Despite a strong performance, FlyQuest now moves on to the last round of the League of Legends 2024 World Championship Swiss Stage after a tough loss to Hanwha Life Esports. Although they pushed the South Korean champions to their limits, the LCS representatives must now regroup ahead of a potentially eliminating match. An exclusive interview with the team's support player, Busio, in which he discusses his improvement, aspirations for the quarterfinals, his nemeses, and playing with Bwipo.

How are you feeling after the match against Hanwha Life?

Alan "Busio" Cwalina: "I'm feeling all right. I'm very sad we didn't win the series because we'd immediately be locked to go to Paris. But at the same time, I'm not that sad because I feel like we showed a lot, and that gives us confidence for our next opponents. It shows that even against the number one LCK seed, we could have easily won. As for myself, I felt like I made a handful of mistakes, but overall I was playing pretty well and pretty aware in the game. That makes me happy because it makes me feel like the next match will be a win.

How are you planning on learning from this loss?

Busio: I'm just gonna watch all three VODs back, look at what I was doing, and see what the enemy support was doing to better understand what was happening. Then, of course, I'll rewatch all the macro and all the team fights. I have three games to review, with myself in the game and a really good team in the game. I can see how they reacted to what I did. So it's like the most valuable learning I can get.

You've been playing League since you were 7, reached Challenger at 15, and won the LCS at 20. Now you're at Worlds. How long until you end up winning Worlds for North America? Is it your long-term goal?

Busio: Yeah, I mean, of course the goal is always to win. But winning Worlds is a goal that I wouldn't set for myself yet because that's obviously very difficult as a North American team. You know, it's never happened before. Not to say it can't happen; like you saw today, it was super close, so that gives a lot of hope. But my personal goal is that I don't look that far ahead, honestly. I'm just thinking day to day, and I just want to be better for our next match on Sunday.

You're young, and this year you went from playing with Doublelift to rookie Massu. How is it playing with him? Are you confident in your bot lane's performance at Worlds?

Busio: Oh yeah definitely, I think we can match up against any bot lane. Obviously, I still make mistakes, but when we're playing well, I think we're top tier. Playing with Massu is great—he's super smart, hardworking, individually talented, and confident in his own play. He knows what he needs and will say it. It's really nice to hear what a carry needs from you in a team fight or something like that. And yeah, he's just great.

Does Massu help you shine more than in your previous team?

Busio: For sure, simply because Massu trusts me. If I'm roaming or making him weak side, he knows I'm doing it for a good reason. He also knows I can get mind-controlled easily—when someone tells me what to do, I'll just int. But Massu gives me really good comms. He'll say things like, "Oh, you can look here," and he just knows how I think. So I think we work really well together.

You picked 'OG Mithy' as your solo queue account name. How has working with Mithy been this year? Would you say he played a large part in your growth?

Busio: Mithy's great; he's super valuable. I feel like my improvement between spring and summer was massive, and probably the number one contributor was us getting Mithy on board. Having a support coach is super useful. I've never had a coach who was a support pro player in the past, so he helped me a lot, and he still helps me. He's also just a very funny guy—you guys know Mithy; he's super troll. So I'm really glad I get to work with him.

Rekkles mentioned that Western players struggle to see the big picture in-game, focusing too much on microplays. Do you agree, and how do you work around that? Do you feel you can see the big picture as a player?

Busio: Yeah, I mean, that's an issue with lower-level gameplay. It's something Inspired preaches a lot—he doesn't want too much randomness. He just wants to see the big picture and fight when it's important because that's the most consistent way to win. You might not win as hard or as fast; it might not be as exciting. But when you're in a winning spot and everybody knows what's important, what to focus on, when to take a risk, and when not to take a risk, that's just the best way to play. And yeah, it's definitely true. Top-level teams take fewer risks; all five players know what the goal is, and that's why they're so much more consistent.

Your coach Nukeduck mentioned avoiding scrimming LCK and LPL teams due to not wanting to leak your creative comps. Is that still the case, and do you have more unique picks for the next games?

Busio: We actually have a lot of funny picks because we're a more creative team, for sure. But that quote from Nukeduck was funny because we actually did scrim Eastern teams at that point. We just don't scrim them that much, and we don't show them our strats.

Are there any teams or bot lane duos that you would want to take down in the next few rounds?

Busio: I'd like to face G2 just because it'd be funny. We're two very creative teams, and we'll beat them for sure. In terms of facing any top-level Eastern team, it's a lot of fun. Before today's match, there was a lot of excitement about facing off against HLE, but once you're in the game, nameplates are off, of course. They’re just players, and you can see that the difference isn't that large. Very small things can change the outcome of the game. So as long as we're playing well and everybody's aware, it's super winnable.

I heard that Keria used to be one of your favorite players. Have you gotten to interact with him so far? Are you hoping to face T1 later in the tournament?

Busio: We've had some interactions. Keria recognizes me when I see him at the venue or at the hotel. He always gives me a smile or a bow, and I do the same. And yeah, I’d love to face him. I still look up to him, as I think my development was similar to his. He was also a mid laner before he became a support, that's why I look up to him.

What’s it like playing with Bwipo? He sometimes makes questionable plays or calls. How do you handle that?

Busio: Bwipo and Inspired are kind of like opposites. Inspired is super calculated and only wants us to fight when it's necessary or important, or like very free. Then Bwipo is on the opposite side of the spectrum, and they kind of keep each other balanced. Bwipo just goes for it if he sees a good angle. So that's what he brings to the team, and I really like it.

Like today, when we're strong, we just look for anything. It doesn't have to be the perfect fight; it doesn't have to look amazing. If you see something good and it makes sense, just go for it. That’s what Bwipo brings, and I appreciate it because it allows everybody to be a bit more loose. When they have their own play, they can go for it. If everybody's just waiting and listening to Inspired or looking through his lens, then if there's a good opportunity that Inspired doesn't see, we might not take it. But it's nice that we have that balance.

What are your expectations for the rest of the tournament? Are you confident about making it to the quarterfinals?

Busio: I'm pretty confident. Of course, we still need to play well on the day because that matters the most. But I think if we play well, we can beat any opponent we draw, and I'm pretty confident we'll make it to quarters. And if not, I just hope we have a good showing and I learn a lot."