Perhaps Vietnamese fans are no longer unfamiliar with Doinb, a professional player known for his many antics to ask SofM for carries in Ranked Matches. He is a hyperactive individual but incredibly charming during livestreams, a guy with a relatively ordinary appearance but has a stunningly beautiful and talented wife. Not stopping there, Doinb has also proven himself to be an excellent mid-laner, with a playstyle dedicated to his teammates and a fighting spirit that is unyielding.
The absolute victory over WE was greatly attributed to the captain of FPX; clearly, he is not just a skilled player but also showcases a diverse champion pool. Doinb can proficiently use every champion from Tanks, Mages, Fighters to Support. The captain of FunPlus Phoenix does not see this as a disadvantage but rather a strength. When every team facing FPX cannot predict the calculations or the champion that the “clown” will use, they tend to ban champions surrounding him like Tian, Nuguri, or Lwx as a prelude to victory instead of focusing on an “out meta” or “offbeat” player like Doinb.
The Tank Champion
These champions have perhaps made Doinb’s name and uniqueness throughout his professional career. Who can forget the “rock” Malphite in Doinb’s hands, which shattered GAM Esport’s dreams of going deep into the World Championship? He created the trend of using tank champions in the mid lane instead of pure mages. Champions like Malphite, Nautilus, Rumble, etc., are considered quite passive but are handled quite flexibly by Doinb in skill-demanding solo duels. Additionally, they provide burst potential and significant contributions to the overall team play. This is also the reason that helped FPX advance deep and ultimately lift the World Championship trophy in 2019.
Not stopping there, in Ranked history on the Korean server, Doinb has also used the champion Dr. Mundo in the Mid lane. Will he use this champion in future tournaments?
The Fighter Champion
Along with that are well-known Fighter champions, although off-meta, which Doinb uses with an incredibly high win rate, such as Kled, Aatrox, Renekton, Poppy, Fiora, …
Not only are they off-meta, but Doinb also shows that he is a player willing to experiment with new things, from item builds to rune pages, and luckily, everything works incredibly well. For example, the champion Irelia was used in Game 2 of the FPX – WE match. Doinb did not hesitate to build Thornmail as a warning to Shanks’ Yasuo.
The Mage Champion
Many people accuse Doinb of being a player without personal skill, only knowing how to use tanky champions (even a fighter like Irelia builds tank) to take damage while teammates deal damage and do all the hard work.
Such arguments and opinions are too one-sided and simplistic, only looking at what Doinb demonstrated during the 2019 World Championship. The truth is that it is a noble sacrifice from the South Korean player, always ready to stand behind to let his teammates shine. From Lwx to Tian, previously GimGoon, and now Nuguri all benefit from it.
One thing is certain that Doinb will always step up and shine when his teammates need him. In all three games against WE, the one dubbed the “clown” of the LPL performed impressively to lead his team to the finals. While the bottom duo Lwx and Crisp were going through a rough patch, there stood a true carry, the MVP of the LCK group stage, none other than Doinb. From Orianna to Twisted Fate, Doinb used them beyond expectations.
The Support Champion
With a playstyle always revolving around his teammates, ready to support the team, the 1996-born player choosing Support champions to go Mid is no longer strange. Champions like Lulu, Karma, … are also frequently used by Doinb in ranked matches and sometimes in tournaments. The captain of FPX does not chase after stats like kills or assists but focuses on his impact and contributions to the team. This is clearly something to be respected and emulated by the younger generation of gamers.
Despite having such a wide champion pool, Doinb has on numerous occasions embarrassed his team by choosing offbeat champions to lane, only to end up losing the game himself. In ranked matches, the champion you choose often depends significantly on skill. However, in tournament matches, skill is just one part of the many factors needed to win, from control, team calling, initiating fights to picking off enemies all play a crucial role. A single mistake can lead to losing the entire game. For example, in Game 2 between FPX and EDG, when Doinb used Lillia in Mid, with her quick wave-clear ability through Q being an early game advantage. However, as the game progressed, Lillia’s weaknesses became apparent when she could not use Q – R to initiate fights due to lacking engagement.
Fans cannot forget the times Doinb jumped for joy or shed tears after winning championships with his team. Even though outside, Doinb always presents himself as arrogant, confident, and hyperactive to the point of annoyance, when he steps into the game, everything fades away as we see a completely different person with a calm, composed attitude, always ready to fight for the team with passionate spirit. Hopefully, Doinb and FPX will achieve great success not only in the LPL Summer 2021 but also further in the upcoming World Championship qualifiers.