What a season this has been for fans of the NA LCS! Through all the excitement and uncertainty of the last few months, the top 8 teams have been locked in and DIG fought to secure that 8th seed after a solid second half to the regular season. With playoffs right around the corner, to decide which teams get to represent NA at Worlds this year, we had the chance to catch up with Aphromoo once again to discuss the season that's been, the playoffs that will be, and the World Championship spot that will hopefully follow!

So Aphro, the last time we talked was before the 2020 Spring Split and A LOT has changed in that time: out of everything in your life since then, what are a few things that have changed the most for you?

Aphromoo: Honestly, quarantine hasn’t affected too much. I wake up, play some video games, rinse and repeat. We don’t get to go to the studio anymore, so I don’t get to see a lot of people, but we’ll still hang out online. The main thing I miss is the gym, not being able to go is a downside for sure.

Speaking of change, you’re also playing on a nearly entirely new team to the one you were on last Split; what do you think you and Johnsun have brought to the team that has kept you going strong as DIG’s dynamic duo?

Aphromoo: I think consistency, and the fact that we both flame each other on a daily basis. It keeps us in line; if I’m doing something badly, he’ll tell me straight away, and if he’s doing badly, I’ll tell him too, so we can fix things really quickly. During Spring we worked on a lot, in terms of how we wanted to play together, and going into Summer everything felt like second nature (particularly as of late).

In an interview I had with V1per, he said that many players have felt less pressure playing on the Virtual Stage than they would on the real one- do you consider yourself part of this group & what have you made of the state of the season under such circumstances?

Aphromoo: Playing on LAN, to me, is a lot more stressful, but I’ve done a lot of both (since before LCS was a thing we all played online to qualify for tournaments). I’m pretty used to it, and I can imagine that it would be more difficult for players that didn’t play in that era, but I’m quite comfortable playing the way we are.

What are your thoughts on your individual performances through the Summer Split

Aphromoo: I think what’s most important for me is making sure Johnsun performs in each of our games. For him to play well, I have to play well too and I’m happy he’s getting the recognition he deserves because he’s a great player, and that’s what I want for him, especially since he’s a rookie. Making sure we do well and bringing our consistency to the rest of the team, is so important in giving everyone the confidence we need to beat any team.

The regular season of the 2020 Summer Split was one of highs and lows as we watched you fight to the very end for that spot in the Playoffs; walk me through the mood in the team right now, how is everyone feeling coming into these vital upcoming games?

Aphromoo: Well there are a few things we have to consider coming into Playoffs; there’s the patch change, so a lot of stress is associated with that and figuring out the meta, and we’re also 8th so we don’t have the luxury of benefitting from the double elimination format that other teams do. We all know we have to buckle down on what we want to do, so there’s a lot of discussion, hard work, and communication between us to get to where we want to be. We do, however, have the luxury of playing later than many other teams do, so we can take some more time to practice and watch the other teams play before us, which is a definite advantage.

Do you think the Best of Five format for the Playoffs will bring out a new side to the players, both on DIG and on other teams, than we’ve seen in the regular season?

Aphromoo: It’s all about endurance man - ‘Who can adapt the fastest?’ is the real question, and so we’ll see which teams can hold up and which teams will fall short over the longer matches.

What are your thoughts on the gap between the teams that finished in the top half and bottom half in the NA LCS? Is Team Liquid’s 15-3 result as telling as it may seem for the upcoming Playoffs?

Aphromoo: Yeah, I definitely do think that TL is the most complete team right now. They seem to know what they’re doing every step of the way in their games, but every other team is kind of all over the place at the moment. It’s going to be tough to say how it will go, and how they’ll be able to perform.

After the CLG tiebreaker, Dardoch claimed (with a smile) that he would of course rather face TSM than Golden Guardians, even though it would be more likely that you’d face GGs. What’s your take on this? Do you have a preference for the matchup?

Aphromoo: Honestly, I don’t care who we play. Obviously, Josh (Dardoch) will want to play against TSM because of their history, so it would be fun in that regard, but fans would also want to see the GGs matchup because of Damonte, so it’s tough to say.

To end on a fun one Aphro - what’s the first thing you’re going to do once quarantine is lifted and we get back to a sense of normalcy?

Aphromoo: GO TO THE GYM!

Thanks once again for taking the time out of your day to answer our questions - do you have any closing words to the fans (both of you and DIG)?

Aphromoo: Yo. I never know what to say here… haha.

We'd like to wish Aphro and the team the best of luck coming into these nail-biting Playoff weeks ahead, and hope that you (the fans) will be there to cheer them on! You can stay up to date with Aphromoo on Twitter, and stay tuned for our upcoming Support Meta guide for all the inside information you'll need on playing like a pro.