Hanwha Life Esports‘ Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon exited his first map of the main event at Worlds 2021 with a series of European bodies left in his wake. Following an early-game where Fnatic did their best to try and shut down the superstar South Korean mid laner, Chovy broke free with the help of teammates Kim “Willer” Jeong-hyeon and Oh “Vsta” Hyo-seong to slice through the No. 3 European seed on Yasuo.
However, although he cracked Fnatic’s Nexus with six kills and 12 assists to only one death, Hanwha ripping through the Europeans in a one-sided affair, Chovy wasn’t overly impressed by his own performance on Monday.
“[Out of 10], I think maybe a five or six would be a good rating for me [on how I played today],” Chovy said.
To Chovy, a player that has ascended in stardom every year of his career, his ultimate destination goes beyond securing a big win in the group stages.
At 20 years-old, this is his third-straight year competing at the world championship on his third different team. He played with his original professional club, Griffin, in 2019, where the team made the quarterfinals before getting rolled over by China’s Invictus Gaming. Last year, he again made it to the quarterfinals as part of DRX, but Chovy experienced the same fate by getting swept in the first round by fellow South Korean side, Damwon Gaming.
This time, Chovy said he hopes the third time is indeed the charm as part of Hanwha, believing he’s grown not only as an individual carry but as an all-around team player in 2021.
“The biggest difference between [previous years] and now is that I have an overall look for the game,” he said. “I [also] have [more] experience so I can adapt [better] to [map] situations.”
In a group with Asia-Pacific champions and China’s Royal Never Give Up, winners of the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational, Chovy sees both as threats. Although RNG sticks out as the apparent main rival to the top seed in the group and a more favorable matchup in the quarterfinals, Chovy also thinks that PSG Talon are at a “high level” of play and aren’t to be overlooked moving forward.
When asked if any western players or teams had impressed him on-stage or in practice this year, Chovy deliberated before finally giving his answer.
“I’ve gotten used to the level of play in the LCK and LPL, so I don’t really get surprised by the players on the western side.”
Based on what Chovy is searching for at this world championship, he’s determined two paths that would leave him satisfied: one aiming for the stars and another that might be a bit more realistic with the current field at the tournament.
“If I have to aim high, it would definitely be to win the whole competition,” he said. “And to be more generous, [a] semifinal would be my success.”
