Before the match between T1 and Bilibili Gaming took place, many believed that T1 could face another defeat against the LPL representatives. Although both are the second seeds from two regions with nearly equal strength, BLG had previously defeated T1 at MSI 2023. That was a hard-to-accept loss for Faker and his teammates. Therefore, this confrontation not only had significance for the ticket to advance at Worlds 2023 but also provided T1 an opportunity for “revenge”.
Indeed, on a day of stellar performance, all five members of T1 delivered flawless displays. Even Zeus’s mistakes in game 1 and solo kills in game 2 were insignificant in the grand scheme. It was Zeus, with several highlight moments, who greatly contributed to T1’s victory. Of course, the match was still analyzed, and the name that attracted the most attention was undoubtedly Oner. T1’s jungler had an outstanding day with Jarvan IV.
In the second game, an early situation occurred when Faker was ganked by XUN. The jungler from BLG cleverly slipped past T1’s vision. This situation led to Faker’s demise despite using Flash. Oner then moved in and used his abilities to force XUN and Yagao to retreat. However, many fans believed that Oner had failed at the counter-gank due to his slower movement compared to his opponents.
However, after reviewing that situation, many admitted that Oner handled it very flexibly and appropriately. Given that Faker had been taken down and the enemy still had their abilities, losing another player was something that needed to be avoided. At the same time, Oner also forced Yagao to back while preserving the minion wave for Faker. This situation not only helped Faker maintain a good position in lane but also prevented Yagao from benefiting too much despite securing a kill.
For the remainder of the match, Oner showcased his excellence as seen. Many T1 fans believe that if Oner has truly regained his form, T1 will be able to execute their gameplay seamlessly. Once the entire T1 team returns to their unbeaten form, even JDG or Gen.G will need to be wary.