A ship without a captain

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

What is a dynasty without its leader? We will soon find out with the announcement that Lee 'PoohMandu' Jeong-hyeon will be out of action indefinitely due to a chronic illness that has bothered him since he was a child. SK Telecom T1 have already announced that they are looking to hold tryouts for a replacement, accepting PoohMandu’s wishes to take a break immediately after winning their second straight OGN Champions season.

PoohMandu’s career has been one of the most eccentric in Korean League of Legends, starting out GSG, an upstart amateur team that would defy all odds and win a season of NLB, the minor league to OGN Champions’ major. Following his unconventional success on champions like Mordekaiser and Heimerdinger, GSG were picked up from various teams due to their strong team play – PoohMandu selected by SK Telecom T1 to be their new support for their new squad centered around a solo queue superstar known as Faker.

Everything wasn’t perfect at first. SK Telecom T1 K’s first games were less about team play and more about Faker, the face of the new team, making huge plays on obscure champions like Leblanc and making it work in the mid lane. They would eventually fall in the semifinals of their rookie season against MVP Ozone (now Samsung), exposing the team’s greatest weakness: synergy and playing as a unit. All five players, including Mandu, were known on solo queue and their former teams for making big plays, carrying and picking up kills, but Ozone proved that a team playing as one conjoined unit was stronger than five players performing by themselves.

While Faker was the player everyone talked about, it was PoohMandu who could be said as to why SKT T1 K became the juggernaut they are today. As captain and shot caller, he was the point guard of the team – directing the team on objectives, when to take fights and how to come together as a team. The improvement in cohesion was obvious by their second season, steamrolling the competition up until the final. Down 0-2 to the KT Bullets in the OGN Summer finals, Mandu got his team to fight back – taking three straight games to win the grandest prize in Korean League of Legends.

The World Championships would follow and then the OGN Winter Champions trophy. Madlife got the cat calls and the worship from the fans, but it was Mandu who quietly directed his team of five individuals into playing the best League of Legends anyone has ever seen up until this point.

So, without their captain at the helm, what’s the next move for SK Telecom T1 K? They’ve announced tryouts, but who could be the best replacement for a player that was so important to the success of the team? Gunza, the former support of the Quantic Gaming squad led by Locodoco, is without a team due to their failing of qualifying for the NA LCS, so with his high rank in solo queue and exceptional play, he could be one of the main players to watch out for when it comes to who could be filling PoohMandu’s shoes.

Then there is always the idea that SKT could go out and poach a support from a smaller team to fill the hole. IceBear, the support from the Jin Air Stealths, was continuously the top ranked support player on Korean Challenger during the winter season, and with the announcement of players like Mystic and Hoon either retiring or leaving the organization, his name should surely pop up in conversations in a player who could step in right away and make a big impact for the reigning world champions. Some people might bring up Madlife or Mata, but while SKT’s pockets might be deep, they might not be deep enough to take away the top two support players in Korea from their KeSPA teams.

Finally, there’s Impact. Currently one of the best top laners in Korea, his career actually started out in the support role. If he were to move back to the position, that would free up a spot up in the top lane where there is a depth of talent in Korea, including Marin from their sister team SK Telecom T1 S. This would seemingly be the most odd ball idea of the three, but you can never count out the idea until a new support is officially chosen.

Whatever the case might be, SK Telecom T1 K will miss PoohMandu. Not only for his shot calling, amazing plays in the bottom lane, and excellent unity with his partner Piglet, but for his warm, carefree attitude and infectious personality. The four other members of the team are strong enough to move on without their captain for the time being, but this story will be a major factor entering LoL Masters and the OGN Spring season, both of which will put an enormous amount of pressure on the shoulders of whomever becomes the newly cemented dynasty’s debuting player.