Soaring high after their success at First Stand, CTBC Flying Oyster return to the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) as reigning champions of the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) once more. But standing in the way of the Taiwanese squad is a colossal challenge: the reigning world champions, T1. In an exclusive interview, rising midlane star Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong shares his thoughts on the team’s expectations in Vancouver, meeting Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok for the first time, and the level of play at MSI.

How excited are you to play at MSI?

Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong: "I am very happy and looking forward to MSI. It’s my second time making it to an international event, so I’m even more excited.

How has it been arriving in Canada and being so far from home? How are scrims going? Are you adapting well?

HongQ: Vancouver is a very pretty city, especially the architecture. It’s been amazing so far. As for scrims, we haven’t been able to scrim that much recently, so we’re not too sure what our form looks like right now.

How did it feel lifting the LCP trophy a second time? Was it as special as the first? And what are your thoughts on the level of competition at MSI?

HongQ: When I raised the trophy for the second LCP title, I felt like there wasn’t too much of a difference from the first time I won in Split 1. Regarding MSI, since there’s an extra team coming from every major region, the competitiveness is much higher than at First Stand, and I’m looking forward to facing off against these teams.

After earning respect for the LCP region at First Stand, how do you see CFO’s strength at MSI? Are you as confident as you were back then, especially with stronger competition?

HongQ: We will still try our best when facing off against all the opponents at MSI. We shouldn’t look down on other teams, and we shouldn’t underestimate ourselves either. So we’re going to move forward with the utmost respect for every single team.

Last time, CFO came in as underdogs, but this time there are higher expectations after your strong start to the year. Do you feel any different coming into the tournament, and does that pressure affect you?

HongQ: It’s normal for fans to have high expectations for us going into MSI, but we’re going to focus on our own gameplay and try our best to perform to the best of our abilities going forward.

You mentioned feeling nervous at First Stand. How has that changed since your last international experience in Korea?

HongQ: I'm still quite nervous for MSI. But since I’m the youngest player at the tournament, I think a lot of players and teams might underestimate me. I’ll do my best to prove them wrong and take them by surprise.

You’re a big fan of Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon, and you will face Faker in the first round. Does it feel surreal to play against your idols on stage?

HongQ: I’m happy that I get to go up against many players I respect. I will love to play against Faker. I see him as a very stable player for T1, and it will be a lot of fun to lane against him.

Have you had the chance to meet any of your favorite players either at the hotel or in the media room?

HongQ: I just finished doing some media, and luckily I was able to meet Faker just now before this interview. I felt very honored to be in his presence.

He has this kind of aura to him, right?

HongQ: He has a very strong aura. Anyone who meets him in person would definitely look at him a couple extra times.

You mentioned your dream is to become better than Huang "Maple" Yi-Tang, an emblematic player from your region. Do you feel closer to that goal now?

HongQ: I don’t think I’ve been able to overtake Maple’s spot quite yet. He has historically been a very well-respected player worldwide, especially given his record. He’s faced strong LCK and LPL teams and was able to defeat them. I want to keep improving my skills and keep chasing this dream.

Do you have a warning message for teams that might underestimate CFO?

HongQ: Don’t underestimate CFO—just sit back and watch us."