TES fengyue: “I feel like previous results are not important. […] Every single year is a new start”
Q: Have you watched play-ins, and do you think it’s fair that T1 gets to beat up the bad teams from NA and EU?
fengyue: I’ve watched all the games from the play-ins and really studied a lot of their game content. I feel like all the teams have shown very good stuff. All the teams are super strong in the play-ins, and they have their own understanding of the meta, different playstyles, and different champion choices.
Definitely T1 did the best job, especially with their champion choices, and they can really give their opponents huge pressure inside the game. So we really learned a lot from T1’s play.
Q: You’re so much bigger than everyone on TES. Keria is famously smaller than everyone on T1. Do you think this is the key to being a really good support? Do you have to be a different size than the rest of your team?
fengyue: I don’t think so. I feel like maybe for me, because I’m quite huge, especially for playing League of Legends and esports in general, it actually gives me more negative effects because I can get tired more easily. Sitting around all day and just playing esports isn’t always ideal.
Q: Saint (6’2) mentioned something similar at the LCS finals — he said being tall is a disadvantage, because it takes signals longer to travel the distance of his arm. Thoughts?
fengyue: I kind of agree with that, but I also feel like humans have enough potential. If you develop your body well, you can handle that. I did some exercises to help with it. For example, I played ping pong because it helped improve my dynamic vision. I also tried my best to build up the muscles in my arms. That helped me play League of Legends better and more comfortably.
Q: Since this is your first international, are there any players here you idolize? Is there anyone you’d like to meet outside of the game?
Fengyue: My idol from the very beginning of my career has definitely been Faker. I respect him a lot.
The player I’d most like to talk to is definitely Keria. I’d like to become friends with him and maybe discuss the game with him because he always has amazing ideas in-game, and I’d really like to learn where those ideas come from. He’s like a genius. To me, he’s the ceiling of what a support player can be.
Q: I agree. You’re also 6’4, and Keria’s 5’4. If you guys meet, can you do a photoshoot? I think that’d be awesome.
fengyue: If we get the opportunity and he agrees, then yeah.
Q: TES has two of the most famous Chinese players of the modern era: Tian and Jackeylove. How does it feel to represent China alongside them?
fengyue: Tian and JackeyLove both have great personalities. They’re very easygoing, so I don’t really think about them as these hugely famous players. Sometimes I step back and think, “Wow, I’m actually able to play together with all these famous players,” and that makes me really happy.
As for pressure, I always think pressure and motivation come together. If you have more pressure, it also gives you more motivation to do better. What we need to do is maintain a good mentality and handle everything well. So I don’t treat it as something overly serious.
Q: Among Western fans, TES is known for a few infamous underperformances at internationals, especially against Western teams. Do you think about the “choking” narrative around TES? Does it add pressure or drive you at all?
fengyue: I don’t feel like those kinds of statements influence me, bother me, or affect me because, as a pro player, I feel like previous results are not important. What we need to do is focus on what’s happening right now. Every single year is a new start, a new version of yourself, and a new team, so I’d like to focus on that.
And to my fans, thank you all for your support. This year we’re going to show you a different Top Esports.
Transcription assistance from @delfidotwav
Header Image Credit: Riot Games
