Seonghoon “Huni” Heo is perhaps the most beloved player in League of Legends. Having played in three different regions since his professional debut on Fnatic (FNC), Huni has earned armies of fans across the globe. As a central figure to arguably the most dominant Western team to date (2015 FNC), Huni’s continued success through the years comes as no surprise to his supporters. Now a member of Korea’s defending world champions, SK telecom T1 (SKT), Huni prepares for the match of his career. Let’s take a look at Huni’s storied road to the World finals.
The Hero Europe deserved
At the start of Season 5, Fnatic’s historic roster disbanded. Only veteran Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim remained, left to reassemble what would become a historic European squad. Enter Huni and Ui-jin “Reignover” Kim, two fledgling Korean promises destined to take the EU LCS by storm. The pair would go on to play together for several splits, even traveling across continents before parting ways.
Huni’s meteoric rise on FNC began as the freshly forged European squad finished their regular season 13-5 to place second. In playoffs, FNC edged out the Unicorns of Love (UOL) in a five-game finals match to earn first place. With the momentum of a new regional title, FNC displayed a fantastic showing at the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. In a roller-coaster five-game series, Huni and his teammates took former world champions SKT T1 to the brink, determined to show that Europe was no joke. Returning to EU that summer, FNC carved League history, becoming the first team to ever play an undefeated regular season, finishing an unprecedented 18-0.
Huni was unstoppable. His carry-oriented style tore through Europe’s finest teams. Backed by an ever faithful teammate in Reignover, FNC’s top-laner became a human highlight reel. His impeccable team-fighting on Rumble and Gnar ignited the European home crowd. But, it was his contagious laughter and hilarious nature that won the hearts of fans across the globe. At the end of Season 5, Huni chose to close his chapter in Europe and crossed the Atlantic, hungry for more.
Huni the Immortal
At the start of Season 6, Huni and Reignover left Europe to join the emerging team Immortals (IMT) alongside several NA LCS veterans. The duo were instant fan-favorites. With solid reputations after their tear through Europe, Huni and Reignover rampaged through the NA scene. That year, Immortals achieved a 17-1 regular season record, tying with long-time regional powerhouse Team SoloMid (TSM) for first place.
Immortals had a strong case as the best team in North America. Despite being an entirely untested roster, the players gelled like old friends. Huni and his AD-carry, Jason “WildTurtle” Tran, shared a hyper-aggressive playstyle. Luckily, the explosive pair had support Adrian “Adrian” Ma and Reignover in their back pockets to always keep them safe. Adrian’s signature heal and shield type champion pool combined with Reignover’s affinity for tank junglers opened room for their carries to mow enemies down in any ensuing teamfights. With their regular season success, IMT headed into playoffs with high expectations.
Immortals fell to Team SoloMid in a crushing 0-3 sweep in the Spring semifinals. IMT placed third overall, failing to qualify for that year’s Mid-Season Invitational. Again, in NA LCS Summer, IMT only managed to place third. Because of the championship points system set up by Riot, IMT found themselves fighting for a spot at Worlds 2016 in the NA Regional Qualifiers. Because they were seeded the highest, IMT only had to face the winner of three teams: Cloud 9, Team EnVyUs, and Team Liquid. Cloud 9 emerged victorious in the Regional Qualifiers, leaving IMT at home for Worlds 2016.
To be a Champion
Before his debut on Fnatic, Huni tried out for the top-lane position on SK telecom T1. After not receiving the position, he forged his own path, but the dream remained. In the 2016 off-season, SKT offered Huni a position as the team’s starting top-laner, the opportunity of a lifetime. Although he was still under contract, Immortals CEO Noah Whinston released Huni of his obligations so that he could realize his dream.spr
Although his performance in LCK Spring was great, Huni lost significant playtime to his teammate Jin-Park “Untara” Ui that summer. SKT went on to lose against Longzhu Gaming at the Summer Finals. Eyes were on SKT’s coaching staff to decide which top-laner would accompany the team to Worlds. For a variety of factors, SKT’s head coach Byeong-hoon “cCarter” Choi ultimately announced that SKT would bring Huni. After a somewhat questionable group stage, many of Riot’s casters painted this year’s iteration of SK telecom as the weakest yet. The criticisms stacked after SKT teetered above elimination at the hands of Misfits Gaming (MSF) in quarterfinals.
In semifinals, SKT faced off against China’s Royal Never Give Up (RNG) in another dramatic five-game series. RNG targeted Huni in each ban phase, removing Jayce in all five games. As a result, Huni locked picks like Camille and Gnar to fulfill a crucial split-pushing role for SKT. Specifically, in Game 5, Huni dominated the enemy Shen, forcing the RNG’s mid-laner to swap top-lane. Continued split push pressure forced RNG into a position where their only option was to force teamfights. Instead, SKT pushed small advantages until they could take a fight on their terms. At 40 minutes, Huni found a massive three-man “GNAR!” to crush RNG’s team, sending SKT to the finals.
This weekend, Huni faces against regional rivals Samsung Galaxy. The match-up is a repeat of Worlds 2016, only SKT has a new roster. The stage is set for the most important series of Huni’s career. Will Huni’s everlasting confidence carry him through the match, or is this the year that SK telecom T1 fails?
Featured Image: LoL Esports Flickr
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