CFO HongQ: “I really watched Faker play League of Legends since very young, maybe in the elementary school.”

Q: How are you feeling about the pressure on you to perform at this tournament?
HongQ: Definitely a lot of pressure on my shoulders because in this tournament, I need to face off against those top teams, top players from different regions. So what I need to do is really concentrate on myself, try to have a good mentality, and just try my best to showcase […] what we have learned from the normal practices.
Q: Driver said this message to you, “MSI, this is gonna be your stage. I want you to showcase all of your talents because you’re young, but you are so talented.” What do you think of that?
HongQ: I’m really grateful for all the words he gave to me.
And hopefully, in this tournament, for the whole team, we can just do better and better, and let all the fans to show our talents. And also, we really would like to just […] have a good mentality and showcase what we have learned from the previous matches.
Q: Who do you think will win from GAM and G2?
HongQ: I must say, both GAM Esports and G2 are very strong teams. But hopefully the team from our region could, like, reach out to the main stage. So yeah, go. Let’s go, boys!
Q: Who do you think is stronger out of GAM’s two mid laners?
HongQ: I think for the two mid laners from GAM Esports, they have very distinct but different playstyles. And sometimes maybe Emo will go on stage for the first game, and after that, Aress will take a turn, and they will, like, make some roster changes. It really depends on the decision from the coaching staff, I believe. Hopefully, all of them can showcase a good performance on stage.
Q: What do you think about facing Faker? You were 6 years old when he made his professional debut.
HongQ: It’s going to be a very interesting match because I think I’m the youngest one in this tournament for the mid laners, and he’s the most experienced one. So it’s gonna be a very interesting game. […]
Definitely, Faker is my role model and also the player that I look up to. I’ve actually watched Faker play League of Legends since I was very young maybe elementary school.
Q: Are there any Western players you follow or watch?
HongQ: I watch the mid laner from MKOI, [Jojopyun]. I think he can always use counterpick later in the draft, and have a very, very good performance to counter the opponents in-game.
Q: Do you watch the LEC live?
HongQ: Although LEC was quite late in my region, I keep watching some of the livestream as well because it’s at the time after we practice and before go to bed. Also, I watch LEC especially for their ban/picks because I like to really learn more from their draft and what champions they prefer. And also, I watch LEC videos as well.
Q: Do you have a message for Jojopyun?
HongQ: Hopefully, if we face off against each other, both of us can really just showcase good performances. And for the ban/pick phase, I really need to consider it more; Jojopyun may choose a counter pick against me, and it can be really troublesome, can be a problem for me.
Q: Any message to fans of CFO from other regions?
HongQ: Thank you so much for the support, really appreciate that. And hopefully, we can really showcase a good performance here on stage and don’t disappoint you guys. We’re going to just try our best.