Interview with Jeondding: Team Vitality, Tekken 8 Balance, and more

The Tekken scene has no shortage of great players and great personalities, and Jeon "Jeondding" Sang-hyun still manages to stand out among them. This veteran Korean player has seen it all, games come and go, metas shift, players ascend and fall. What he wants is to do his best, and joining Team Vitality is the move that he thinks will allow him to do it. Here’s our brief interview with the multiple Master-tier event winner Jeon "Jeondding" Sang-hyun.

You have been one of the strongest Korean players for a long time already, but this year you have decided to go international by signing with Team Vitality. What motivated you to make this decision?

Team Vitality is one of the biggest orgs that take Tekken 8 seriously, more than any other team, and their direction for the future of Tekken also aligned with my goals. That's why I chose Vitality over other teams.

How does Team Vitality’s team structure help you in training and preparation? Did the team already have all the support structure or did they make some changes to accommodate you?

It was fine from the beginning, but I’m the first Tekken player in Team Vitality, so I had to communicate more with the team. But the organization was always willing to change and to make things easier and better for me. So, for example I’ve had to fly to a lot of tournaments and the team supports me for that a lot. Right now, all I have to do is just keep practicing and then improve my performance. Overall, I’m very thankful to Team Vitality.

Thank you. Team Vitality helps you go international, but it looks like you're helping the team gain some Korean fans as well. Which of Vitality's teams would you say is the most popular in Korea?

For Korean fans, the Counter Striker 2 team is the most popular Team Vitality roster.

So, how have you adapted to Tekken 8? What's your take on the balance of the game?

It's not really easy to adjust to new games, but I’m trying to play with my character, Eddy. There are lots of complaints about the game’s balance from the community, which isn’t great, but I have to deal with it.

Speaking of characters, you are mainly playing Eddy and some Nina, but you were also playing some Reina and Azucena in the beginning. Are you settled on your picks of Eddy and Nina, or are you willing to change if balance dictates it?

So, for the rest of this year, I don’t think I’ll play Nina either. I am going to play Eddy until the next patch or next season.

What's your opinion on the hot topic of mid-game coaching? Should it be allowed or not? Has it helped you?

For in-game coaching, I think it's actually fine as long as the coaching doesn't take too long to delay the next game. I actually used to get coached between sets in the past, but I don’t think it was really helpful. Overall, I don’t mind mid-game coaching.

You've been reaching top-8 quite consistently, but sometimes, victories weren’t quite in your grasp. This year, what were the blockers, or what hindered you from achieving the wins that looked close?

With the new Tekken coming out, I had to change a lot of things, and then I joined Team Vitality and I’m really thankful for that. I naturally wanted to do so much better this year, but it wasn't to be.

What are your immediate goals for the future? I would assume it's TWT's last-chance qualifier, but what about next year?

Of course, this year, my focus is on TWT. But for 2025, it’s all about another big trophy that I can put into the Team Vitality trophy cabinet to fit between all the Counter-Strike trophies!

On a lighter note, what would be your workout tip for gamers who sit at the computer for a long time?

The most important thing is to just exercise as often as possible. It doesn't matter what kind of exercise. Just do whatever you can and do it consistently!

Do you have any final words for your fans?

This year, whether I won or lost, the fans were always there. I’m really thankful for my fans. They really want to see me win a trophy. So please continue cheering me on next year, and I will get a championship trophy!