100 Thieves botlaner FBI is proving that the Oceania region has talent. He will now look to take it further at the 2021 LoL World Championships as the number one NA Seed.
Three years ago, Team Liquid and 100 Thieves met in the 2018 LCS Spring Finals in Miami in what was meant to be a close final. Instead, 100 Thieves were dismantled in the fastest LCS finals in history. Fast forward to 2021, 100 Thieves made a return to the finals, only this time, they were the dominant team.
The 2021 LCS Championships are now over after 100 Thieves displayed total dominance over Team Liquid in the finals. Just two minutes shy of the fastest LCS finals in history, 100 Thieves are heading to the 2021 LoL World Championships as NA’s first seed. But what makes this victory special is what it means for each player on the team. And for botlaner Victor “FBI” Huang, it means so much more than a trophy, it is regional pride for Oceania.
Proving Wildcard Doubters Wrong
One of the biggest struggles for the Oceanic region is respect. When FBI was promoted from the Golden Guardians Academy to LCS, fan reception was not kind.
“People would really look down on players from minor regions.” FBI states during the post-match press conference. “I see a lot of people really negative about wildcard regions and players.”
When FBI arrived as botlaner for the Golden Guardians in 2020, public reception was negative towards the announcement. Immediately panned, the new Golden Guardians lineup was discounted by both the press and fans. And the driving force behind this all was simply because he was an OPL import. Instead of letting negativity affect him, the OCE botlaner kept on growing.
Since making the move over to the LCS in 2019 Summer, FBI is growing into the best botlaner in the LCS. In five splits, FBI made 3 LCS All-Pro teams, progressively moving from 3rd All-Pro in 2020 Summer to 1st All pro in 2021 LCS Summer.
A constant progression upward, FBI is one of the driving factors behind 100 Thieves success. His aggressive laning and carry threat is what makes the 100 Thieves bot lane so dangerous.
In two and a half years, FBI’s ability to grow in North America shows that there is talent in non-major regions. Just because a region does not perform well internationally does not mean there is no talent. There are a number of factors that have prevented the oceanic region from performing well, ranging from a lack of infrastructure, to the simple fact that Riot dismantled their region officially in 2020.
New OPL Talent Making Move to NA
The Oceanic region had its league dismantled in 2020. While that destroyed the Oceanic Pro League, it gave an opportunity for more Oceanic players to come to North America. Following the 2020 season, Oceanic players counted as NA residents for purposes of roster building. As a result of FBI’s growth in North America, he is now inspiring a new wave of LCS general managers taking a deeper look at the Oceanic region.
Once questioned for having a spot in the LCS, FBI is proving to the initial haters that he is here to stay. Though, he couldn't resist getting one last jab in at his haters.
“It feels pretty nice [to win here after winning in Oceania]. When I first came here, people really looked down on players from minor regions, especially OCE. I feel like a lot of people were really negative about wildcard region players and I'm glad that Closer and I could shut them the f**k up."
Now a LCS Champion and with his first title in North America in hand, FBI has his sights set on only one thing: a deep League of Legends World Championship run.
And as for his own aspirations, a want of his is to face T1’s bot lane at the World Championships.
“T1 has a really strong botlane so it is going to be fun facing them if we get to. I am pretty confident that we can take them out.”
Brimming with confidence, FBI is representing a region cast with multiple doubts. But that shade of doubt is where FBI shines the most. Unwavered by the community's perception, FBI has belief in his own gameplay. Win or lose, FBI will head into Worlds 2021 the same player who won the LCS Championship and come out of the experience an even better player.
The 2021 LoL World Championship will take place in Iceland as 100 Thieves look to represent North America well.
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Images via espat.ai.