"Where I'm Supposed To Be": BLG Elk On MSI 2023 Debut
BLG Elk MSI 2023 League of Legends interview
- Bilibili Gaming star botlaner Elk has been the star of MSI 2023 in five games.
- How BLG Elk dealt with career adversity in pro League career?
- What is BLG Elk’s career goal?
- What is the MSI 2023 Schedule?
London, United Kingdom - Bilibili Gaming botlaner Zhao “Elk” Jia-hao walks onto the MSI 2023 stage and is met with a sea of passionate cheers and applause.
It was a feeling that was quite difficult to describe. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling as he was untangling his mice and keyboard. He felt a different sensation compared to his usual routine back home in the LPL because of the natural pressures that come with playing your first international event. Yet, when he sat in his chair, put on his headset and fully adjusted into the competitive environment, there was only one thing running through his mind.
“This is where I’m supposed to be,” Elk said to himself before playing his first set of games on the international stage.
BLG Elk Stellar in MSI 2023 campaign so far
So far at MSI 2023, Elk has been a star for Bilibili Gaming. In just five games, Elk has a 60 percent first blood rate, averages 23.8 CSD@10, and provides 891 damage per minute which all stand heavily ahead of any other rival botlaner at MSI 2023.
Yet, it’s his 8.8 KDA that stands above all of the other statistics. One of the most remarkable parts of Elk’s game is his balance as a player. While he already has 41 kills in just five games, he has also only died nine times at MSI 2023.
Not only can he act as the team’s primary carry, he can also dial back on his own aggression. Whatever the team needs of him, that is what Elk provides because the main goal for him is winning. That known pressure of importance to Bilibili Gaming is what drives Elk to be as great as he is.
“I don’t want to die a lot,” Elk blatantly stated. “I know the team needs me because they give a lot of resources to me so that I can succeed.”
Finally Reaching The International League Stage
For years, Elk had quietly become one of the LPL’s most talented botlaners. However, the international stage was always something that evaded him. From narrowly missing out on Worlds 2021 with Team WE to rough pastures with Ultra Prime in 2022, circumstances always kept Elk away from international play.
Yet, when asked about those experiences, there was no blame directed towards any of his past teammates. Instead, he saw those past failures as a moment of gratitude for helping him grow as both a player and a human.
“I grew a lot as a player experiencing all these ups and downs in my career,” Elk said. “I really put in work to grow as a person inside and outside of the game and feel that maturity reflects where I am in my career now.”
After years of trying to make it to the highest level of League of Legends, Elk is finally where he imagined he would be in his pro League of Legends career. Now, after qualifying for the MSI 2023 Bracket Stage, the goal is simple for Elk, move forward.
“Our goal is to go even higher on the international stage so that more people can see how good we can be,” Elk said. “We will continue to be better throughout the year for sure.”
What is the MSI 2023 schedule?
MSI 2023 will be back starting May 9 with the MSI 2023 Bracket Stage. Here, the remaining eight teams will compete in a double elimination bracket at MSI 2023. This double-elimination bracket will run until the MSI 2023 Grand Final on May 21, where one of the final eight teams will be crowned the MSI 2023 champion.
MSI 2023 is streamed live through Riot Games’ Twitch and YouTube channels. MSI 2023 teams are currently competing on League of Legends Patch 13.8.
Sage got his start in esports as a volunteer writer in 2016 for esports organization, Dignitas. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft as a journalist and reporter for a number of established esports publications, such as esports.gg, Unikrn, Akshon Esports, Howla, The Player’s Lobby, Nerd Street Gamers, and most recently Dot Esports. Now, as a member of Esports Illustrated’s content team, Sage’s primary duties are centered around creating groundbreaking written and video content about the esports industry that impacts the community in a meaningful way. Sage graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Informatics. There, he was a member of the Rutgers Esports Executive Board, both as the head of the fighting game community and a videographer/photographer for the Content team.