Interview with DIG Ssumday on Quarterfinals and preparing for TSM

Following his victory in the quarterfinals, we've had a chance to talk to our top laner Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho! Read on to hear about his preparations going into semifinals, evolution of his playstyle and more!

Congratulations over your victory over C9! How do you feel after that exciting series? 

Ssumday: C9 played as well as we expected them to so it was tough, but it feels great to come out with a win.

Although you took the series 3-1, some matches were fairly close. What were the main factors in deciding Team Dignitas’ victories in the series? 

Ssumday: We won because we didn't lose focus until the very end, and never gave up.

Your Maokai had a 100% winrate in the series. What’s the process behind picking him, and what makes him so strong right now?

Ssumday: I've pick him because I always put my team's victory first. He's strong because he has some of the best CC, and he can be flexed as a jungler, too.

We’ve seen you shift away from carry-style top laners in favor of CC-heavy tanks and initiators like Maokai and Jarvan. Is there still a place for carry-style top laners, or are tanky initiators just too strong right now? 

Ssumday: I think in the current meta, tanks are just naturally stronger than carry top laners, but in certain cases carry champions are appropriate too.

Images courtesy of Lol Esports (Flickr)

With the Altec and Adrian bot-lane proving very effective, how have you altered your playstyle to accommodate them? 

Ssumday: My playstyle has become more of a tank style, where I'm always ready to abandon my lane and TP to help another lane out, while focusing on avoiding being ganked by the opposing jungler. In certain situations, I'll even give all the CS to the ADC. 

Over the course of the split, Team Dignitas has gradually improved. As an individual, how do you feel you’ve improved over the split yourself? 

Ssumday: I've become more confident in my play, and I've improved my playmaking skills by focusing on working around my team. 

Compared to the regular season, how intense have playoff preparations been? 

Ssumday: We've just increased our number of scrim blocks to 3 from the normal 2, so I suppose it has gotten more intense. 

How have Cop and Saintvicious shaped the way that you prepare and practice? 

Ssumday: There has been some conflicts with the coaches and I during our preparations, but I know it's all to improve the team as a whole so I'm not too concerned about it. We've been doing a good job of resolving conflicts of any kind. 

Images courtesy of Lol Esports (Flickr)

With the possibility of Worlds in your grasp, how confident are you feeling that you’ll make it there? 

Ssumday: We won't know until the end of the split, but I think that as long as we play the way that we have been lately, we can make it to Worlds.

Team Dignitas faces TSM next in the semifinals. What are your thoughts on them as a team, and do you feel prepared to take them on? 

Ssumday: I think that TSM is one of the strongest teams in NA, so I've been working hard to prepare for the series.

If you’re victorious against TSM, you’ll be facing off against either Immortals or CLG in the finals. Which team would you rather face, and why? 

Ssumday: I'm not concerned about which team we will face at the moment - my focus is on getting to the finals first.

Any shoutouts or closing words for all your fans?

Ssumday: Thank you to Team Dignitas and its sponsors. I will practice hard and show you all a good performance! Please keep on cheering for us!

We'd like to thank Ssumday for his time. To keep up with Ssumday, you can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Twitch!