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Following Golden Guardians’ qualification for the Bracket Stage at MSI 2023, Dexerto sat down with Licorice to ask about what it’s like catching so many goal bans, his upcoming match in opposition to JDG, and why it was so essential that Golden Guardians believed in him once they picked him up.
Saying that Eric ‘Licorice’ Ritchie has had an excellent 2023 to this point is a little bit of an understatement. Even longtime followers of the participant are shocked at simply how properly he’s performing.
The stellar efficiency of the 2018 Cloud9 roster he was a part of set a excessive bar, one which few different groups in North America has been capable of stand as much as. And, for Licorice, issues received worse earlier than they received higher if we’re judging purely off of outcomes.
Now, nearly 5 years after the run that actually put Licorice on the map, he’s overwhelmed the notion that he’s a washed-up participant and has gone toe-to-toe with Chen ‘Bin’ Ze-Bin at MSI 2023, one of many world’s finest high laners. Dexerto sat down with him to attempt to unravel what has allowed him to have such an incredible comeback.
Redefining the highest lane meta
One thing that’s straightforward to note about Licorice from watching his latest matches is that he’s received some distinctive energy picks beneath his belt. Even in comparison with what his champion pool was in the course of the 2023 LCS Spring Finals, he’s advanced and made himself recognized for picks nobody else is enjoying inside only a few weeks of observe.
There are few groups which might be getting focused tougher in high lane in the course of the decide/ban part than Golden Guardians, to the purpose the place Licorice was nervous about getting all out there bans getting used on him in his set in opposition to PSG Talon.
“For me, I used to be nervous I used to be gonna get utterly banned out, like three-five bans put in opposition to me,” he advised Dexerto. “On the earlier days, I had had like two bans put in opposition to me, so I used to be like, ‘Oh man, in the event that they use a pair extra I would want much more picks.’”
Poppy and Rumble, two picks that groups should ban in opposition to Licorice
Even Bin acknowledged Licorice’s ability after having performed in opposition to him, saying that they needed to goal ban Rumble in his interview with Dexerto. We haven’t seen Licorice play Rumble on stage simply but, and, when requested, he merely stated that Rumble was “buffed not too long ago”.
You’ll be able to’t blame him for not wanting to offer his secrets and techniques away, nevertheless it’s clear Golden Guardians have a number of methods up their sleeve that they haven’t proven on stage but. Licorice views this as an enormous power in his latest play.
“You need to discover a stability as a participant. For those who by no means play the meta champs, like — There’s a purpose folks play them. Often, you’re lacking one thing if you happen to don’t play them in any respect. However I do suppose that in League there’s a whole lot of room for – particularly if you happen to’re counterpicking – enjoying much more champions than everybody else performs.
“It’s actually laborious to play in opposition to one thing you’ve by no means performed in opposition to earlier than when the strain’s actually excessive and also you’re making an attempt to determine, ‘Ought to I push this lane? Ought to I take this struggle?’ It’s simply actually laborious to make a plan, so I believe that enjoying a whole lot of completely different picks may be very robust.”
It’s been tough for groups to determine methods to counter Licorice’s vast and various champion pool whereas additionally making an attempt to take him off meta champs he’s equally robust on like Ok’Sante, giving Golden Guardians an enormous draft benefit. And so they’ll want each benefit they will to win in opposition to JDG, their subsequent opponent.
David vs. Goliath
Being put up in opposition to the LPL first seed isn’t precisely the very best situation for Golden Guardians, particularly contemplating that they simply misplaced to BLG, the second-seed workforce from the area. For some, JDG are favored to win your complete match.
What’s extra, Licorice and Bai ‘369’ Jia-Hao are each extremely robust weakside gamers who’ve a reasonably comparable function on their groups. Whereas he nonetheless thinks GG have a preventing likelihood, he additionally understands that he’s preventing an uphill battle.
“I don’t suppose it’s out of the query that I beat him at his personal sport. I dunno, it’s all the time so bizarre to reply these sorts of questions. I really feel just like the observe he’s getting in solo queue and in scrims all 12 months is healthier, he’s form of enjoying at a better degree. You’ll be able to’t argue about that. However I dunno man, whenever you go on stage? It is determined by what you ate that morning, the way you slept that evening, and the way your observe went that week. I don’t suppose it’s out of the query that I can take him on.”
Requested about how he felt a few rematch in opposition to BLG and Bin’s remarks that he all the time appears like he’s the very best when going up in opposition to any opponent, Licorice stated: “As a result of it’s Bin and he’s actually good, I can’t fault him for saying that. However I don’t suppose he was capable of present it in my match in opposition to him.”
What’s extra, it’s laborious to say how any sport would go on the day. Going by Licorice’s earlier description about what number of elements are concerned in whether or not or not a workforce can carry out come sport day, Golden Guardians appear to be consuming their Wheaties and getting a full eight hours in. They arrive throughout as a workforce that will get an enormous stage buff, a helpful trait to have within the matches that matter most.
Trevor ‘Stixxay’ Hayes spoke about how scrims in opposition to PSG Talon didn’t go very properly in a post-game interview on the MSI broadcast. And although GG tailored by banning out bot laners and figuring out the place their opponents’ carry menace was, their 3-0 win on stage was extremely convincing. Golden Guardians additionally displayed near-unshakeable psychological fortitude of their win over BLG, a sport the place GG’s bot lane was extremely far behind from minute one.
When requested about whether or not or not that is the very best break up he’s ever had as a participant, Licorice was positive that he’s by no means been stronger than he’s now. In his opinion, that is the very best he’s ever performed in his profession. However for him, the power of your complete workforce to remain calm even when issues look dire is simply as essential as any in-game power he’s proven.
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Licorice gave some perception on his psychological well being journey in a prior interview with Dexerto, and he’s proven simply how essential having the ability to maintain your cool and present up when it issues is to a workforce’s success.
“It positively appears like development for the workforce, I used to be interested by that as we speak. We’re enjoying at a degree we by no means performed at in North America. It’s all been up and up and up since our loss streak within the LCS.”
Licorice is the face of a model new Golden Guardians
Golden Guardians have had the unlucky popularity of being a “improvement workforce” for many of their tenure within the LCS. They all the time had finances rosters that centered largely round new North American expertise, a technique that by no means appeared to internet them any sort of long-term success.
So, the group as an alternative banked on traditionally robust expertise inside the LCS in Choi ‘huhi’ Jae-hyun, Stixxay, and Licorice whereas grabbing a robust mid/jungle combo with import expertise in Kim ‘Gori’ Tae-woo and Kim ‘River’ Dong-woo. Additionally they went into the break up with a brand new mentality and a daring strategy to changing their identity.
Golden Guardians actually and figuratively gave the center finger to their detractors, one thing they solely compounded by making a gift of “F*** you” hats on the LCS Finals and actually leaning into the narrative that they’re going to show everybody unsuitable. This narrative was solely strengthened by the truth that they really pulled off a Playoffs run that took them far sufficient to characterize NA on the worldwide stage.
But it surely’s taken some time for Licorice to reappear internationally, and he’s a participant who has caught a whole lot of flak over the previous few years for not having the ability to replicate earlier success.
“If I’m being completely sincere, I’d say I principally ignore a whole lot of what the followers say on-line. Letting what folks say about you have an effect on your efficiency is – I imply, it’s laborious to not let it have an effect on your efficiency, however you simply ignore it as a lot as you possibly can. I’d say I’m having a way more satisfying expertise this MSI to this point than in my earlier nationwide occasions, personally.”
In a whole lot of methods, Golden Guardians are alongside for the experience. They’ve already defied the expectations that had been set for them, and there isn’t actually a lot to lose. That is an perspective they held on to throughout their meteoric rise via the LCS, and Licorice is satisfied Golden Guardians nonetheless have a better ceiling forward of them.
“I believe the worldwide expertise we’re getting proper now isn’t one thing you may get anyplace else. It’s form of invaluable in that approach. So, after all, it’s making us higher as a workforce and we’re doing properly with the strain and every little thing.
“However do I believe every little thing would have crashed and burned if we misplaced to FlyQuest? No, that was nonetheless the very best Golden Guardians had carried out within the historical past of the org. We might have been unhappy about it, flown house and been unhappy for some time, however I believe we might have been completely okay.”
That resilience is a key a part of what has allowed Golden Guardians to make it this far, and it’s one thing that’s personified by Licorice, who has acquired large help from workers and teammates.
We introduced up Golden Guardians’ GM Nick ‘Inero’ Smith shouting “I f***ing love you Eric! Eric Ritchie!” throughout their Finals set in opposition to FlyQuest and shared amusing within the interview, but in addition had a dialog about simply how essential getting picked up by Golden Guardians was for Licorice’s improvement.
“They picked me up in the course of Summer season once I was enjoying on FlyQuest, and I used to be doing fairly terribly total. I wasn’t feeling good about my play, wasn’t enjoying properly on stage. I used to be sort of simply struggling. They picked me up – purchased me out, truly, as a result of they nonetheless believed in me as a participant.
“It meant a lot to me on the time. Having that as a place to begin already put them in my good books. I believe that the way in which they run their group is admittedly centered on ensuring the gamers are actually glad and doing properly. All the pieces is catered towards the gamers.”
“The workers on Golden Guardians are nice, and I believe it’s, in my view, the very best org I’ve ever performed for.”
Contemplating that Licorice has been in a good few organizations over his prolonged profession, that is excessive reward. And, whereas he clearly wasn’t going to throw the group he’s with beneath the bus, it’s laborious to not consider him whenever you take a look at Golden Guardians’ participant cams and see them laughing within the face of adversity.
Golden Guardians rallying earlier than a match at MSI 2023
Licorice can also be the one participant remaining from Golden Guardians’ 2022 roster. Out of everybody that performed for GG throughout certainly one of their worst splits, administration nonetheless believed Licorice was value holding on to once they spent massive on high-tier expertise. And that funding has paid off.
Irrespective of the place Golden Guardians place on the rostrum, they’ll be smiling once they get there. That, paradoxically sufficient, would be the key to how they’ve managed to defy expectations and emerge as a corporation that’s, for the primary time because it joined the LCS, actually value rooting for.
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