Interview with DIG Ssumday on MSI, Mid-Season Updates and Improvement

With the Summer Split just around the corner, we've caught up with our top-lane League of Legends player Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho! We've spoken with him to answer some questions regarding the NA lifestyle, his thoughts on MSI and more.

Hello Ssumday! What have you been up to during the off-season?

Ssumday: I’ve been playing solo queue and resting. I also watched MSI, but I didn’t really do anything special.

You’ve been living in NA for six months now. How’ve you been enjoying your stay here, and how has the Team Dignitas lifestyle been?

Ssumday: Before coming to America, I lived in Korea for a very long time, so it felt a little bit different from a cultural perspective. However, it seems that the lives of professional gamers here are largely similar to those of other countries. Our gaming house is expected to move soon, so I expect it to improve.

LCS fans have expressed disappointment following NA’s recent performance at MSI, with TSM landing fifth place in the group stage. For what reasons did TSM fall short this tournament?

Ssumday: Watching the MSI games, I think TSM has failed to deal with new things because they don’t have enough experience with these kinds of tournaments.

One of the most widely discussed topics during international events is the skill difference between LCS and LCK teams. Based on this year’s performances, how do you feel NA and EU teams compare to Korean teams, and what are Korean teams doing differently to the West?

Ssumday: As you saw at MSI, [Korea] was pretty devastating, and I think they’re more powerful than ever. I think the difference is that Korean team’s lives completely revolve around League of Legends. Thinking about the game while trying to sleep, and dreaming of playing matches.

The newly-reworked Galio has been the most contested top-lane pick at MSI. What makes Galio so strong, and do you think he’s worthy of some adjustments?

Ssumday: The best thing about OP tank champions in top is that you’ll deal damage with only tank items. Another factor is his quick wave clear, I think he's powerful.

Following the recent mid-season updates, what’re your thoughts on the Maokai rework and the introduction of the Adaptive Helm and Gargoyle Stoneplate?

Ssumday: I think the updated Maokai is quite good as a support, but I think he’ll be a little difficult to use as a top right now. I think Adaptive Helm would be great against a champion like Rumble or Syndra. Gargoyle Stoneplate gives you both armor and magic resistance, but this item is really hard to use. And personally, I do not like the change to the guardian angel items.


From an outsider’s perspective, the return of Cop as a coach saw major improvements to the team. In what way has Cop impacted how you approach matches, and how has he helped you as a player?

Ssumday: Cop helped us play a little more autonomously. Personally, I think Michael Slan, our owner, has given us a great deal of confidence.

Just recently, Saintvicious was announced to be returning to coach alongside Cop. How will things changing with the addition of a second coach?

Ssumday: I know Saintvicious was a great jungler in the old days, so I am very excited about working together with him. I hope he will teach us a lot of things this split, I am excited.

Since the end of the Spring split, how do you think you’ve grown as a team? Compared to back then, what is the team doing differently now?

Ssumday: Now that the Spring season is over, I think we're just going to have to go forward because the Summer Season is about to start. Right now we are in a team maintenance phase, so we are still growing as a team. The LCS Summer season will start soon and we hope you’re looking forward to an exciting season.

Do you have anything else you’d like to say to your fans?

Ssumday: I want you guys to keep me in mind, even though I have a little less exposure. Don't forget me!

A huge thanks for Ssumday for his time. If you’d like to stay tuned with Ssumday, you can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Twitch!