At the League of Legends S15 World Championship, for the LPL, the moment Top Esports was eliminated marked the end. Among the four teams' international performances, AL was undoubtedly the best, sweeping HEL and GEN—two top-tier teams—in the Swiss stage, advancing 3-0 to the knockout rounds. After drawing T1, AL fought a full five-game series, maintaining an advantage through the early and mid phases of the decider, but a critical positioning error in a team fight led to their reversal.

From the perspective of LPL fans, AL and T1 appeared evenly matched, but the recently released T1 semifinal voice comms dealt a harsh blow to us. In the decider against AL, Oner picked Mundo—a champion he had never played in competition before. While many praised Oner's champion pool, the voice recordings revealed that the coach instructed him to pick Mundo, and even Oner himself was uncertain since he hadn’t practiced it previously.

The most absurd part was that Faker, Tom, and others were explaining skills to Oner live during the ban-pick phase, even teaching him jungle clearing techniques on the spot. Mata specifically emphasized that the ultimate should only be used when below half health. Once the game started, AL gathered in their red buff area to guard against Mundo invading the jungle. Judging by this, Tarzan clearly knew how to play; he understood Mundo’s early strength and expected the counter-jungle attempt.

Ironically, T1’s entire team lined up along the river, with Oner’s Mundo standing still in the bush. Footage from the scene showed him crouching there, reading Mundo’s skill descriptions. Remarkably, this last-minute preparation helped them win the match. Tarzan and Tabe must have had their hearts broken after hearing this voice comms. This clearly shows that the gap between our region and the LCK is even bigger than we realize.

Practicing a champion in the decider, both the coaching staff and players showed incredible composure—they were truly enjoying the game and completely unafraid of their opponents. This mindset is a huge advantage in world tournaments. The only one whose expression was abnormal was Doran; he stayed silent throughout, his face mirroring our disbelief. He probably thought: “Playing like this in the final? Are we in a ranked or scrim match?”

T1’s strength lies not only in the courage to practice a champion on the spot but also in Oner’s extraordinary execution. The coach instructed: only use the ultimate under half health, and Oner actually waited until his health dropped below half before activating it. In several team fights, Mundo was almost killed, yet Oner stubbornly waited to use his ultimate at the right moment. Even the official caster Guan Zeyuan couldn’t help but praise this.

The caster commented: “Not using the ultimate until below half health, I thought Oner was just pretending, but he genuinely followed the coach’s instructions. This kind of discipline is rarely seen in LPL teams, which might be the main reason why T1 performs so well in big tournaments. Moreover, T1’s team atmosphere puts no pressure on the players; everyone from players to coaches encouraged Oner to play Mundo.”

Of course, the gap we talk about mainly concerns team atmosphere and execution. In terms of raw strength, AL and T1 are quite close (except for the AD carry). If AL’s atmosphere in the final game had been like T1’s, their mistakes would likely have been fewer. Everyone was so eager to beat T1 and break records that the players were tense the entire time, afraid of making errors. Ironically, that’s when mistakes are most likely to happen.

Conclusion:

Reaching game five, one would expect T1 to feel immense pressure in the decider. Yet their coaches and players remained relaxed. When Oner was reluctant to play, they encouraged him and explained skills. Faker stayed calm throughout. This is the mark of a five-time world champion; with such extensive experience, he has seen every storm and challenge imaginable.

What are your thoughts on Oner practicing a champion like this?

Feel free to leave your comments and join the discussion!