Just a few hours ago, T1 officially claimed the LCK Spring 2022 championship after annihilating Gen.G Esports in the final with a score of 3-1. This is the first championship in the career of young players Zeus, Oner, Gumayusi, Keria and the 10th championship in the career of the “Immortal Demon King” Faker. Additionally, this victory also helped T1 become the first team in League of Legends and LCK history to win a tournament with a perfect record of 20 wins – 0 losses.
T1’s victory in the finals, of course, was not 100% perfect as some T1 fans confidently predicted before the match. They still annihilated Gen.G in the decisive game 4 but there were moments where T1 made their fans anxious, as it seemed they could follow in DK’s footsteps and let Chovy and his teammates turn the tide. And the player who brought the most emotions to T1 fans in this final was Oner.
Being the Backbone for His Teammates’ Victory
In the LCK Spring 2022 finals, Oner was not able to use his familiar champion Lee Sin as Gen.G banned him and chose Blind Monk for Peanut instead. But it didn’t matter, Oner still found a way to shine with champions he used less than Lee Sin, like Nocturne and Viego. Even in the match where T1 could consider testing Diana for Oner, this player still had moments of making life difficult for his senior Peanut.
Oner’s roaming and ganking ability was a crucial factor that laid the foundation for T1’s victory. A typical example is in games 1 and 4. Gen.G’s laning phase was going extremely well until Oner began to “visit” the hot spots. As soon as he got his ultimate, Oner’s Nocturne immediately helped T1 secure a victory in a fight near the Rift Herald area. After that, there were countless ganks that helped T1 take advantage, such as the “gank squad” on Chovy near Gen.G’s outer turret 2.
Moving to game 4, Oner had an excellent performance when he helped Zeus – who used Kennen, a champion countered by Akshan – become incredibly strong. Not only did he outplay Peanut’s early gank, but Oner also assisted Zeus in securing kills from Doran, making Akshan in Doran’s hands nothing more than a regular minion.
Experience Weaknesses Still Persist
However, Oner himself can also be seen as a weakness for T1. As people often say, no one is perfect, and neither is Oner. In game 2, Oner’s “overexcitement” and improper use of Diana’s combo gave Gen.G a chance to win. In game 3, Oner continued to feel the pressure and repeatedly allowed Peanut to steal major objectives even though T1 had a significant lead. In fact, Oner was robbed by Peanut so many times that many began to think about a potential “upset” for Gen.G.
And this is not the first time Oner has made such mistakes. Remember, at the 2021 World Championship – the first World Championship of this young player’s career, he allowed Closer from 100 Thieves to steal Baron. And at that time, T1 was completely dominating their opponent.
But for now, T1 fans can forget Bengi, because Oner is here
Since Bengi’s departure, T1 has been almost cursed with the “lack of a competent jungler” to coordinate with Faker and help T1 execute strategies smoothly. Many players have been tested in the jungle position, from Wolf to Cuzz, but none have met the requirements. Until T1 brought Oner into play in the recent 2021 World Championship.
Not only does Oner coordinate smoothly with Faker, but he also places his influence on the entire game. In other words, in terms of skills, Oner can completely stand alongside the top junglers in the current LCK. In fact, many people expressed regret for Oner because Canyon performed too excellently, causing the young T1 player not to be selected for the LCK Spring 2022 All-Star lineup.
Oner’s weaknesses still exist and many believe these weaknesses could be fatal for T1 when entering major tournaments. But for those who have forgotten, Oner is only 19 years old this year and is having his first season as a starter for T1. It would be very unfair to compare him with “the cunning fox of the jungle” Canyon. But at this moment, Oner can be considered as having perfectly replaced his senior Bengi, at least in terms of coordination with his teammates, especially Faker.
The MVP title that Oner achieved in the finals is a well-deserved reward for this young player’s efforts. But this title and this championship also remind Oner and his T1 teammates that their mission now is much more difficult. Ahead lies MSI 2022 and Summer 2022 – where opponents will certainly have thoroughly studied T1.
Now more than ever, Oner needs to sharpen his mental strength. Because future opponents will not allow this player or anyone from T1 to make the same mistakes as in the recent finals on their quest to seek and protect their glory.