Interview With T1 Player Byeon "Munchkin" Sang-beom

Yoann: Hello everyone! Today I’m with Munchkin, pro player for T1! When and how did you get into esports?

Munchkin: Hey, I’ve wanted to be an esports professional since elementary school. Back then, there weren’t many competitive FPS games available in Korea, so I mostly played GunZ and Sudden Attack. At 19, I saw potential in Overwatch and began seriously pursuing a career in gaming.

Yoann: You joined T1 in May, how's it going?

Munchkin: When I joined T1, it was part of the NA league, and I drew from my past experience as an NA Overwatch team player and thought it would be an easy transition. That was not necessarily the case, as calls in Valorant tend to require a lot more detail than calls in Overwatch. It was definitely an adjustment but a lot of fun.

Yoann: What role will you be playing next season? 

Munchkin: It’s not set in stone at this time, since we’re trying out different positions with the new members on the team, but I will most likely be the lurker.

Yoann: Did anything change for you as a player since you joined them?

Munchkin: I think it’s great that I was reunited with Autumn and Xeta. They’re some of the people that I trust the most, and that gives me high expectations for our future. We always push each other to new heights, and I look forward to our synergy both in and out of the game.

Yoann: How do you prepare to play against opponents?

Munchkin: I try to focus on our opponents’ habits, and how they want to play out the game in a general sense.

Yoann: How was your time with Crazy Raccoon? What do you take from this experience?

Munchkin: I’ve played in NA, EU, and Korea, but Crazy Raccoon was the first Japanese team I was a part of, and as such I was initially very careful of cultural barriers. However, as I’ve experienced competitive failure in the past with Overwatch, I eventually had to be more bold and blunt with my teammates and how we communicated for us to play better as a team. At the end of the day, I think it’s because my teammates trusted me despite my rather straightforward attitude that we performed well in Japan. Given the chance, I’d definitely play for Crazy Raccoon again. It was a great experience with a great team.

Yoann: What was your preparation routine 1 hour before official matches?

Munchkin: I try my best to be in the same physical and mental shape as when we practice. I think that makes for the best conditions for matches.

Yoann: How do you feel about the brand new Valorant meta? Do you like the Chamber changes?

Munchkin: Personally, I’m not a big fan of sweeping meta changes. I think I do better once the meta has settled down a bit, since my playstyle veers more towards the analytical side.

Yoann: Would you change anything to the meta right now?

Munchkin: I think the current patch changes the meta quite drastically. Without Chamber, Jett’s OPing becomes much more important, and we’ll probably see agents like Killjoy, Cypher, and Sage again. Therefore I think how you play with your teammates will matter a lot more than the meta itself.

Yoann: How do you feel about Pearl in pro play?

Munchkin: I’m not entirely sure. We’ve practiced quite a bit of Pearl, but I think it’s still to early to say what kind of map it will turn out to be. The map does look really good though, and it seems like there are a lot of new things you can try.

Yoann: Do you feel like your team could try to bring Harbor into the agent pool?

Munchkin: It’s probably difficult for Harbor to be a regular in the current meta. I think he needs at least one more buff, but if he keeps getting buffed, we’ll see him around for sure.

Yoann: Which team would you like to play against in the near future?

Munchkin: I’m looking forward to playing against Cloud9. We’ll only be able to play against them in international matches, and I’m hoping that it will happen in a finals match.

Yoann: Did you watch VCT Game Changers Berlin last November?

Munchkin: I wasn’t able to watch every match, but I did watch most of G2’s matches. I’ve received a lot of inspiration from G2’s playstyle and strats.

Yoann: What are your short and long term ambitions with T1?

Munchkin: I think Autumn will be able to answer this question much better than I can. In short though, we here at T1 will strive to create a new kind of Valorant, extrapolating and adapting from CS:GO and Overwatch experience together.

Yoann: Is there anything else you would like to say?

Munchkin: Thank you for your continued support of T1, and we look forward to bringing some exciting games to our fans!

Yoann: Thank you so much for your time, and I wish you the best for next season!

Munchkin: Thank you!