Since his debut in the LCK wearing the jersey of T1 after Cuzz left, Oner has always been expected to become the “successor of Bengi” after showing quite good performance. At one point, he even coordinated with veteran Faker so well that many viewers concluded that T1 had finally found a quality and stable Jungler to help Faker win his long-desired fourth World Championship title. This was further reinforced when T1 won the LCK Spring 2022 with the longest undefeated streak in the history of League of Legends and this tournament.
However, after that period, despite continuously competing for MVP with teammates and opponents, Oner could not maintain a stable form. At times, he even became a weakness for T1, especially when entering decisive matches. Notably, in the 2022 World Championship finals, Oner was completely outperformed by Pyosik. Or when returning to the domestic league, he was even completely dominated by the young opponent Grizzly from HLE in the jungle area.
Recently, a controversial post has emerged within the League of Legends fan community. Specifically, there were opinions comparing Oner and SofM. This post was commented on by Coach Ren himself, who leaned towards the Vietnamese Jungler superstar. Most other opinions also agreed with Coach Ren.
In fact, looking at their performances since their debut in the LCK, Oner is somewhat inferior to SofM in terms of self-sufficiency and making calls during matches. Moreover, it has been proven that when Faker is absent, Oner struggles to adapt and even cannot support his young teammate Poby too much. Meanwhile, SofM has played with different Top Laners and wherever he goes, he manages to shine and make it easier for his teammates to play. Not to mention, SofM is even placed on par with legendary figures like TheShy and Faker by LPL fans, and he has contributed to changing the Jungling style of LPL specifically and the League of Legends scene in general.
However, Oner has the advantage over SofM as he is part of a strong team and at least he has reached the finals of the tournaments that T1 has participated in five times. It cannot be denied that each individual member of T1 may not perform as required. But when playing alongside Faker, they form a team that is very hard to beat.
It would be difficult to point out which player is better when SofM and Oner have never faced each other. But clearly, each player is suited to the strategy that their respective teams have set out. Furthermore, League of Legends is a team game, and only the strength of all five members along with the coaching staff can bring about the ultimate victory.