Gori now has his vision firmly locked on the LPL’s Bilibili Gaming. The two major region squads face off later today.
North America is on the board as the Golden Guardians took care of business against Vietnam's GAM Esports. In what was predicted to be a big test for the LCS squad, it turned out to be a one-sided affair with GGS making quick work of GAM. One of the stars of the show outside of their incredible bot lane was GGS's Gori.
Kim "Gori" Tae-woo was the only member of the GGS roster that was making his international debut yesterday. The Korean mid-laner put in a solid performance to squash any first-game nerves he may have had. Following the series against GAM, GGS Gori sat down with esports.gg for an exclusive interview.
Gori's first time on the international stage
Gori is not new to the 'big stage', having spent time in the LCK competing against the best in the world and now competing in an LCS final. Gori did not shy away from the big moment when the Korean mid-laner stepped onto the big stage at MSI 2023.
Gori got off to the best start possible for a debutant with a combined KDA of 12/2/19. Playing aggressive champions like Ahri and LeBlanc, Gori was right at home as Golden Guardians swept GAM Esports. "I’m glad we won the first international stage series that we had, and to be honest, there is not much going in my head right now as we’ll continue to prepare for tomorrow’s match." GGS Gori didn't have time to process the moment with the LPL's BLG on the horizon 24 hours later.
As mentioned above, Golden Guardians wasted no time dispatching GAM Esports. Heading into the series, many expected this to be a closer affair, perhaps even seeing the first three-game series of the tournament. Gori during our interview with him spoke about the easiness of the series:
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"So It felt like they actually weren’t doing anything in the game, so the win felt really easy, so we just played our own style."
Although this was Goris' first appearance on the international stage, this isn't the first time the GGS mid has been in high-pressure situations. Gori during his career has competed against the best teams in the world in the LCK. This includes the best-of-three format that has been deployed at this year's MSI. " I’ve already been in the LCK so it’s nothing new, but I do think that this format is better." Gori said after being questioned on the new MSI format.
Having the opportunity to compete at an international event for a major region squad is an honor very few players get to experience in their careers. For many they would be overwhelmed with emotions, for Gori, he has remained cool, calm, and collected as he focuses on the task at hand.
"So it was an international tournament, but it was just a tournament at the end of the day, so there wasn’t anything extra special about it."
Golden Guardians will now face off against the LPL's Bilibili Gaming later today. The winner of this best-of-three will automatically qualify for the bracket stage at MSI 2023. For all of the latest results head on over to our live MSI results page.
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