Before SofM joined Snake Esports, the LPL seemed to be developing in a way very similar to the LCK – Korea, as they continuously bought Korean players in every position. This was good because names like Insec, Mata, Imp, Deft… are all excellent League of Legends players. However, the downside was that they made the gameplay and approach to matches in the LPL extremely boring, very much in line with the control style of the LCK.
Everything completely changed when SofM brought a very different jungle path compared to the rest. No longer the traditional control playstyle, turning himself into a “target” objective eater, SofM applied his agile and aggressive early gank playstyle, shaking the entire LPL tournament at that time.
Right from his first matches, SofM introduced a “fresh breeze” to the LPL with the Tiamat Lee Sin and Boots of Mobility style. The goal was extremely clear: to farm the jungle quickly and gank as much as possible, SofM always wanted to find a way to break the prevailing control gameplay of that time. To achieve this, the best way was to play aggressively in the early game, the weakest moment for those who favored control.
And by early 2019, SofM came up with a way that no one could imagine to upgrade the champion Olaf by building the Redemption. Part of it was because that item was strong, but more importantly, SofM realized that this champion lacked tools to apply immediate pressure on lanes. A series of top-tier players in this position in both Korea and China all agreed that this playstyle was extremely strong and a top priority when competing.
Just a few weeks ago, SofM once again made LPL fans shake with his groundbreaking innovations like Ignite Graves jungle and tanky Lee Sin. He understands where his champion’s strengths and weaknesses lie and what needs to be done to overcome those limitations. For instance, Graves, when jungling, cannot build early healing reduction items, so he chose Ignite to address this issue.
Or take Lee Sin for example; this is a champion where no matter how much damage you build, your biggest impact remains kicking an enemy toward your teammates. Jungle farming only requires a Warrior Enchantment, and if you want to live long enough to protect your teammates and create chaos for the enemy team, you only build tank items.
Although creative, SofM does not present himself as a flashy player or someone trying to be different; what he does is simply striving to find the best way to win. And those somewhat novel playstyles are just another way in SofM’s journey to victory.
