“The atmosphere within the team – how we hang out and enjoy each other's company – is very, very rare”
Taiwan is rising, CTBC Flying Oyster Ready to show how far they've come. Carrying people's hopes and dreams League of Legends Pacific Championship (liquid crystal polymer), the CFO now jumps directly into the fray, aiming to make history again 2025 World Championship. In an exclusive interview in front of the Swiss stage, Coach Huang “Chay” Xing Lei sat down Sheep Esports Discuss the best games, opponents they're focusing on, and the team's tournament goals.
How is your training going? How are you feeling ahead of Worlds 2025?
Huang “Chawy” Xing Lei: “I'm really excited about Worlds, especially the best-of-two games in the first two games on the Swiss stage. That's not our strongest point – we're better in fearless drafts, best-of-three or best-of-five. So we're preparing very hard for a best-of-two.
How do you expect the best-of-one Swiss stage to affect the game, especially for your two top laners?
Chay: We'll see which opponent we're matched up with and see which top laner is good against our opponent. That's how we choose. In the past, when we were doing best-of-three or best-of-five, we could actually change players at any time. But now it's just the best of them all, so we have to think hard.
This time around, CFO went into Worlds with higher expectations – many fans considered any finish below the top 8 to be disappointing. Do you agree with this view? What are your goals for the race?
Chay: I kind of agree, because we've been doing pretty well this year, so expectations are high for us. We will do our best and hope not to disappoint the fans. The Swiss stage is where anything can happen, right? If the draw is pretty good, anyone can finish in the top 8.
How do you think your team stacks up against LCK and LPL opponents?
Chay: When we play with the Fearless Draft, we might be able to beat them by a game or two. But in heads-up play, our teams are often not well prepared because our players need some warm-up – their movements and hands are still a little stiff, so they're not used to it. This is something we need to figure out how to improve. Our recent scrims against LCK and LPL teams have been pretty bad. They are in really good shape, and I think whoever has better meta-reading skills at Worlds will have an advantage.
What is your win rate against LCK and LPL teams?
Chay: Against them, maybe 0%. Because it's one-on-one, you can't burn through their champion pool or use a specific strategy. Best Fight is more of a pure mechanic, so it won't be easy. However, to put it into perspective, this is only a matter of a few days, so don't worry about it right now, the sample size is small.
With four CFO players and even your own contracts expiring after Worlds, is this game a life-or-death moment for the team?
Chay: Not really. My expectation for the team and the players is always to enjoy the moment and give your best in the next game. We don’t set too far a goal or think too much about the future. We just want to enjoy the rest of the game – who knows what will happen next.
Would you like to continue working with this list in the future?
Chay: 100%. I think the atmosphere within the team – how we hang out and enjoy each other's company – is very, very rare.
The LCP has officially surpassed the LTA and LEC in Riot's power rankings, leading the World Championship. What do you think of the overall level of the region? Do you agree that LCP is probably the third best region in the world right now?
Chay: I would say LCP, LTA and LEC are very close. I don’t think we’re definitely better than other districts. We just happened to have better results and performances at MSI and First Stand, but I feel like they're strong as well.
Which Western teams are you keeping an eye on and do you think they have a good chance of making it far at Worlds?
Chay: To be honest, I feel like FlyQuest has probably been the best team in the West over the past two years. G2's performance has not been very good, although their form has improved a lot recently. But I think FLY has been very, very stable. Many teams in the East are afraid to face them – especially last year when they faced Gen.G, who drafted weirdly and were capable of turning around. So FLY is definitely a team that we are all afraid of.
What are your thoughts on Secret Whales and PSG Talon heading into Worlds? Given CFO's dominance, do you think the other two LCP teams can also perform well in the competition?
Chay: really. TSW's players are all young, and the entire team is young, so they may lack experience, but they are not afraid of fighting and have very good teamfights. PSG have struggled in best-of-three and best-of-five formats, but in a best-of-two format they usually win the first game, so I'm not too worried about how they fare on the Swiss stage.
How do you feel about reading the current patch and metadata?
Chay: I wasn't too confident because we felt really good before we came over and played scrims against LPL and LCK teams. Then we realize we still have a long way to go, so let's see what we can do in the remaining days of practice.
You seem to be more reserved about your expectations this time compared to MSI where you were more outspoken. Is this change in tone due to nerves or pressure heading into Worlds?
Chay: More and more people are watching CFO now and they expect us to be in the top eight, maybe even the top four. So the pressure is definitely on us – we really don't want to let our fans or viewers down, especially since our division hasn't been to the quarter-finals in a long time. The pressure is definitely there, but we want to make them proud.
Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Chay: We will do our best to hopefully bring back a sense of pride to LCP and our region. “
Title photo credit: LCP/Riot Games