Unafraid: Piglet

With a new season comes new stars and new stories. Here is one of the players you should look out for in 2015! Team: Team Liquid Region: North American LCS Position: AD carry No player in the NA LCS has seen as much success as Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin. The Korean AD Carry got his start on SK Telecom T1 K, a team that came third in its debut season, going on to win two OGN Champions and the 2013 World Championship back-to-back. As anyone who followed SKT T1’s dynasty knows, however, the world championship team crashed and burned after playing a flawless tournament in Champions Winter 2013-14. “After achieving such a huge success, my teammates and I became a bit less motivated, as if we had accomplished just everything,” reflected Piglet. The turbulence in SKT T1’s life did not serve to help them, as support and captain Lee “PoohManDu” Jeong-hyeon stepped down due to health issues. Yet, a lack of motivation was a complete anomaly for Piglet. After all, this was the player that cried after crushing Samsung Ozone in the Winter final due to severe disappointment in his own performance. If Piglet was the type to bemoan his own performance in a winning game, then losing would be even worse. “I had a weak mindset,” he admits.”I felt that we had a smaller chance of winning regardless of how hard we practiced.” The importance of having a strong mindset is something that Piglet now acknowledges and encourages in his teammates. “First of all, we need to change our way of thinking,” Piglet answered when asked about what Team Liquid is prioritizing in terms of improvement. Fortunately, Piglet’s new support Alex “Xpecial” Chu is entirely on board with his ambitions. “Xpecial and I will become a perfect duo...I hope. I believe we can discover our strengths and leverage them to the maximum.” This aspect of Piglet’s personality -- his constant drive for self-improvement -- is what led him to three consecutive tournament victories, and nothing has changed with his move to a North American team. If anything, playing in a foreign country is actually another challenge for Piglet, and one he is approaching with humble confidence. “I know my English isn’t fluent at the moment...but I believe I can communicate with [my teammates] more and more as I develop my confidence in the language. I will learn how to to adapt to this new culture and speak English better.” As for his in-game performance? Piglet flashes his trademark smirk, and issues a challenge to his competitors. “They will learn how the AD Carry role should be played.” Check out the full list of players to watch in 2015 right here.