The Piltover Post

Coming off of an exciting series where they took Cloud9, a crowd favorite, to a nail-biting five games, Disguised’s mid-laner Isaac “DARKWINGS” Chou talks about his experience in the LTA North. As short as it was due to the formatting, he has left his mark as a promising rookie that will soon rival some of the best names. Even though DSG didn’t have the results they wanted, they have proven that they are not to be overlooked in the league.

Q: Pros often discuss the significant jump in skill level that occurs when graduating from tier 2 to tier 1. Do you think this is a true statement?

A: I think it’s true because you are put in an environment where everyone is better at punishing mistakes so it forces you to fix the holes in your gameplay more.

Q: Disguised has a less-than-successful run in the first two splits. You were brought in as reinforcements to save the last split of the regular season. How much pressure did it put on you and Rahel?

A: We did feel pressure to perform and be a good team, but most of the team and management were really accommodating and didn’t give us any excess pressure. Most of the pressure was to not get relegated.

Q: Even though a lot of League of the Americas North fans counted your team out, you came back with a vengeance. Not only did you beat the team that benched you despite your contract, but you showed that you can compete as a team. Then, after that, you went on to take the number one seed Cloud9 to a five-game series. What was going through your mind in both series?

A: For the Dignitas series we went in feeling really confident and had good plans overall. After we won I felt really happy that I won a series and it was against DIG. Against C9 the team also felt confident going in that we could win if we played well. Even though we went down 0-2 we still felt like it was winnable and when we came back for game 3 and 4 we felt like the vibes were really good and I thought we would ride the momentum. I made mistakes in game 5 that were inexcusable, and knowing that we had the win in the bag and then losing game 5 in that fashion hurt a lot. I will keep those feelings to hold me accountable to keep improving.

Q: There was quite a bit of public backlash regarding the formatting of the LTA and how it changed every split. A lot of viewers were very unhappy with how it felt inconsistent and poorly thought out. Do you agree with the backlash? How much did formatting affect the team?

A: I agree with the backlash because we barely had any stage games, but also the pick and play one was weird because we were not able to play all the teams on stage. The LTA format was good for DSG because we actually had a easier road than other teams to make worlds for some reason.

Q: You were only given a short opportunity to play. Did you feel like you had something to prove after graduating from tier 2? What is your biggest regret from this split that you feel like you will learn from the most?

A: I felt like I had to prove that I had the ability to play tier 1 and keep up with the other mids. If I didn’t prove that then I would not get another chance to play in tier 1 again. My biggest regret from this split was missing our chance to beat C9. I regretted not being more vocal about what I wanted to do in game and for draft.

Q: What was your favorite part about this roster? Is this a roster you think could stick together and just continue to keep getting better?

A: My favorite part about the roster is how nice and funny everyone is (other than ido he bullies me). I think if our roster sticks together and continues to work hard we could be one of the best in NA.

Q: What is the dynamic between you and your fellow teammates? Who do you look up to the most? Who do you feel like you are most compatible with? Did you find yourself sticking with Rahel, despite the language barrier, because you were in similar situations? Do you and eXyu talk about Dignitas at all? 

A: I hang out with eXyu the most and we do talk about Dignitas somewhat often when like certain situations come up that remind us about it. I look up to Huhi for his experience in life and in game. Castle is really funny but also can easily understand both sides of an argument and knows how to intervene. Rahel is extremely easygoing but the language barrier does make it a bit harder to connect.

Q: Finally, what words of wisdom do you have for North America’s future talent? What do you wish you had known before you started pursuing this as a career?

A: My understanding is that NA talent needs a base line of game knowledge to play at the tier 1 level, but also you need something that sets you apart from others. It would have been a lot easier if I had known how to build a brand.