178 JK2 secured an interview with zedi's manager Raiz during the opening rounds of WCG China, asking his opinion on his team’s performances and his take on the recent volatility in the europe scene, and also the team’s plans for JK2. The translated transcript of the interview below.
Thank you for accepting this interview, first off, what are your views on zedi's group in the WCG?
I feel that we were lucky to land in this group, and there shouldn’t be too much pressure on the players, so we should be able to progress together with TyLoo fairly comfortably.
What is your take on Wang Sicong’s (with Invictus-Gaming) foray into the E-sports scene and your view on the way he went about making a team?
He bought 2 teams in quick succession and continues to look to poach more players, I feel that their entry into the scene is very sudden and left many of those in the business shell-shocked and made many waves in the scene.
Did any of your players receive an invitation to join iG?
Yes.
Are you at liberty to reveal the player’s identity?
Thrawn.
Following PIS’s recent inactivity, who do you have lined up to replace him?
With PIS leaving the team, the player to replace him will be josh. In practice he has performed quite well and I can confidently say he has improved tremendously.
Do you think PIS leaving the team will have any impact on the team or the scene in general?
Well of course it has its implications. PIS departure left us short of members and forced us into an impromptu roster change. Because of this we were unable to go to Germany (for The International). As for its impact on the scene I don’t think it will be that great, but as this is PIS’s personal decision we will respect it.
The synergy between PIS, Thrawn and the other players in the team seemed to be quite a problem, what were some of the strategies you used to combat this problem?
Well to overcome this problem we tried a lot of different methods but with little success, this disappointment might be one of the reasons behind PIS’s decision. However our team play is getting better and better, together with recent month long intensive training I feel zedi's standard has improved by leaps and bounds.
What is your target for WCG?
Our aim is to of course be the champions but we will take it step by step and focus on each game as it comes.
Who do you think is your main competitor?
In terms of ability, I think it is CCM (now iG).
Do you have any specific strategies to overcome the opposition? Any secret weapons?
We have practiced a few strategies which will come in handy during the elimination stages. As for secret weapons we just practiced a lot with some of the heroes the players are most comfortable with, especially thrawn will carry us.
With the recent developments in the world of JK and with JK2 expected to be released soon, what is your plan for the team?
We have thought about it but at the moment we have not made a decision whether to transfer the current team over to JK2 or to find a whole new team. We will have to see whether JK2 becomes wide-spread in China.
Do you think Wang Sicong’s investment in the scene will have any impact on zedi? His team, CCM together with 4 ex-LGD members looks extremely intimidating on paper.
I feel that he has made definitely put more pressure on everyone but I feel that increased pressure will lead to greater efficiency and better performances by the players, one or two teams will not be able to totally change the scene. Although ex-LGD and CCM are very formidable, it does not mean they will surely win everything, other teams, such as zedi, TyLoo and WE are still very competitive.
He has announced plans to recruit even more players and seems to have his eyes set on the more established players such as thrawn, how do you feel about this?
I feel that he did not mean that he will be poaching all the prominent players but rather will act as a guide for other teams and organizations. As for thrawn we will let him decide but as things stand it doesn’t look likely that he will leave.
