FPX Khan: “I completely lost faith in myself”
After what can be described as a not-so-successful season with SKT in 2019, where he only secured domestic championships (Spring and Summer) but was defeated by G2 in the semifinals of the World Championship, and with his former team undergoing a complete overhaul, Khan decided to move to the LPL to play for the 2019 World Championship winners – FunPlus Phoenix. Many hoped that with his talent, “Great Khan” would help FPX achieve more success, even becoming the first LPL team to defend their World Championship title.
However, what remained afterward was only disappointment. Khan could not become a new Korean icon in the LPL like TheShy, Rookie, or even his teammate Doinb, despite being praised by TheShy as “the perfect top laner.” In fact, after a decent start to the season, FPX could not secure victories, and Khan lost his position to Gimgoon. He even shared with his close friend Kanavi: “I’m not feeling good at all; I no longer believe in myself.”
A strong, charismatic Khan from DragonX or SKT T1 was completely diminished at FPX. Khan still performed well, but he could not sync with FPX. Most of the matches that Phoenix lost were those in which Khan played. As a result, he was even criticized by FPX fans, who labeled him as the “bad omen” of FPX and claimed he was overpaid compared to his actual contributions. However, to be fair, the decline after 2019 was due to a drop in performance from several key FPX players like Tian and Doinb, but Khan, as a newcomer, naturally bore the brunt of the blame since those players were the ones who helped FPX win the World Championship.
Question Marks Replacing Nuguri
After a disastrous 2020 with FPX, culminating in missing out on the 2020 World Championship, Khan unexpectedly returned to the LCK to wear the jersey of the reigning World Champion – DWG KIA. Khan’s task was no longer to compete with any old names as he did at FPX; instead, more importantly, he would have to replace Nuguri, who became FPX’s new top laner.
Coming to another champion after falling at FPX, Khan left many big question marks for DK at that time; while domestic championships were important, for this team and for Khan himself, international titles were even more crucial, especially since Khan was the only member of DK without an international title.
Although he won the LCK Spring 2021 title with DK, at MSI 2021, DK missed the chance to achieve the “Grand Slam of League of Legends” when they lost to RNG in the finals. At MSI 2021, Khan also played incredibly well during the group stage but faced difficulties before overcoming MAD in the semifinals, only to suffer a heartbreaking defeat with a score of 2-3 against a very solid RNG.
Returning from MSI, Khan and his teammates had a not-so-good start to the Summer Season. They could win against teams like T1 and AF but also lost to KT and BRO – teams that were not rated on par with DK. Many fans even feared that DK would not be able to defend their domestic title, or even miss out on the 2021 World Championship.
“Great Khan” and the Most Meaningful LCK Championship of His Career
In DK’s matches, fans often believed that as long as Khan performed at his best, they could overpower any opponent. And Khan proved why he was praised by names like TheShy or why coach Kim went to great lengths to keep him during SKT’s restructuring. During days when Canyon struggled to carry the team, ShowMaker lost himself, or Ghost – BeryL fell behind, they still had a “super-carry” Khan. In fact, in many matches, DK won thanks to their top laner completely dominating the opponent right from the laning phase.
After the mid-Summer stage, DK began to regain their rhythm, and Khan regained 100% of his form without the pressure of always having to “carry the team”. They played better and could dominate even top-tier teams like Gen.G and LSB. Although they still faced some losses to NS and T1, DK partially showed signs of a championship contender: capitalizing on every small opportunity from the opponent’s mistakes and individual players hitting peak performance.
Entering the playoffs as the top team, DK secured a spot at the World Championship early, and their goal was the championship title. Khan and his teammates did not disappoint their fans as they avenged NS with a crushing 3-0 victory before facing their current rival in the LCK – T1.
In the first two games of the finals, Khan had an incredibly dominant performance, and along with Canyon, he completely shut down T1’s top lane. Although games 3 and 4 were somewhat less impressive, Khan still shone at the right moment to help his teammates secure victory in the decisive game.
This is not the first time Khan has lifted the LCK championship trophy, but for him, this is the most meaningful one. Not only is it a statement that he can stand strong after failure, but this is also the last LCK trophy in Khan’s League of Legends career as he will retire after the 2021 season concludes. But for now, Khan can be somewhat satisfied as he is on the path to writing the final glorious pages of his high-level competitive career.
