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The Best Duo to Never Win
PraY and GorillA seek their first international title
KING-ZONE’S bot lane PraY and GorillA — more affectionately referred to as PrillA — are the best tandem to never win an international title, and now they prepare to play elimination games once again.
UPON SEEING ME, GorillA says, “Long time no see!” I’d only talked to him twice at Worlds last year, but he’s immediately affable like an old friend. He’s described as having a lot of “정 (jung)” by PraY, which doesn’t have a direct translation in English, but means love and friendliness — GorillA is a warm person.
Anyone who has followed the core KZ roster’s journey over the years has seen this — from their pink kitty ears on the old Tigers squads to singing songs together before a match. This aura of “정” has long embedded into their team’s identity, and this iteration of the roster is no different. The upbeat environment has seen them capture the last two LCK titles, including this year’s spring run where they went undefeated as long as top laner Khan finished the set.
Domestic success without any international results, though, puts them squarely in the same company as the other contenders in Paris. PraY and GorillA in particular are the most successful tandem to never win an international event — and this is actually their first trip to MSI. They’ve lost two World Championship Finals together and then got swept last year in the Quarterfinals despite being the heavy favorite to win it all.
I ask GorillA about his and PraY’s continued struggle to find an international championship. He laughs and says, “Everytime we lose… there’s two ways of saying this — when you’re optimistic, you say, ‘Hey, we still have a goal to reach!’ But the pessimistic side wonders if I am able to get it one day. As a pro-gamer, we don’t have a very long career, so we have some extra pressure [to win].”
“AS A PRO-GAMER, WE DON’T HAVE A VERY LONG CAREER, SO WE HAVE SOME EXTRA PRESSURE [TO WIN].”
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"AS A PRO-GAMER, WE DON’T HAVE A VERY LONG CAREER, SO WE HAVE SOME EXTRA PRESSURE [TO WIN].”
The pressure isn’t just tied to their own accomplishments at this point. Korea has been represented by SK telecom T1 at the last three Mid-Season Invitationals, and the region as a whole hasn’t lost an international event since MSI 2015. The success of other Korean teams naturally raises the expectations we have for KZ as well.
You could argue that all of the Korean success is less Korean dominance and more specifically SKT dominance. This just happens to be the first international event since 2014 that SKT isn’t participating in, and KZ is tasked with filling those shoes as the new Korean Goliath. Anything short of a championship will be seen as a failure when compared to the accomplishments of the region as a whole in recent years.
There are already signs of mortality. KZ finished third in group play, and their Semifinals opponent — the LMS’ Flash Wolves — 2-0ed them thus far in convincing fashion. Maybe it’s just a mental perception gone astray, but they don’t seem to have the same aura of invincibility that a team like SKT had. They don’t seem to have the same kind of resilience to launch a comeback when facing a large deficit.
What they do have is the ability to bounce back after a loss. As PraY and GorillA have done time and again. They agree that they didn’t perform to their normal standards during the Group Stage, and both PraY and Head Coach Hirai suggest it’s a result of their poor conditioning thanks to jet lag and adjusting to a new schedule on the road.
FOR GORILLA, IT’S NATURAL that they would be able to bounce back. After their defeat at Worlds last year, he and PraY talked the very day they were eliminated — going over their regrets from the tournament. They dwelled on when or if their time would eventually come and on whether or not they’ll become good players. It seems, to him, there is no satisfaction until they win.
“The reason we are able to stick together,” GorillA says, “is because we trust each other. Even if we win or lose.”
Their tenure together as a bot lane is admirable — there are many instances of star ADCs in particular shuffling through their supports like speed-dating sessions. But the duo hasn’t always been as close as you might expect. Even last year at Worlds, I remember GorillA described PraY to me as the perfect business partner. I guess it’s a little much to have expected him to say they’re best friends or anything like that.
Coach Hirai echoed my sentiments, saying, “When I first arrived on this team [last year], I expected them to be really close, but actually they were not that close. It was kind of weird.”
Hirai is a surprisingly quiet person — I’m more accustomed to traditional stereotypes of coaches where they are outspoken if not outright loud. But Hirai mulls over every answer before speaking, and his voice is almost a whisper. Since taking over this roster, he’s made it a point to inject energy into the team.
That’s a lot easier to do when he doesn’t have to drill discipline into them. PrillA set a good example for the rest of the team to follow by practicing hard on their own — this is what’s traditionally referred to as locker room presence. A team’s environment is generally shaped by its veterans. And only a handful of players have been around as long as PraY.
PraY’s first trip to Worlds was in 2012 when he was on NaJin Black Sword, where they were knocked out by the eventual tournament champion — the Taipei Assassins. Since then, he’s been knocked out four more times at Worlds and each time by the eventual champion. He’s always been just shy of the pinnacle.
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"PRAY IS LIKE AN OLDER BROTHER TO ME. I CAN FOLLOW AND TRUST HIM. I WOULD SAY… HE’S [KIND OF] MY IDOL."
But PraY’s presence inspires his teammates. “He’s like an older brother to me,” says GorillA, “I can follow and trust him. I would say… he’s [kind of] my idol.”
In Korean culture, age and elders are respected more than in the West — this natural system of mentorship may be one reason Korea can consistently produce the top talent. But PraY has also been through that hierarchy of respect.
“I am the oldest one on my team,” PraY acknowledges. “It wasn’t always like that, but with time I am getting older and older. I am used to it — I think I am a good hyung.”
Over the years, the PrillA lane has evolved into the most respected bot lane in Korea. If the likes of Uzi are praised individually (despite Ming’s strong performance), these two do not outshine each other. If you mention one, then the other is basically implied at this point in their careers. Their careers are intertwined at this point in a way that’s almost impossible to imagine unraveling.
PraY says, “[GorillA] is someone who’s helped me [continue] to be a pro player, so he’s a friend I’m thankful for.” And no matter how their career unfolds, he has a humble attitude towards their legacy. He says, “[Ultimately], I just want people to remember us.”
An MSI title is only the first step towards international recognition and prominence — they’ll eventually need to win a World Championship if they hope to shed their demons. But for now, I imagine they’d love to savor what it’s like to lift a trophy after a grueling international showdown.
GorillA told me, “We are two boys, so we are not expressive to each other.” I’d like to see if that holds true if they win.
KING-ZONE DragonX takes on the Flash Wolves on Saturday at 3:00 am PDT.
Kien Lam is a writer for Lolesports. You can find more awful great jokes and commentary on his Twitter.