The Piltover Post

Disguised shattered all expectations in the first week of the 2026 LCS Lock-In. Many people had them at the bottom of their power rankings as last place or second to last. With the struggles from the previous year on everyone’s minds, nobody expected them to beat Sentinels, especially after SEN took 3/5 of their roster. With their jungler also leaving, the guest slot org found themselves having to completely rebuild their roster. An emergency sub just did not sound like it was going to tip the scales in DSG’s favor, but many were proven wrong. James “Kisno” Woo stepped up to the plate, after getting scouted from tier 2, and put his game face on against the more experienced SEN in week one.

Q: It’s every NACL player’s dream to make it to the main stage, but with the lure of Korean imports and limited slots, it does not come to fruition for most people. You found yourself on the LCS stage in an unconventional, last-minute way. What was that like, getting the call that you were needed to sub in for KryRa? What were you feeling in that moment?

A: DSG told me late December that they might have problems with visa and told me I might sub in, but it wasn’t until maybe a week before the LCS started that I got the final call of me coming to LA and playing. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling anything other than grateful for the opportunity, even if I didn’t get to scrim with the team.

Q: Ido has been very open about how you hardly played scrim matches with the team, because they want to build up their team with Kryra. It was noted that you only played three games with the rest of Disguised before facing off against Sentinels in week one and Flyquest in week two. Did you find it hard to form a cohesive unit with DSG?

A: Yeah, I played two games of scrims the day before facing SEN in week one and one game of scrims the day before facing FLY in week two. I didn’t find it hard to play my style at least, because I think every jungle likes the thought of “playing” for jungle, not really much I had to do coming in other than playing my own game, so it felt nice.

Q: Many orgs have made it no secret that they prefer importing Korean players over organic, homegrown tier 2 talent, which makes finding a spot in the LCS even more difficult than it already was. The idea is that Korean players, whether they are in tier one or tier two, are better than those in North America, which can be hard to argue when you have titans like Faker in their league. Do you agree with this sentiment?

A: I think overall, homegrown tier 2 talent takes way more time to develop compared to regions like Korea and Europe. I’m not sure what the Tier 2 system is like in Korea, but overall, their solo queue environment is 100 times better for practice than the NA and EU Tier 2 systems. You play way more games of comp than you do in NA in the same time frame.

Q: How did it feel to dominate Hambak, an import that many were excited for? Do you think you helped prove that we have talent in North America that can face off against Koreans, just waiting for the chance to shine? 

A: I wouldn’t say I dominated Hambak LMAO. He played really well in the first game, but it felt good winning my first match in LCS, so overall, I’m just happy about it. I think all the tier 2 talent that played really showed that NA does still have talent. It’s just harder to see talent because there’s not much funding in tier 2, and people would rather go to college and spend less time than to fully try to pursue professional play because it’s just less risky. Some people will give themselves a full year of dedication, and if that doesn’t work out, then they give up on trying to go tier 1.

Q: Everyone talks about the mid/jungle synergy when it comes to game tempo and partnerships. With your ability to speak Korean, did you find yourself having an easier time communicating with Callme?

A: To be honest, I never really spoke with Callme in Korean. He had pretty decent English about the game, so I never felt the need to.

Q: You played with Sajed on Milk Esports for a few months before Disguised signed him. How did it feel to reunite with the most valuable prospect in NACL, especially when the broadcast mentioned he was the one who recommended you as a substitute while DSG awaited KryRa’s arrival?

A: I mean, Sajed and I have known each other for a long time, so it just felt nice having someone you know on the team compared to fully going blind. I don’t think he’s the one who recommended me, though. Ido was already scouting me and thinking of me.

Q: With your time on DSG coming to an end after the two-week start, how did it differ from NACL? Were you an unfortunate victim of stage nerves, something that plagues everybody at one point or another? Was it hard to come to terms with looking so spectacular and knowing it was only temporary? 

A: I wouldn’t say I’m a victim of stage nerves. I don’t really tend to get nervous. I personally think if I played a good split last year, I would be on an LCS team right now. I kind of just lost myself during the split and never fully came back, and it really sucked. So this year, I want to make sure I take a step back and focus on just playing well and playing how I want to play the game. It wasn’t hard to know it was just a short-term thing. I’m grateful for the opportunity to get my name out there, and that I played decently well without scrims

Q: A lot of people, myself included, feel you 100% deserve an LCS spot. Who is your dream org that you would sign with, no questions asked? Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans who are cheering you on and praying for your tier one offer to come? 

A: I don’t think I have a dream org. I just want to play on an org that respects its players (no bullshit) and just has a good roster. Thank you to all the fans that I met, new and old, and I hope you continue to cheer for me while I wait for an opportunity to play in the LCS.