October 13, 2022 A previous version of this article quoted JackeyLove as saying his toplaner “should not have lost.” This was a mistranslation by the on-site interpreter. We have now amended the article, and apologise for any misunderstanding
It’s been a less-than-ideal start to the League of Legends Worlds 2022 Group Stage for LPL second seed Top Esports. The all-Chinese roster – tipped as one of the favourites to lift the Summoner’s Cup this year – was expected to dominate its Group C competition. However, at the end of the first round-robin, it has only managed one win out of three games played.
As someone who has lifted the Worlds trophy before, Yu ‘JackeyLove’ Wen-Bo knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the League world. Having won Worlds in his very first year on the MOBA game’s biggest stage back in 2018 at just 17 years of age, the young star has already left a lasting impression on not only the tournament itself, but many of the current and upcoming stars looking to make their mark.
Keen to get Top back on, well, top, JackeyLove tells The Loadout that he already has an inkling as to what the team needs to do in order to turn the tide. In this post-match interview, conducted after the loss to Rogue, JackeyLove reels off the changes he feels need to be made, gives his take on New York Chinese food, and responds to praise from one of his LPL peers in the bot lane.
The Loadout: JackeyLove thank you so much for joining me, and commiserations on the loss. I just wanted to start off by getting your general thoughts on what went wrong for you in-game.
JackeyLove: We should’ve won the teamfight in top lane, but we lost which caused us to lose Baron [Nashor]. So it became a very difficult game for us heading into the late game.
You’ve come to the end of the first round-robin. I would also like to get your thoughts on how you feel the team has performed over the past three games.
Frankly, our performance as a team in the first round was not ideal, and we definitely need to make adjustments in a lot of places. But we definitely stand a chance in the second round so we’ll get well prepared.
You mentioned that you need to make adjustments. Where do you feel the biggest changes need to be made to get back on track?
Generally, as a team, I would say we had a lot of problems all over the map [in the first round-robin] – it’s not like the top lane is the most serious part [of the problem]. We made a lot of mistakes in the early game, and despite managing to make some comebacks in the mid game, we didn’t manage to stabilise coming into the late game.
So for the adjustments we need to make, we probably just need to play more consistently, and not int too much. We also need to facilitate the three lanes to play better.
Thank you for that. More generally, thinking away from the game, I’d just like to get your thoughts on being in New York – what it’s like for you being in the city and how you’re enjoying the experience so far.
I think we’ve already adapted to New York right now, because we haven’t had many chances to head out. We basically just spend our time in the hotel scrimming – our daily routine – and we’re ordering all the Chinese food that we can get around the hotel. So generally I would say it’s ok.
How’s the Chinese food in New York?
Edible.
You’re back at Worlds, surrounded by the best botlaners the world has to offer. Are there any players in particular that you’ve been taking notes from?
Not specifically. After watching the games I will say that every team has their own strengths, and every team is very strong.
One botlaner who has definitely taken notes from you is Chiu ‘Doggo’ Tzu-Chuan, who told us at MSI last year that you had been an inspiration to him. How does it feel knowing that you have inspired, and continue to inspire pro players and upcoming stars from around the world?
First of all, thanks to all the players that have said or thought that about me. I think everyone owns their own playstyle, and it’s not a thing where you have to watch certain players play and get inspired by them. But if you can learn something from other players it’s always good.
JackeyLove and Top Esports return to the LoL Worlds stage on October 15, where they will look to kick off their comeback against Gigabyte Marines.
