It’s not just this season; as far back as MSI 2022 and then Summer 2022, the weakness known as Oner has been pointed out by T1 fans. While sometimes Zeus is the target of criticism or Faker bears the brunt of the blame, the reality is that Oner also carries a significant share of the responsibility. Remember, at the finals of LCK Summer 2022, Oner completely lost the jungle to veteran Peanut in all three games.
Then, at the World Championship (Worlds), the Spring Split, and MSI in 2023, Oner still hasn’t truly reassured T1 fans. Some T1 fans summed up Oner’s performances as follows: When he shines, he shines throughout the game. But once he loses, Oner becomes T1’s weakest position. Moreover, the jungle role currently has the responsibility to regulate and operate the game in the early stages. Thus, the more important Oner’s role is, the more easily T1 can be exploited by opponents.
Oner himself is aware that he is the weak point of T1. He admits to making mistakes and is still striving to improve himself. Recently, in the match between T1 and Kwangdong Freecs, Oner was voted POG (Player of the Game). Many T1 fans see this award as timely recognition to help Oner regain the necessary confidence after a long period of declining performance.
However, Coach Bengi is still not 100% satisfied with his player. According to Coach Bengi, Oner’s performance against KDF was not his full potential, and the 2002-born player can do even better. Perhaps Coach Bengi understands that enough and accurate praise is beneficial, but if just one shining game leads Oner to become complacent, he might slide further down.
In the upcoming match, T1 will face KT Rolster – a team that just defeated the mighty Dplus KIA led by ShowMaker and is currently in good form, having only lost to Gen.G. Faker and his teammates will still be considered the favorites, but T1 cannot afford to be complacent, especially when KT always has factors that can create surprises.