The South Korean squad went in hoping to do their best — and they did more than that.
South Korea’s Noongshim RedForce may have gotten second place at the HOK Invitational S3, but they certainly won the hearts of many who saw them play.
They took tournament favorites Nova Esports to seven games in the grand finals, proving that they’re ready for international competition. In fact, even the team themselves didn’t expect to make it this far as they explained to the media in a post-match interview.
“I was actually surprised by our own performance,” said Noongshim RedForce Bottom Laner Lee “SIRI” Hoon-min. “We actually exceeded our own expectations so we won’t stop here. We’ll continue to improve and challenge teams all over the world.”
“In our scrims, we’ve never defeated Nova Esports so we were actually very nervous,” admitted Top Laner Min “Kyoung9” Kyung-hyun. “But once we got on stage, our mindset changed. We really wanted to do our best so from being nervous we put in our maximum effort.”
Considering that this is Noongshim RedForce’s first time playing in an international tournament, they can be very proud of what they achieved, even though it’s second place. While they did make all the necessary preparations, the pressure never really left them. But it is amazing to see how a simple change in outlook can do wonders for a team.
“We actually arrived in the Philippines a little earlier so that we could get used to the environment,” said Middle Laner Jo “Illusion” Seung-bin. “There were still some nerves at the start of the tournament but as we kept playing, we started to enjoy ourselves more and more. I think this is why we managed to make it this far and exceed our expectations.”
Representing South Korea’s Esports Prowess
To some, seeing South Korea make it to the grand finals in a major esports tournament shouldn’t be surprising. The region has always been a juggernaut in whatever esports they take an interest in. However, Noongshim RedForce coach Jang “YK” Hyung-joon explains that that perception may be skewed.
“South Korea is very strong in esports but that’s mostly on the PC side. Mobile gaming in South Korea is still not on that level yet. So we wanted to show that we can actually compete at the highest level and maybe help make mobile gaming more popular in South Korea as well.”
And yet they were able to push a world championship caliber team to the limit. So how did a team playing internationally for the first time in a rather niche game manage that feat?
“Some of us have already been playing HOK for a very long time but it’s not just about experience,” said Support Laner You “Fey” Min-gyu. “We’re also very passionate about the game. Without that passion we wouldn’t be able to reach our limit and then look for ways to push past our limits.”
Noongshim RedForce really did play the best HOK games of their careers so far in this tournament. And for coach YK, that’s the only thing he wanted to see from his team.
“Whether you’re full of confidence or lack confidence, at the end of the day you need to play. So I don’t tell them to be confident, I tell them to always play your best. Confidence can help but what matters most is that you’re always playing at your best.”
Banner photo by Ramon Domingo.