On the afternoon of July 21 (Vietnam time), T1 faced off against Hanwha Life Esports (HLE). This was their first match in the seventh week of the LCK Summer 2023 group stage. HLE is also a strong opponent, and with T1 still lacking the return of Faker, not many fans dared to believe in a victory for the home team. However, the performance of the players was still noteworthy, and many were looking forward to a good match like the one against Dplus KIA the previous week.
But, all hopes were met with disappointment. Not all T1 players lacked effort, but fundamentally, they were outplayed both in terms of performance and personnel. On a day when HLE was determined to win against T1 for revenge from the first leg and to secure a playoff spot early, this “all-star” team made no mistakes. Gumayusi put in a tremendous effort, but it was all insufficient.
Notably, after the match, several spectators praised the “Prince.” After T1 was without Faker, many believed that Gumayusi was the only player who maintained discipline and top form, making him deserving of wearing the T1 jersey. In fact, one fan bluntly stated: “Either next season T1 should build a team around Gumayusi or the other players need to reflect on themselves and strive, or leave. Watching him deal over 5k damage in a teamfight while T1 still lost, it’s hard to express how I feel.”
However, T1 fans did not hesitate to point out the most disappointing name in this match, not Poby but Oner. In the first game, Oner was completely harmless with the champion Poppy, despite it being one of the sturdiest tank champions capable of applying pressure on opponents. In fact, Oner’s ultimate, the Herald of Justice, in the final teamfight near the Dragon pit indirectly caused T1 to lose resources for engaging and allowed HLE to completely annihilate them afterward.
The situation in the second game was no better as Oner appeared to be much more passive compared to Grizzly of HLE. If it weren’t for the champion Vi, who is also mobile and sturdy, Oner might have been taken down several times. In fact, he even lost the Smite duel against his younger counterpart on the other side and fell short in resources and ganking abilities… even though Grizzly was just promoted to HLE’s first team recently after Clid’s issues.
For a long time, Oner has always been seen as the weakest link of T1, and this became even more evident when Faker left. In an era where junglers control the game, Oner’s weakness can be deemed “fatal” for T1. And if this player does not quickly regain his top form, as some fans have noted, the day he leaves T1 may not be far off.