Putting up a valiant effort, CTBC Flying Oyster narrowly fell to T1 at the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). Regardless of the result, the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) representatives captured hearts and turned the world’s attention their way—breaking the tournament’s viewership record so far and pushing the world champions to their limits. In an exclusive interview, support player Ling "Kaiwing" Kai Wing sits down with Sheep Esports to discuss the series, his team’s rise and evolution, and the bond within the CFO family.

You showed what CFO and the LCP are capable of against T1. What will you take home from this series?

Ling "Kaiwing" Kai Wing: "We got to show the strength and strategies of the LCP. We're going to review everything and try to figure out what went wrong—maybe especially in our decision-making and strategies. We'll learn from this match and come back even better prepared to show a better performance in our coming matches.

This was your first ever best-of-five against T1. Were you aware of that, and are you proud of how it went?

Kaiwing: Yeah, it was a really good match. We tried our best. You know, I just go with the flow, all while trying to show my best level and display everything I’ve learned throughout my career. Still, I don't believe I performed perfectly, and I still have room for improvement. There were errors—I can do better.

Before the event, you said Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok were one of two botlanes you really wanted to face. How was the experience? Did it live up to your expectations?

Kaiwing: I really enjoy playing into these super strong bot lanes. You can learn so much from how they play and all the small details in laning as well—their mechanics, the way they move... Playing well against them feels good, but even if I can't perform perfectly, I knew I could learn so much from facing such a strong duo.

Facing T1 also meant going up against your former coach, Im "Tom" Jae-hyeon. Did you get a chance to see or talk to him?

Kaiwing: I had a little interaction with him when we were doing stage rehearsal. He saw me in the hall and called my name. I went to talk to him, and he congratulated us for making it to MSI 2025. We talked about our respective teams at MSI—we just talked a little bit.

You gained a lot of fans after First Stand, and even more after this close match against T1. What do you see as the next step for CFO? Do you feel like you've shown you can take on any team at MSI?

Kaiwing: If we had managed to take down T1, I would say maybe we had the strength to beat anyone—but since we lost, I don’t want to go that far. We want to keep this mentality of being an underdog team. The next step is to shake off this performance, win our next match, and try to go further into MSI. Maybe then we’ll be able to say that we can take on other teams.

You've had a long journey—from leaving Hong Kong to becoming a pro in Taiwan, from TALON to CFO. Now at 28, you're here at MSI in Vancouver, experiencing a bit of a career resurgence. What does this moment mean to you?

Kaiwing: When I look back at my career, at my long journey, being here at MSI, it feels like all the work I put in has been worth it, you know? I’ve been playing for so many years, but this time, it’s different. I have the opportunity to play against some of the strongest teams and players in the world. I'm here to try my best and see if I have the ability to contest them. I really enjoy playing internationally—I want to showcase my strengths and test myself. It’s a great feeling.

Wong "Chawy" Xing Lei mentioned that at first you were a bit serious, but over time you became more relaxed and adapted to the team’s fun dynamic. Can you tell me more about your relationship with your teammates and how the team dynamic feels now?

Kaiwing: Speaking of our relationship, winning definitely helped make us a more coherent team and brought us closer and closer—both in terms of gameplay and personalities. Our performance in First Stand and everything after really brought us together. Regarding our ages, we have some really young players, like our toplaner, who is really kind and outgoing. He organized a lot of interactions in our team and is the reason why we are so close today.

Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong said he wants to become the new Maple for the LCP. Do you think he can achieve that goal?

Kaiwing: He has the potential to reach this goal. Still, rookies generally lack experience. The more he plays—domestically or internationally—he’ll gain more experience and get better. He's still really young, but as long as he can manage that and keep improving, he has what it takes to achieve his dreams and establish dominance over our region. I believe in him.

You're now set to face MKOI. What are your thoughts going into that match-up?

Note: Answer from the post-T1 press conference.

Kaiwing: Before our game, we watched MKOI's match against BLG. It felt like a rollercoaster. In scrims against EMEA teams, like MKOI, they've always had special strategies and picks. When we face off against them, we shouldn't play normally—we need to come up with our own special edges. We'll rewatch their match and try our best to have better preparation for our next match."