Breathing Fire: TDK Ninja
The first half of the North American Summer Split wasn’t easy for Geon-woo “Ninja” Noh. Plagued by visa issues, he was forced to watch his team lose week after week from the sidelines.
But after returning in Week 5, Ninja, along with Jin-hyung “Emperor” Kim, gave Team Dragon Knights fans something they were missing all Split: hope.
They managed to upset Team Dignitas, who were on a hot streak. And they managed to display a strong showing against teams like Team SoloMid and Enemy eSports. Things were looking up for the team. They looked rejuvenated. They looked alive.
So who exactly was this new “rookie” mid laner changing up the team dynamic?
Who was this ever-elusive Ninja?
Floating on cloud nine
Ninja’s most notable achievement was on Team WE, when he secured first place against an up-and-coming EDG in the finals of IEM Shen Zhen Season 9. But with a roster that included legendary veterans like Han Dong “CaoMei” Wei, and Xue Cheng “WeiXiao” Gao, it looked as if there was no way they could lose.
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Ninja was meant to fill a backline role on the team: to deal as much damage as he possibly could behind his burly front line while CaoMei jumped in to initiate a team fight. Often put on poke champions, Ninja became so irritating that he often turned into the focus in team fights. But with all the crowd control placed on the mid laner, WeiXiao and CaoMei were happy to be left on cleanup duty.
And if Ninja was given the chance to pick up a lead, he was able to apply constant pressure and allow his team to secure objectives while he zoned off the opposition.
Ninja shined on champions like Ziggs and Xerath and he was taking on the role that the team needed: a backline damage dealer.
Gone were the gods
Ninja was on cloud nine. But the high couldn’t last forever.
With CaoMei and WeiXiao choosing to retire from the professional stage, Team WE scrambled to put together a team before the Nvidia Game Festival and the 2015 LPL Spring Split. But things began to take a turn for the worst when Zhen Ming “Aluka” Peng and Zi Liang “Styz” Qu were chosen as the replacements for CaoMei and WeiXiao.
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Ninja would only play through half of the 2015 Spring Split before being benched. During his time on the Rift, he mainly played poke champions like Xerath and Ezreal. But without CaoMei’s presence in team fights, Team WE lacked a consistent initiator who could peel for Ninja. He was hung out to dry, often falling behind and failing to contribute to team fights in the late game.
Ninja could fill the backline role, but what he needed to be was a play-maker. During the LPL Spring Split, he proved that he could perform well on champions like Ahri and Zed, but instead, the team decided it was best for him to stay on poke champions. His reputation as a mage player seemed to carry over from IEM Shen Zhen Season 9, where he shined on Ziggs and Xerath. But with a new roster and an inconsistent frontline, it was easy for other teams to focus Ninja down.
Ninja was forced out of the starting lineup in the middle of the Spring Split. Instead, Da Yoon “Spirit” Lee and Sung Jun “Mystic” Jin would be taking the stage instead. This was because of a new rule allowing only two foreign players to a team. A statement by Team WE CEO stated Ninja personally asked to step down because he was unconfident in his limited champion pool.
When asked about the statement, Ninja seemed to think otherwise. He explained, “Actually, I was pretty confident with my champion pool. Out of all the Team WE players, I was the one who had the highest MVP points.”
After he was replaced by Han Wei “xiye” Su, Ninja had to review his options. He still wanted to play the game, and he still had something to prove.
So, he decided to turn his sights to North America.
TDK’s uncertain future
Ninja arrived in Los Angeles with a chip on his shoulder. TDK’s record was abysmal, and he was going to change that. No longer the passive viewer on the sidelines, Ninja would work towards rebuilding the team.
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It started out well. Despite losing almost every game, Ninja managed to display a strong individual showing. He showed that he could do well on a diverse number of champions. He could play the initiator -- like Diana, but he could also take a backline role on champions like Ezreal and Viktor. Unfortunately for him, however, it was never enough to close out and win the games.
Things aren’t looking good for TDK. As we head into Week 9, they only have one win on the board. They’re heading into auto-relegations. Ninja knows this, but he’s trying to stay positive.
“It’s a pretty hard time right now. But we’re trying to win every single game that’s left,” he admits.
It might be too late for TDK's Summer Split, but Ninja is adamant about working towards the future.
He’s proven that he’s a dynamic player, his versatility allowing him to fill the role of both a play-maker and backline threat. Although his future might be uncertain, but he’s shown he isn’t afraid to make plays at a competitive level.
“I want to play much harder than before,” says Ninja. “I want to practice as much as I can and improve myself to show my fans.”
