Seung-ju'SaSin' Oh was a professional League of Legends player, known for his wide champion pool, which earned him his nickname 'Sechoepok (widest champ pool in the world)'. Playing 23 champions during the 41 sets at LoL Champions Korea (LCK) 2016 Spring Split, it is no wonder he's well known for the diversity.
This was when SaSin's challenging spirit began to show itself: studying, practicing, and playing a new champ in an official game. His get-up-and-go spirit was what best described his presence.
But I was able to actually witness the added weight on his spirit, when I met him afterwards as a commentator of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). I wanted to hear out his story, who basically went through almost every position in the field of eSports. I wanted to hear why SaSin would continue taking new chances.
While some might hastily criticize SaSin for 'not taking each position serious', but after reading his story, you might end up cheering for him. Let's hear out his story, the one who always steps up to a new challenge.
◆What SaSin Actually Had in Mind
"It was a struggle," SaSin would summarize his times as a player. Wide champion pool was a result of him admitting his insufficient performance and finding his own formula to victory. It was also a choice for the future: he wanted to be remembered as a player.
"It was undeniable that we were underperforming than others, so I was hoping to create a variable. I also believed that making my name heard would be beneficial in the future. It would have been ideal if I both had wide champ pool and better performance, but I wasn't very good."
But all his picks were not 'spray and pray'. All of his picks were made through continued studying, practicing, and verifying. Jarvan IV, Velkoz, Ahri, and Kindred were all the outcomes of thorough verification.
"I was inspired by patch notes or other players during solo queue. After playing the champ for a while on solo queue, I talk with the head coach. When the coach is convinced, I try it out during scrims, and if it's still good enough, I make the pick during official match. It was quite systematic."
Sasin also shared his regrets on not performing well with Kindred and Ahri mid. He recalled Kindred as suitable counter against Lulu and Victor during scrims but no so much during competitions. As for Ahri, she was used considerably along with Nocturne, Malphite and Lissandra as a dive composition but was unable to show its strength due to losing laning phase.
A thought that conveyed from Sasin's constant comments after his recollections saying “I was not good enough” reminded his choices such as deciding to double as playing coach and him finally deciding to retire.Of course, at those moments, Sasin worried more than he can imagined.
◆From being LoL pro player to becoming PUBG caster
Sasin was assigned as a coach by general manager's recommendation but failed to make good results due to his health problems.He was unable to sleep and was retching constantly. It was at that point he decided to consider quit for he thought “There are no merits of being a LoL player anymore.” And in October 2016, Sasin announced his retirement.
"There are no regrets about retiring. I have tried them all. I have lost a lot but also played a lot of games. If you ask me if I would do it again, I would. Because I am satisfied with making my image."
18 months after his retirement, Sasin made surprise debut as a caster at SPOTV Games'sPUBG Warfare Masters Pilot(PWM). He gained his chance from casting at NicegmaeTV'sLoL Club Series and PUBG scrims. Sasin who originally considered pro PUBG player started to make his own commentary style.
"I initially prepared for going pro in PUBG. Teamed up and made it to preliminaries at APL(AfreecaTV PUBG Leage). Our initial goal was to come in 3rd and make it to final but we came in 4th. I got a casting offer during full preparation for pro PUGB player, so I went for it."
"I wanted to utilize my experiences from playing the game. So, played even more games. I was able to see what the players were thinking because they were the ones I had scrims.I was able to understand the logic behind their plays. However, I realized that I lacked the ability to effectively deliver information. So, I am currently working on it to improve.”
Sasin who said he was not satisfied with first PWM broadcast was improving himself to become a better caster by working on details such as from stuttering to word repetition. Sasin's current to is to reach similar level as CloudTemplar, caster Lee Hyun-woo. It would be interesting to look forward to Sasin's challenge.
◆'A casual gamer of many worries' Sasin to other challengers
Sasin considers himself as 'a casual gamer of many worries.'He worries a lot, pokes around a lot and minds others' business but ultimately 'a casual gamer' who does whatever he wants to do. This connects to his philosophy, “Let's try everything, what is there to lose.”
To Sasin, a challenge has to be something important and feasible. He decided to become a pro LoL player because he believed that he had the necessary skills. Sasin said self-objectification is the start of a challenge. The very reason that Sasin who majored in electronic engineering decided become a pro gamer.
If one decides to go for a challenge, one needs a clear vision and planning. Sasin set his goal as 'to become a pro gamer' and set his agenda according to gaming teams' entrance tests. He also stayed away from elo boosting, flaming or other negative issues that might affect his gaming career which was possible due to his clear vision to become a pro gamer.
Sasin advises people who aspires to become pro gamers to objectively assess their abilities.If one wants to work at non-skill related work, one needs to consistently ask oneself if one can put necessary effort. Sasin asserts that diligence is also a talent and said “you need have purpose and greed for achievement to propel yourself forward.”
''A casual gamer of many worries' and a challenger Sasin has a peculiar dream as a middle school math teacher. This dream is also an actualization of his passion, skills, nature and purpose in math. “I do not know if I am going to show up as a PUBG caster, a pro gamer or a math teacher. Ican pop out of anywhere,” he smiled. His sincerity could be felt from his words.
A word 'challenge' brings both excitement and fear. It is like paragliding. To those challengers who are taking leaps of faith, Sasin's philosophy can be a reliable rope. Look back to yourself and have a clear vision and purpose. It gives us a little bit of courage to take the leap.
Translated by ROXCrew.
*This translation was provided through a partnership with the ROXGAMING.
