Worlds 2024: JunJia said psychology is PSG Talon's greatest asset
LOL10-03 23:44
After two years, PSG Talon has finally returned to Worlds. JunJia shares her thoughts on the journey that brought them here.
Every time the League of Legends (LoL) World Championship takes place, most fans and players turn their attention to strong tournaments in the world such as China's LPL or Korea's LCK. . However, every once in a while, other regions also shine from the Play-ins — and while fans have their own favorites, they still hope these teams will challenge the status quo and go further. That is also the expectation of Pacific Championship Series (PCS) fans, who have been looking forward to PSG Talon returning to the top after two years of absence from the main round.
After an impressive year of competition, PSG Talon once again affirmed its position by winning the Play-ins Worlds 2024 and winning tickets to the Swiss Stage.
This is only the second week of Worlds, but it has been a long journey for the PCS Summer champions. They entered as favorites at the Play-ins, especially after a stellar performance at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), where they pushed #1 seeded LPL team Bilibili Gaming to the limit in the series The match lasts 5 games.
However, PSG Talon was surprised in their opening match against paiN Gaming, losing the first game in a dominant manner that surprised many fans and analysts. However, the team quickly recovered and won the series 2-1.
Another challenge appeared when they met MAD Lions KOI, the 3rd seed of the LEC, PSG Talon was swept and had to enter the decisive match. Thanks to a strong performance, they swept North America's 100 Thieves 2-0 to reach the Swiss Stage.
GosuGamers had the opportunity to interview Yu "JunJia" Chun-Chia, PSG Talon's jungler, to discuss their journey, preparations for the Swiss Stage and what lies ahead at Worlds 2024.
PSG Talon's return is not only due to individual talent or a change in strategy but is also the result of progress in the team's mentality. When asked about his approach at this year's Play-ins, JunJia emphasized a more relaxed and focused mentality:
"I feel like this year, we tried to relax and enjoy the stage more, not being too stressed. Thanks to that, we showed better skills and had better performances."
According to him, failures in previous years make this success even sweeter.
Their opening match against paiN Gaming reminded them of the difficulties at Play-ins. Despite starting well, PSG Talon was gradually dominated by their opponents with surprise attacks at Baron Pit, Dragon Pit and on the river, causing them to lose the match and lose.
"After that loss, we were a little disappointed. But the coach encouraged us that we could win the practice match the next day, so we treated it as a practice session and kept our focus." — JunJia shared.
This change in mindset helped them go further in Play-ins. JunJia also emphasized that the biggest change is psychological, not tactical.
Looking at the Swiss Stage
When asked which player he was looking forward to playing against, JunJia didn't hesitate to mention one of the world's top junglers, Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu from Gen.G.
"I want to face Canyon from Gen.G," JunJia said with a smile.
For JunJia, this will be a big learning experience and he can take something away from Canyon.
Add more motivation for the difficult journey ahead
JunJia shared that the convincing victory over 100 Thieves was his most memorable moment at Worlds 2024 so far:
"Those two matches felt pretty easy, and I hope I can keep that feeling going and keep trying."
Finally, JunJia thanked PSG Talon supporters: "Thank you for always supporting us. We will continue to make efforts to go further."