[hkes_show_google_ad] Jeon “Ray” Ji Won took a bit of a downgrade in the offseason. He went from being a starting top laner for Team Apex to Cloud9’s top lane substitute, though he has gotten a chance to play. Ray played the first two games of C9’s series against Team Dignitas and went 1-1. It shows that C9 is serious about giving Ray time to play on stage, but Ray told Slingshot’s Andrew Kim that the transition still stings a little. “Honestly since last season I was a starting top laner and now a sub, it’s a little uncomfortable, but because I am lacking in many things that I’m a sub,” Ray said. “Impact’s career is impressive and still very good, so I think I can learn a lot from him, so it’s uncomfortable, but good. I like the fact that I can learn.” As for what he’s doing when he’s not playing, Ray said that he’s primarily focusing on improving himself as a player and learning English. He feels he can connect with his teammates better once he breaks down the language barrier a little. For now, Cloud9’s in-house translator is teaching him English, and he says he’s working on grade-school level English right now. Even though it’s still hard for him, Ray says he needs to be able to do it. Not just to improve his relationship with the team, but for himself as well. “Rather than doing nothing but playing games, by streaming I can let myself be known,” Ray said. “The team is a big one too, and since I’m a sub, I want to put myself out there. I want to learn English, and compared to just playing ranked games, I think streaming is good for me. When I was with Apex, I didn’t really use Twitter that often, but as I moved here I realized I was very lacking in English, so I’ve been working hard.” As for the future, Ray says he’s working from the ground up to improve his own play and his English, with hopes that he can be a starting player by the summer. Spring isn’t a write-off, by any means, but it’s a chance to learn before he can re-debut himself. “For the summer I want to be credited for something big,” Ray said. “A lot of people don’t even know I’m here yet. So I’m focusing on learning in the spring, and making myself known in the summer.” [hkes_show_google_ad]