T1 rookie Poby undefeated in first LEC weekend with Fnatic

For many, Fnatic picking up the T1 rookie mid laner Yoon "Poby" Sung-won was a surprise. It was a move that came out of left field and left many skeptical. Opinions varied, and they ran rampant online. His debut weekend was a statement. So, how did the "Killable Demon Prince" perform? Check out FNC Poby's performance in his first two LEC matches here.

Poby's entry onto Fnatic was officially announced on July 22, about a week and a half before the LEC Summer 2025 season began. However, unofficial reports of the signing circulated way before that, going back as early as June.

He replaced Marek "Humanoid" Brázda, who, after wearing orange for three and a half years, was moved to an inactive position. This is the first point that made fans skeptical; Humanoid was a seasoned veteran who had been competing for ten years — will Poby be able to fill his shoes?

His LEC debut was nothing short of impressive. While he isn't new to the tier-one stage after he replaced Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok for a time, this is Poby's first time being part of a starting roster.

Granted, the two teams that Fnatic faced last weekend, Team Heretics and SK Gaming, are not exactly the strongest teams in the region. Still, Poby was impressive; in fact, he was voted the MVP for both matches.

Next week, Fnatic are looking at matches against Team BDS and G2 Esports, both teams who are considered better than their past two opponents. The matches aren't for a few more days, but the competition is already heating up.

Here's a Tweet from Poby replying to Team BDS' mid-laner Ilias "nuc" Bizriken after the latter called SK and TH "silly monkeys."

In the first game, Team Heretics showed their priority for Yunara as they first-picked her in draft. The pick-ban phase played out such that FNC knew TH's mid-lane pick (Taliyah), giving Poby a counterpick. They decided on Orianna.

It wasn't Fnatic's cleanest game, and they were in a losing position for most of the mid-game. One combo courtesy of support Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle and Poby turned the game on its head. A few minutes later, FNC blew up TH's Nexus.

For the next game, it was Poby's turn to blind pick his champion. The team settled on Annie, while Team Heretics picked Ryze for their mid-laner Kamil "Kamiloo" Haudegond. TH found a sizable lead in the early game, denying FNC of most plays. When they did find the space to play, TH stole Atakhan away. Team Heretics took map 2, as Poby and the rest of Fnatic's efforts were unable to stop them.

Team Heretics flexed their Aurora to the mid-lane for game 3, which prompted a Syndra pick for Poby. He was the recipient of some early pressure from Team Heretics' jungler, but he remained unfazed. Meanwhile, the rest of Fnatic were oppressing the enemy botlane duo.

Poby eventually joined the party in the bot lane, granting him a few takedowns. Fnatic's early game lead snowballed into the mid-game, giving him free rein to demolish the side lanes.

In the post-match interview, Fnatic's jungler Iván "Razork" Martín Díaz had nothing but praise for Poby.

The match against SK Gaming was more polished. Poby was once again on Orianna, this time facing Felix "Abbedagge" Braun's Ryze. He may have had some misses in the laning phase, but Poby kept a slight CS lead against his counterpart.

The first real teamfight that involved him was a unanimous win for Fnatic, primarily thanks to the efforts of Elias "Upset" Lipp's Yunara. After this, Riot's latest abomination took over the Rift. Both Upset and Poby ended the game deathless. Their KDAs were 6/0/7 and 5/0/7, respectively.

Game 2 was more exciting: Poby locked in Yone. This champion's value quickly showed itself as he landed a three-man ultimate against SK Gaming.

Overwhelming fan votes once again granted Poby the MVP award to cap off his undefeated LEC debut weekend.

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