Stark
Zero to Hero – This phrase perfectly describes the peak debut of “Emperor” Stark in the professional League of Legends arena. With no prior competitive experience, Stark joined GAM Esports in March 2017 as a top-ranked player on the Vietnamese server.
However, in just 2 months wearing the yellow jersey, this top laner had already achieved numerous accolades with GAM Esports, including 1 VCSA championship, 1 GPL championship, and reached new heights with an outstanding performance at MSI 2017.
If there is anything that makes GAM Esports fans feel the most regretful, it is the short bond between Stark and GAM. Right after MSI 2017, this player surprisingly announced his departure from the team. Many wished that if Stark had been part of GAM’s lineup at the World Championship that year, perhaps the story of Vietnamese League of Legends on the international stage would not forever be marked by the two words “regret.”
Despite having a not-so-good personal relationship with Tinikun, no one can deny that Stark is the most interesting discovery of this coach and one of his most successful students.
Kiaya
Like Stark, Kiaya is also one of Tinikun’s fascinating discoveries. From a player with many weaknesses, even facing significant issues with communication and health, Kiaya has made positive strides while wearing the GAM Esports jersey for the last two seasons.
GAM’s 2019 World Championship campaign was a failure, but alongside that disappointing series of matches, Kiaya was still an incredibly convincing player and received high praise from experts.
Winning the VCS Summer 2019 championship and being the runner-up in VCS Spring 2020 are tournaments that bear the strong imprint of Kiaya’s “carrying the team” performances. Although he will no longer be associated with Tinikun from next season, with the solid foundation built by his former coach, Kiaya will certainly continue to make strong progress in the future.
Levi
Among the names on this list, Levi is undoubtedly the most outstanding student and the greatest pride of Tinikun. Despite underperforming and causing GAM Esports to lose to Team Flash, no one can deny the fact: Levi is the number 1 jungler in the history of professional League of Legends in Vietnam.
Starting as a young player who wasn’t particularly notable at SkyRed, Levi began to step into the spotlight after his stellar performance at All-Star 2016, where he defeated superstar Uzi in a solo 1vs1 match.
Joining GAM right after the All-Star event, Levi quickly reached the pinnacle of his career in the 2017 season under Tinikun’s magical touch, with 2 VCSA championships, 2 GPL championships, a 6th place finish at MSI 2017, and nearly creating a miracle at the 2017 World Championship when he competed with Fnatic for a quarterfinal spot until the final tiebreaker.
Levi may not be the name that eases Vietnamese fans’ longing for SofM, but he is certainly the greatest jungler in the VCS tournament, and his success is undoubtedly tied to Tinikun’s keen eye for talent.
Zeros
It is not an exaggeration to say that “Demon King” Zeros is the student most cherished by Tinikun. Partly because he is still young and needs guidance, and largely because Tinikun is genuinely impressed, even “infatuated” with Zeros’ potential.
Rated by international experts as one of the top individual skill players in the world of League of Legends, Zeros always becomes the focal point of every match he participates in.
Although he had an unsuccessful start with GAM Esports in VCS Spring 2018, Zeros quickly demonstrated his talent when he moved to Dashing Buffalo on loan, before returning to GAM in Summer 2019.
The only barrier preventing Zeros from achieving new breakthroughs in his career is his aggressive and somewhat reckless playstyle. However, Zeros is still young, with a long career ahead, and Tinikun’s favorite student can definitely overcome this shortcoming to meet the expectations of his dedicated teacher and fans.
SofM
Tinikun and SofM did not have much time to collaborate, but SofM himself admitted that the former coach of GAM Esports was one of the most influential figures in his career.
The teacher-student, brotherly relationship between Tinikun and SofM was not distinctly evident in terms of “wearing the same colors”, as Tinikun only served as the coach of the former Full Louis team for exactly… 2 months. The Full Louis team with Tinikun and SofM achieved unexpected success by reaching the GPL semifinals, but then the age cheating scandal was exposed, causing Full Louis to be eliminated from the tournament, and the bond between Tinikun and SofM in the professional arena also came to an end.
The only time the two could collaborate completely was at a more friendly tournament – IWCA 2015, where SofM was a member of the Vietnam All-Star team led by Tinikun.
Although their collaboration was not long, it is noteworthy that SofM was guided by Tinikun in the early days of his career, not only in the role of coach, but also as an older brother. Tinikun played a significant part in helping SofM shape and refine his playstyle, as well as finding the right direction for his future career as a professional player.