Oner may be following in the “footsteps” of a former T1 star
In recent days, following T1’s defeat to DK, it’s clear that the player receiving the most criticism is Oner. In fact, he had a strong performance in the first two games against DK. Things only turned disastrous starting from game three, when DK continuously forced T1 into 50-50 situations, and Oner was completely outmatched by Lucid. From this point, many opinions are drawing parallels between Oner’s situation and that of Gumayusi last year.
Notably, right after re-signing with T1 during the post-fan meeting phase in Vietnam, Oner expressed his desire to spend his entire career with T1. He also confirmed that he would not accept offers from other teams.
Remarkably, from that moment, many noticed that Oner’s statements were quite similar to those of Zeus and Gumayusi – players who have since left T1. Before departing, Gumayusi went through a turbulent year filled with unreasonable criticism from extreme T1 fans.
Now, Oner is facing a situation almost identical to that of Gumayusi from last season. Of course, this time, Oner’s representatives quickly reacted to defend their client. However, not many fans place their trust in these actions, given that in the past, Gumayusi largely faced negative reactions from fans on his own, despite having representation.
Becoming a star at T1 has never been easy
Given that Doran’s contract is extended on a yearly basis (and he is not a product of T1’s training academy), Peyz is still too young, and even three years from now, nothing can be guaranteed. Keria has yet to renew his contract, and Oner’s proactive approach is helping him become a prominent figure at T1. Oner himself is the last superstar from the former ZOFGK lineup who originated from this team’s training academy (except for Faker), which further increases his chances of becoming a visual icon for T1 in the future.
Becoming a visual icon for T1 has never been easy, but surely no one wishes for the events that transpired with Gumayusi to happen again with Oner, no matter the form or extent.