After a tense series at MSI 2025, Gen.G mid laner Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon gave a interview to community caster and Los Ratones Owner/Coach - Marc  "Caedrel" Lamont, reflecting on his team’s hard-fought victory, his personal routines, views on solo queue, and what Europe can learn from the tournament.

Winning a grueling best-of-five match was a major milestone for Gen.G on their way to the grand final — and once again, Chovy proved why he’s considered one of the best mid laners in the world.

Gen.G one step away from the MSI 2025 title

Gen.G showcased dominant form at the Mid-Season Invitational 2025 by taking down T1 in a dramatic 3–2 upper bracket final. With this win, Gen.G have secured their spot in the grand final, where they will face the winner of the T1 vs Bilibili Gaming lower bracket match.

The series against T1 was one of the most intense matches of the tournament, with all five games played. According to Chovy, the key to victory lay in staying composed and confident in their draft preparation.

We knew we had to be fully focused and play our best to beat T1. We were preparing for this moment and were confident we could win. Everything we do is focused on the final. We're one step away from the title.

  

Fatigue, focus, and pre-game rituals

After a long day on stage, Chovy shared that he was pleased with how well he managed to stay focused throughout the series:

It was a long, long day, yeah. But I'm pretty satisfied with the fact that I was able to stay focused throughout the entire series and managed to perform well.

  

He also revealed a surprising personal ritual — yawning before a match:

Thirty minutes before the game, I have a sip of Monster. If I yawn before a game, that means I'm gonna have a good game. I felt kinda good when I was yawning today.

  

How Gen.G resets between games and builds winning drafts

In the interview, Chovy highlighted how the team handles breaks between games during long series, focusing more on mental reset than on rewatching mistakes:

Based on my previous international events experience, which I have quite a lot right now, I kind of realised going back to your in-game play doesn't really help you a lot. So we try to move on — we just focus on our mental state.

  

One of the defining moments in the series was Game 3, where Gen.G picked Galio, K’Sante, Pantheon, and Senna. Despite the low damage composition, Chovy had full faith in their late-game potential:

Senna is the late-game insurance we had, so we were never worried about our opponents outscaling us. As long as we can avoid any early-game accident, we're good.

  

On solo queue and personal time

During their bootcamp in North America, Chovy adjusted his training approach by cutting down on solo queue and prioritizing rest:

So I started to play a little less solo queue and then trying to give more like me time.

  

He explained that playing on NA accounts isn’t always helpful for competitive practice:

It’s not the top ELO accounts, so you have to grind a lot. And that means I have to put in so much time to reach that kind of ELO, then I would not be able to do my best condition, best form.

  

What makes T1 so dangerous

When asked about the most frustrating part of playing against T1, Chovy pointed to their sneaky map plays:

They're sneaky — their sneaky objective tries, you know, especially Heralds and Barons. They just start it off very sneakily.

  

Regarding the potential finalist from the lower bracket, Chovy avoided picking a favorite, noting the strength of both T1 and BLG:

It's a very difficult question because not only T1, but also BLG looks so strong and scary, so I think I'm watching out for both of them.

  

A message to Europe: prioritize the draft

Chovy also offered a brief but clear piece of advice to European teams, which were the first to be eliminated from the tournament:

But one advice I can give to them is I think drafting is so important right now. Take advance.

  

The Mid-Season Invitational 2025 will take place from June 27 to July 12 in Canada, with a prize pool of $2,000,000. You can follow the news, schedule, and tournament results through this link.