Regular viewers of League of Legends surely remember the name Gori, the one who once provoked the “Demon King” Faker after convincingly defeating him and his T1 team in the group stage match.
However, after all, from his impressive performances in the colors of Nongshim RedForce, Gori has transformed himself from a criticized individual for his arrogant attitude towards seniors into a real monster in the mid lane recognized by everyone. Not only that, with his destructive form, the 2000-born player also casually claimed the MVP title of LCK Summer 2021 with a score of 1100, standing proudly among top players like Canyon, Chovy, and Faker.
So what makes Gori the strongest carry in the group stage of LCK Summer 2021?
Firstly, the LCK MVP is not just a prestigious individual title for the best players but also a recognition of those who have impressive and stable performances throughout the group stage. While highly-rated players like Chovy and Faker struggled to regain their form after losing themselves at the beginning of the season, Gori consistently showcased his superiority over the rest as he and his teammates continuously defeated veteran teams. Thus, Nongshim RedForce became the most exciting dark horse to watch in the LCK Summer 2021 tournament.
The second reason may stem from Gori’s desire to assert himself. His somewhat reckless actions, such as those in front of the statue of Faker, exemplify this. After spending two years as Faker’s shadow, having to sit on the bench for the Demon King at T1, he chose to leave in order to prove himself. Now that Gori has returned, he has undergone a remarkable transformation, especially during this summer season. He currently boasts an unprecedented record with a 100% win rate when playing Sett, Ryze, and Akali, an extremely impressive number that no mid-laner has been able to replicate. Clearly, this is a high-quality affirmation from the reigning MVP of LCK Summer 2021.
WHAT ARE GORI’S PLAYING HIGHLIGHTS?
Let’s talk a bit about Bay
It may seem off-topic, but first, let’s get to know Bay, who was the mid-laner for Nongshim Red Force during the Spring split; he was a player with a very unusual playstyle. In the LCK, a league that favors objective control and farming, Bay seemed to go against the grain. He hardly focused on his CS (creep score) and always had a significantly lower CS compared to his lane opponent, as he sacrificed farm to influence and support the rest of his team.
The time Bay spent neglecting farm ensured that Peanut had better farming stats than the opposing jungler and almost completely controlled the river. If the rest of Nongshim got ahead based on early skirmishes and objectives, they would win the game. However, if Bay’s gamble failed, he would slowly bleed due to the CS deficit (losing both experience and economy), ultimately disadvantaging his entire team. This was often seen when Bay’s KDA at the end of Spring was 2.73, the lowest KDA among any mid-laner starting throughout the season.
Bay had a rather unusual playstyle in Spring, but sometimes this became a weakness to exploit rather than a strategy for Nongshim. With Gori’s arrival in Summer, Nongshim seemed to have found a treasure. A perfect and high-quality piece. Gori appears to retain most of what made Bay fit into Nongshim without the drawbacks (simply put, Gori is an upgraded, flawless version of Bay). Additionally, the 2000-born player demonstrates his diverse champion pool without hesitation by selecting champions like Sett, Sylas, and Akali for mid, while also being able to choose mage champions even better than Bay ever could.
About Gori’s playstyle
Compared to skill-heavy players like ShowMaker, natural talents like Chovy, or veterans like Faker, Gori shows that he has a completely different playstyle from the rest. Skill? Gori demonstrated this through two solo kills against Faker. Experience? Gori has plenty. But the interesting aspect of ‘Gori’s’ playstyle is that he often chooses to play at a disadvantage in most early skirmishes, which is why he always ranks lowest in metrics like CS, gold, and experience at the 15-minute mark. However, ‘Gori’ chooses to push Nongshim Red Force’s victory in many unique ways, such as executing a surprise solo kill in mid or during a critical team fight. The presence of the 2000-born player always exceeds statistical expectations.
The Nongshim RedForce Team
It can be said that Gori is the final piece, the key that operates both the playstyle and the Nongshim team up to this point. Nongshim was right to place their trust in Gori, even though he had not shown much before in the teams he had played for. If Gori were placed in any other team, it would seem very difficult to fully exploit the playstyle of this former T1 veteran. Because the aggressive strategy, making aggression the guiding principle like Nongshim, is the doping that stimulates this monster Gori.
It can be seen in Nongshim’s philosophy that aggression is their playstyle. South Korea is a league that emphasizes farming and objective control; once objectives are cleared, they will continue to farm until the machine burns out. Therefore, teams that are aggressive stand out differently. For example, DWG KIA, another one of the best teams in South Korea, is known for their good team fighting ability regardless of how much they are behind. Nongshim views skirmishes in a very peculiar way; the more fights they endure, the better their decisions become. If the enemy is even slightly out of position, Nongshim will be there to punish them. If someone on their team gets caught, Nongshim always seems to find a way to “pay back in blood.” This makes them dangerous but also exposes their weaknesses, as evidenced by their drop to the playoff contention group at the end of the stage.