy. Most importantly, he became a different person and and played literally like a GOD! Yup, this is the mixed feelings I had yesterday. Sure glad it's over!
You guys started the match rather safe and scared in Game 1. However going into Game 2, the “on” switch was somehow hit and iSg KTHXBAI went into a state of overdrive. Can I say that it was attributed to iSg.KTB getting comfortable after the first win ?
First, I was nervous by myself cause this is the first time the team actually got together and play as a group. Their games were always played online. To my surprise, they somehow performed better when they were together rather than online scrims and matches. I was watching the draft and I thought that we were gonna lose Game 1. In fact, I never expected them to win with that composition
Nothing to Lose played really well in game one, constantly picking off 3-4 members with the Unstoppable force from Malphite. Fortunately, the calls made by Xare was solid and everyone in the team actually cooperated and listened to his calls despite being behind. Of course, Nothing to Lose made some questionable calls in the Baron as well as the initiation at the bottom lane towards the end.
After that, I guess the team drafting was wiser. The team decided to stop the Wombo-Combo team from being picked again by NtL. They had a confidence boost from the 1st game and they maintained their pace throughout the series. We experimented a team composition based on our scrims with Toushi in our third game and we were glad that it worked out well too!
I was with NtL before the match and their preparations were really great. That makes me curious as to what was the game plan of KTB as preparation to the NtL match?
To be honest, we actually did not prepare much for the games as TLC games always fall on the exam period of Xare and Ribena. (We only used like of 3 days of training before the matches started). As for our game plan, Xare (The captain) would usually be the one making decisions and choosing the champs for our players to play with other members suggesting their picks to him.
You were the Support player for KTB in the past and now, the manager. How was the transition like?
I MISS PLAYING TOURNAMENTS!!! [Rolls on the floor and laugh] Being a player is in my opinion easier. You just have to focus on your role and learn how to master them well enough to make plays. (P/S: I always make plays for Ribena at the Bot lane)
As for being a manager, it was really tough because there were no sponsors to help us maintain in the competitive scene in Malaysia. It took quite some time to search for a sponsor and finally, I found Insidious Gaming and contacted them after being introduced by Patrick "Valerie" Keane. Being a manager is all about handling each of your members well, managing them and give them suggestion or advice if they do badly in games. However, after the recent incident with Mashiro, I guess I would need to reflect upon it and improvise on my actions to prevent such things from happening to my team members ever again. Simply saying, I guess I am still learning to communicate with my teammates in a better way.
So, will there be a surprise comeback by Ashdragon in the future?
NOOOOO
I really do not want answer this but well, I will focus on handling my teammates and my career in real life first as I will be graduating soon from my university. Honestly, I would prefer to train new blood into the team so that they can carry on the legacy to bring e-Sports glory into the Malaysian and Singaporean Scene. However, I have to say that there is always a possibility for everything. Who knows? I might retire as a manager sooner than you can expect.
Fun Fact
When I was talking to Ashdragon on the 4 man Malphite ult onto KTB by Jarlax in the first game, Ashdragon mentioned that “it was all part of the plan”. However the plan did not work out as Ribena was busy drinking Ribena at the baron pit
The win put NtL into the losers bracket against Team Passby. What do you think of that match up?
I will be a biased fan boy here Without a single doubt, I will support Nothing To Lose because among the 8 teams in TLC, I only support 2 teams which is iSg KTHXBAI and Nothing to Lose.
As for team KTHXBAI, you will be facing either Mirrors or Kuala Lumpur Hunters. Any preference in matchups? Who do you think will come out on top
Kuala Lumpur Hunter is as strong as ever after the roster changes. I would say that at the moment, Kuala Lumpur Hunters is a little better than iSg KTHXBAI as they are trained professionally while we can only train during our free time.
Team Mirrors actually beat us two times during the TLC League Series despite them using a player they are not supposed to. However, after the suspension of both their Junglers, I feel that they would have a hard time finding a good replacement. Then again, I believe that they will be a strong team and will be playing solid games as what they've done all along. I wish them all the best in their game next week and may the best team win!
That being said, I guess I am looking forward to playing against KLH more as it always feels better playing against a professional team. Also, I expect them to come up on top against Mirrors
KTB these days are under fire in solo queue due to the BM’s in game (notably by the public post by Manner (Solo, the former member of Team KTHXBAI). Do you want to comment on that?
Yup, I am aware of this issue and have repetitively advised them to control themselves in games. They justified themselves. telling me that many of their problems exist when they get flamed, raged or BM-ed for playing bad at champions they are new at, which is basically what we need them to do to expand their champion pool. I guess being human, we would just try to respond to it, sometimes a little to aggressive. That being said, I hope they can maintain their professionalism in games.
At the end of the day, I guess everyone is learning and growing as a player and a person. While I cannot control the players, I believe that they would know what's best for the team and for themselves
Any shout outs from you?
It's a very long (and lame) interview but that would be all. Thanks to Ashdragon, the manager of iSg KTHXBAI.Yes, shout outs to my team mates for being united as one team and an apology to Mashiro for being so mean towards him at times. On top of that, I would like to thank Team Toushi SG, and the other Insidious Gaming teams for being our regular scrim partners to improve our game plays as well as mechanics. Last but not least, I would like to thank our sponsor, Insidious Gaming for supporting us from far away
