When competing in Iceland, players, especially those from Asian countries, face many disadvantages. Besides issues like food, lifestyle habits, and being “hunted” by the European and North American gaming community in ranked matches, another concern is the weather. Currently, Iceland is entering winter, with morning temperatures dropping to 10 degrees Celsius or lower. This is quite low compared to South Korea, a country also known for its cold climate, where the temperature remains around 23 degrees Celsius at this time.
Having previously competed in Iceland during MSI 2021, in a recent interview before starting the journey to defend their championship at Worlds, ShowMaker revealed that one essential item he must bring is moisturizer and necessary medications. More than anyone, ShowMaker and the DK team, along with other teams that participated in MSI, understand the harshness of the weather in this northernmost country.
But for the “newcomer” Teddy and possibly many other teams that have not had the chance to visit Iceland, these experiences are anything but pleasant. Recently, while climbing the ranks, T1’s ADC complained about the Icelandic weather making it difficult for him to compete. Specifically, Teddy mentioned that his skin started to dry out, and this was really uncomfortable; he even emphasized, “I might die” in this current climate.
According to some netizens from European and American countries, besides the characteristic cold climate, the players’ dry skin results from being in an air-conditioned environment frequently, so when going outside or encountering natural weather, their bodies react automatically. Most advice suggests that players should prepare moisturizing methods for their skin.
According to the player’s disclosure, in the match where Teddy complained about the extremely cold climate in Iceland causing dry skin, he was playing Qiyana in the jungle and lost. If the weather had some impact on the outcome, this is something that teams need to pay attention to before stepping into the intense matches of Worlds 2021.
