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  'Summer Champion' Nong Shim says he won't be satisfied with the win

  Aug 23, 2023

  LCK CL Summer Champions Nongshim Esports Academy is not content to rest on its laurels.

  Nongshim swept DePlus Kia 3-2 in the 2023 LCK Challengers League Summer Finals at WDG Esports Studio in Jung-gu, Seoul on April 22. After a full-set thriller in last year's CL Summer Finals, the two teams battled to five sets this time around. Nongshim won after a long battle and ended the summer season with a valuable result.

  In a post-match interview, Baek 'Mikhail' Sang-hwi said, "I didn't think we were built to win, but I'm so happy that we did." "I thought it was going to be tough today, but I'm really happy to win," said Oh "Kolmi" Ji-hoon, while Sun "Calix" Hyun-bin said, "I'm glad my brothers took the bus to the championship. Next time, I want to win with a team where I'm the main player."

  Prior to the game, Plus Kia's Seung-kyu "Thanatos" Park gave a provocative interview in which he said, "I never thought of Nongshim as a strong team". Coach Kim Tae-yang 'Sun' showed a winner's mentality, saying, "Yesterday's postgame interview with the players was aggressive, but we didn't think we were good either." He continued, "I think the players showed their true colors today. "I think the players showed their true colors today, so I'm very happy," he added.

  Nongshim's win was a drama. From spring to summer, the team gradually improved their performance and eventually won the title. "When the first-team coaches came down, we changed our game to be more object-oriented rather than combat-oriented," said Coach Kim Tae-yang, explaining, "With the feedback from the first-team coaches, we got better and better, and I think it led to the win." "Sound" coach Kim Jun-sung gave us detailed instructions on combat engagements, and I think that combined with the aforementioned, made us the perfect team for Summer.

  And, of course, there's no one better than Heinseong "Vital" Ha. He maintained his good form after joining the second 토토 team, and his outstanding performance in the final earned him the Final MVP award. "Actually, when I received the POG, I didn't think I would be the Final MVP because Koh "Cole" Ji-hoon got it. I think I became the Final MVP because I showed a good performance in the last game," he said with a smile.

  As Kim Tae-yang mentioned earlier, Nongshim's first-team coaches helped the second-team players after the LCK ended. "Personally, I think the styles of the first and second teams are similar, and I don't think there's much of a difference in skill," said Park Seung-jin 'Chellie'. "The specific advantage that the second team players have over the first team is their focusing ability." 'Noblesse' coach Chae Do-joon agreed, saying, "They have a lot of confidence to engage in combat. There are many things they do without fear."

  Nongshim rose to the top of the summer by writing a coming-of-age drama. However, he was not satisfied with this and showed his determination to improve further. "I won the Summer, but I think I'm still not good enough. I want to work a little harder and become a better player than I am now," he said. "Next year, I'll be a better player than this year," said Lee Hyun-ho of "HH". Heinsung also vowed to do well at the upcoming ASCI (Asia Star Challengers Invitational). He concluded the interview by saying, "I'm not satisfied with this victory, and since there is still ASCI, I will win there after winning the CL."

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