T1 Oner : "As Long as You Win in the End, Everything Just Disappears"

T1 arrive at Worlds 2026 without a single title to their name this season — and chasing a fourth consecutive world championship on the soil where their run began with heartbreak. DPM Esports sat down with T1 jungler Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon before the tournament to talk about the formula behind their Worlds dominance, a year that fell short, his evolving dynamic with Keria, and the 2022 final he’s coming back to settle.

T1 have built quite a legacy at Worlds. Would you say you approach this tournament differently from the rest of the season?

Not really — same mindset, same approach. We made it to Worlds, we’re going to do our best and prep hard, and we want to win Worlds as much as we wanted to in the past.

Do you feel like you’ve developed some kind of winning formula over the years — the way you study the patch, manage your energy, approach practice? Is there something you keep coming back to every time Worlds comes around?

For sure, we have our own playstyle. We’re not sure whether it’s the answer or not, but we’ll find out. We believe we’re getting really close to the right answer, so we’re going to focus on it.

There’s a famous saying — you either win or you learn. But you seem to do nothing but win at Worlds. Do you still feel like you learn something new every time you leave with that trophy?

Of course. Whether you win or lose, in any kind of tournament you take part in, wherever you are, there are a lot of takeaways you can bring back.

One thing that’s always stood out about T1 at Worlds is your ability to deliver when the pressure is highest. Do you think that clutch factor, built through years of winning on the big stage, is what sets T1 apart from other big teams that struggle in those moments?

I’m not sure about other teams, honestly. But T1 are the kind of team where you go for the play when you need to — when you see the angle, you go for it. We’ve always had players who are never afraid of failure, and I think that was the key factor that allowed us to get great results. But I also believe that’s how all the other teams play as well. T1 are just a little bit more proactive about it, so maybe that makes people think we’re different.

Looking back at T1’s season, it feels like you’ve fallen short quite a few times this year, perhaps more than in previous seasons. Of all the years you’ve spent with T1, has this been the toughest?

Of course it was a very tough year — we didn’t win any titles and our results weren’t the best. It was difficult. But I can’t really say it was the most difficult year, because we go through hardships at every moment, and this year was bearable. As long as you win the championship in the end, everything just disappears. I really wish we can win it all.

One of the biggest changes this year has been your dynamic with Keria. With Peyz as such a strong hypercarry and the meta shifting toward the 2v2, Keria has had fewer chances to roam and make plays with you early. Has adapting to that been one of your biggest challenges?

Every player’s role always changes according to the meta. In the current meta you can’t really roam much as a support in the early game, so I adapted to that and I play accordingly. But in the mid to late game, Keria and I have been working together for such a long time and we have great teamwork, so I think we still hold a great strength there.

The last time you played Worlds in North America, in 2022, it ended in heartbreak — and you’ve won every World Championship since. Looking back at that final today, what stands out the most, and what did that defeat teach you?

Looking back, I didn’t really have much experience — it was so early in my career and I made it to the Worlds final, which is a really big stage. With that lack of experience I was really nervous, I made a lot of mistakes, and that led to a really bad result. But I was also able to learn so much from it, and based on that experience we were able to win so much afterwards. We knew how to improve on the shortcomings of the past, and how to finally capitalise. So because I missed the opportunity in NA last time, now I’m back, I hope I can take this opportunity and win it all.

Do you ever wonder whether T1 would have gone on to win those three consecutive Worlds if you hadn’t lost that final in 2022? In other words, was that heartbreak necessary for everything that came after?

Honestly, I don’t think it was necessary — that’s a very result-driven analysis. We were able to get great results after it, yes. But even if we had won in 2022, I still believe we would have accomplished great things in the future as well. After that loss we did great things, so maybe it could be a factor — but I don’t know.

Do you have a message for T1 fans around the world as you begin your quest for a fourth consecutive title?

Thank you so much for all the support. I know a lot of fans are looking forward to our fourth consecutive title, but I don’t want that to be our focus point. I want to focus more on enjoying the tournament and doing our best in order to win the championship — and on making sure our fans get a lot of happiness from us.