Despite all his fame abroad, Olleh landed in North America for Immortals as a relative nobody -— simply known as the guy who beatboxed at the 2015 All-Star game. The fans didn’t know him and the players really didn’t either, but he made North America recognize him. Now, he is a leading candidate for the Most Valuable Player award, qualified for the League of Legends World Championship, and is looking to win his first NA LCS crown. Olleh wasn’t always a superstar though; he had to work to get back to this point. Olleh struggled greatly the year before and this trip to North America has been one of redemption.

Olleh is a well-traveled Korean import and has amassed far more playtime across Brazil, Taiwan and North America than his home region. Olleh entered both Brazil and Taiwan as a foreigner, but he took to both regions with ease and became a fan favorite, as he serenaded his fans literally via Twitch streams and figuratively with this play. Olleh secured star status in both regions and hit his peak in Taiwan, but unfortunately that is also where he hit rock bottom.

Olleh had both highs and lows in Taiwan with HKE © Garena Esports

A star rises in 2015 and falls in 2016

Over the half-year Olleh spent in Brazil with paiN Gaming in 2014 and the two years he spent with Hong Kong eSports in Taiwan (LMS) to follow, he built up the same reputation; he loved to go in. If there was a play and it could change the game, Olleh went for it. He made a name for himself on Thresh and Morgana and became well known for his early roams to mid and top lane, often securing early advantages for his team. It was this aggressive playstyle that defined the teams he played on, especially HKE in 2015, where he eventually learned to slow it down a little from a former world champion. “Toyz was really important to me because if there was anything with pick/ban or [in-game] plays, he could say no to me... I think that was really good. I really respected him because he was better than me.”

Olleh was a playmaking machine, but he always had a tendency to go a bit too far without backup. Toyz reined in his aggression and Olleh bloomed into the best support in the LMS for a better part of the year, earning the all-pro award and being voted to the 2015 All-Star Game later that year. The veteran leadership of Toyz made Olleh more than a talented player; he became a strong teammate and a weapon that could always be relied upon.

HKE was firing on cylinders, but the unfortunate ban of Olleh’s AD carry partner, Raison, set the team back right before the finish line. Olleh was a bonafide star, but he ended up falling just one game short of the 2015 World Championship, losing game five in the LMS Regional Finals to Flash Wolves.

Olleh was a force to be reckoned with in 2015 and fell just one game short of the World Championship, but 2016 proved to be a much tougher time for the star support. Veteran leader, Toyz, vacated the HKE roster in 2016 and the team didn’t just lose its mid laner, Olleh lost his leader. “After Toyz was gone, I didn’t have someone to rely on,” Olleh said. “There were two choices, I could either be the leader or let someone else be the leader. That’s why I let my jungler [Dinter] be the leader and I believed in him.” Unfortunately, defaulting to a follower just didn’t work out.

HKE became disconnected as a team and it rarely seemed that Olleh was ever on the same page, flopping engages that were a cakewalk for him in 2015. His famed roaming and vision synergy with jungler, Dinter, evaporated and his big mechanical plays became a rarity. He was struggling to maintain a strong rank in Korean solo queue and the community even began to turn on him, questioning his work ethic and inter-team relations. Everything just came falling down for the Korean superstar support.

Just a year removed from total stardom and a near worlds berth, Olleh fell apart and so did HKE. After a somber end to his campaign in Taiwan, Olleh left HKE and looked to revitalize his career elsewhere. A support that struggled in the LMS didn’t exactly attract a ton of suitors, but North America threw him a line and he didn’t hesitate to grab on.

Olleh looked to redeem himself on IMT © Riot Games

The path to redemption begins

After a tough year in Taiwan, Olleh found himself with Immortals, a team that was rebuilding from its 2016 campaign. Four out of the five players left IMT and Olleh was part of a big change in identity for the organization that amassed a combined regular season record of 33-3 in the 2016 Spring and Summer Splits. Immortals was practically starting from scratch and put its faith in Olleh to find his way again in North America.

Olleh wasn’t the only one looking for redemption on Immortals. Korean legend Flame rode the bench for the better part of a year and looked to prove himself again in North America while hotheaded jungler Dardoch was trying to prove he could work well in a team environment. Things just weren’t going to be easy from the get-go for Olleh or his squad.

Things arguably turned out even worse than people imagined for Immortals as it scraped the bottom for a good part of the 2017 Spring Split. One of the most telling issues for the team was its underperforming bot lane, leading many to point fingers at the laning synergy of Olleh and Cody Sun. There were too many times when only one of them would commit to an all-in, both would get caught out by the enemy jungler, or generally just fail to make the right play at the right time.

Olleh didn’t only have problems working with Cody Sun, but early on with IMT, he struggled to manage the “go-button,” often getting ahead of his team on aggressive plays. Olleh could flash forward and land a great Thresh hook or Bard stun, but seldom was his team on the same page. It was clear that Olleh’s individual mechanics had improved since his 2016 slump, but his team play was next on the to-do list.

The turning point for Olleh in North America began when he started to find his groove with rookie AD carry, Cody Sun. Trust was the name of the game for the bot lane duo and what Olleh found to be the key to their success. “I was trying to convince Cody that I had a lot of experience and that if he believed in me, I could help him grow to be a really good AD carry. Finally, Cody started to believe me and we started to talk a lot as a bot duo.” It wasn’t very long until the bot lane started wrecking face and taking names.

Olleh and Cody’s laning really came together and what was once viewed as one of Immortals’s glaring weaknesses became recognized as arguably its greatest strength. Cody and Olleh could 2v2 the best bot lanes in North America, come out ahead, and bring that gold and pressure to the rest of Immortals. Once Olleh and Cody got on the same page, Olleh really had the opportunity to shine and show his mechanical prowess. Olleh raised his esteem among the North American populace and was finally regarded as one of the strongest supports in the region.

Unfortunately, the boon of Cody and Olleh’s laning didn’t quite pan out for Immortals in the end. Immortals still struggled with general team synergy and the team narrowly missed out on playoffs, earning itself seventh place. It wasn’t exactly what Olleh was looking for, but at this point, his increased laning and playmaking ability proved that he still had what it took to be a star.

Olleh can finally prove that he's the best © Riot Games

The last step

Immortals failed to match its standard regular season success in the Spring Split so it was only natural that a change was made. The young, talented jungler Dardoch was traded to Counter Logic Gaming for the steady veteran, Xmithie, and that was the change that set both Olleh and Immortals in motion for the Summer Split. It was the change that could really return Olleh back to his former glory on HKE.

Olleh hit his peak in 2015 with HKE when Toyz was around to spin his thoughts and actions into something more suitable for a team environment. Additionally at that time, Dinter was a selfless jungler that focused a ton on vision control and tracking the enemy jungler, leading Olleh around the map to roam effectively for the team. In the present-day Immortals, Xmithie practically brings the best of both worlds and is a key figure in Olleh’s success. Olleh needed a leader and he believes that Xmithie has been just that.

“[Xmithie] just doesn’t play for himself, he plays for the team. He always steers us as a team like ‘Hey guys we have to play like this. We have to move here’ so he’s kind of a team leader now. I think the other players also think he allows us to be a team.”

Olleh lost his direction from Toyz in 2016, but now in Summer has received the help and direction of Xmithie, someone who has played since the early days of League of Legends. The move has paid dividends for Olleh’s performance and his general mindset coming into this last stretch with Immortals. Olleh realized that he can’t just be a star support, he has to be part of a team.

“In Brazil and Taiwan, I always thought that I was the best support, but now I have changed my thinking. If your team loses, you can’t really be the best support. Now I only focus on my team. When our team is the best everyone is going to say ‘oh they’re all the best players,’ so I’ve changed my thinking.”

That in mind, Olleh has done more than just make a comeback; he has arguably even surpassed the level he showed at his peak in 2015. Olleh’s new understanding of teamwork and fundamentals of working with the jungler have gone a long way in solidifying his status as the best support in the region. He’s still the same, aggressive Olleh, but his team is on the same page when he goes crazy, so they all go crazy. That’s what makes Immortals such an exciting team and what has always made Olleh fun to watch.

Olleh has risen up as the best support in North America after a struggle of a season in 2016, earning his name back and further spreading his reputation across the globe. At his peak, he was one game from Worlds, but now he is also guaranteed a chance to prove himself on the international stage with Immortals. Olleh is a frontrunner for the MVP award and has returned to stardom, but there’s still one thing left to cap off the year ― winning an NA LCS title and raising a trophy along his teammates in triumphant victory.

Immortals already took down Counter Logic Gaming 3-0 last weekend in the NA LCS semifinals and are now staring down the most beloved team in North America, Team SoloMid, in the finals. Olleh has gained fame and recognition in North America, but a title is the last step for the Korean star. A full year after his toughest competitive season, Olleh has the opportunity to hoist the trophy this Sunday for Immortals and prove that despite all the adversity he experienced, he still can be the very best.