Once seen as one of the most disappointing players of T1, Oner was even rumored to leave early. Throughout many seasons, specifically from MSI 2022 to now, the 2002-born player has continuously faced criticism from his own fans. The reason stems from Oner’s underwhelming performance after the “carnivore jungle” playstyle fell out of favor. Even though T1 consistently won against Dplus KIA or KT Rolster, many fans wanted to replace Oner with Canyon or any other jungler.
However, at Worlds 2023, Oner is showcasing a completely different side, even when he has to use tanky fighter jungle champions. Notably, in recent matches against Bilibili Gaming and LNG Esports, Oner completely outperformed his two higher-rated opponents, XUN and Tarzan. In fact, Oner did not allow Tarzan to secure any Dragon or Baron buffs in all three games.
Especially, with T1 advancing to the Semifinals of Worlds 2023, Oner officially reaches the Semifinals of international tournaments for the fifth consecutive time. Specifically, these tournaments include Worlds 2021, 2022, 2023 and MSI 2022, 2023. This is an achievement that even Chovy cannot match. The Mid Laner of Gen.G has participated in five consecutive Worlds along with MSI 2023. However, he could only reach the Semifinals in Worlds 2022 and MSI 2023. Previously, the Quarterfinals were always the final stop for Chovy.
Clearly, it will be hard to say at this point that there is anyone better than Oner for T1. The jungler himself is still young (21 years old) and has a lot of potential for growth. Moreover, in recent tournaments, Oner has also improved his tanky and fighter jungle gameplay… Therefore, as long as he coordinates well with Faker and Zeus, Oner will always be the right choice.
In the Semifinals, Oner will face what is considered the best jungler currently – Kanavi. The success of T1, according to many predictions, hinges on whether Oner or Kanavi will perform better in the upcoming match between JDG and T1.