The Evolution of Jin Air and Chaser
Amidst pictures of a sweating Metagross Pokémon, constant Star Wars references from English-language caster Erik "Doa" Lonnquist, and the previous "OGNkakackle" Twitch chat emote, no meme has quite the same heart as the Jin Air planes. Known as "gladplane" or "sadplane" these MSpaint cartoons guide the cult of Jin Air, peppering social media following a Green Wings win or loss.
And despite his aptly-named Green Wings AD Carry compatriots Na "Pilot" Woo-hyung and Kang "Cpt Jack" Hyung-woo, the true captain of the Jin Air gladplane is their jungler, Lee "Chaser" Sang-hyun.
The Curses of "R" and Jin Air
Shuffled between both of Jin Air's prior sister teams -- the Stealths and Falcons -- Chaser began his Green Wings career as "RealFoxy." Known for his oft-reckless nature, RealFoxy's first few seasons in Korea were inconsistent at best. His attempts at playmaking or providing pressure were often met without follow-up from teammates resulting in needless deaths. Opposing junglers took advantage of his aggressive nature and, with multiple lanes often losing, RealFoxy's presence was wholly ineffective.
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Following a dismal 0-6 season on the Falcons in Hot6ix Champions Spring 2014, RealFoxy changed his in-game name to "Chaser," shedding his prior image along with the fabled curse that no Korean jungler with a name that began with "R" could be successful.
Along with the name change, Chaser moved to the Stealths for Hot6ix Champions Summer 2014. The 2014 Summer Stealths then became the first Jin Air team to successfully exit groups since Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu's Falcons team of 2013 Summer.
Bolstered by the veteran presence of Cpt Jack, flashy plays from support Choi "Chei" Sun-ho, and the steadiness of top laner Yeon "TrAce" Chang-dong, Chaser finally found his home. The Stealths had a new swagger, guided by Chaser's aggressive counterjungling measures along with Chei and Cpt Jack's penchant for building the odd snowball item if they managed to build a significant lead. Where Chaser had previously lacked follow-through from his team, the new Stealths seemed all too eager to match his proactive pace. The result was a surprising 1-1 tie against the favored CJ Entus Blaze, knocking Blaze out of the playoffs and giving the upstart Stealths a postseason bid.
Cinderhulk, No Chaser
In 2014, The Jin Air Green Wings Stealths were widely regarded as a team on the rise, even with an embarrassing 0-3 loss to Samsung Galaxy Blue in the 2014 Champions Summer playoffs. After the one-team rule was implemented in Korea, Jin Air retained the entirety of the Stealths roster and looked to be one of the more cohesive Korean teams following the 2014-15 Winter offseason.
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Shaking off a rough Preseason, the Jin Air Green Wings soared at the start of SBENU Champions Spring 2015, ending the first half of the season 11-6. While they sometimes looked shaky against inferior opponents -- a Week 4 1-2 loss to IM stands out -- Jin Air showed an incredible proficiency with poke compositions. This was largely thanks to Chaser occupying opponents long enough for mid laner Lee "GBM" Chang-seok to farm and ramp up on poke champions like Xerath. Always a playmaker, Chaser provided the flash needed for the substance of GBM to come through in the late game.
However, Chaser's flaws also become Jin Air's flaws. Prone to over-aggression, Jin Air often conceded early game advantages, necessitating flawless late game play. Somehow, Jin Air managed to overcome these mid game weaknesses in the majority of their matches, and looked to be one of the stronger Korean teams going into the second split.
And then Patch 5.5 hit.
Chaser joined the carry jungler graveyard for a while, unable to adjust to the tankier realm of the Cinderhulk meta. Jin Air put up a dismal performance in the Spring playoffs, quickly losing 3-0 to CJ Entus in the first gauntlet round.
Chasing a Dream
Left to lick their wounds in the offseason, Jin Air has returned to SBENU Champions a sturdier team in 2015 Summer. With the third through sixth place positions nebulous, Jin Air have made a fairly strong case for themselves, and Chaser looks better than ever thanks to the slight shift in jungle meta.
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Always a carry jungler, Chaser now has more room to maneuver and a wider breadth of champions to work with. In 25 games he has already played eight different champions, three more than he did in the entirety of Champions Spring. He boasts the third highest KDA of all Korean junglers at 5.2, but more importantly is third in overall MVP standings with 800 points. Jin Air is all too eager to give Chaser the resources he needs to be successful, and he earns more proportional gold than any other jungler in the region as a result. More often than not, this pays dividends for the Green Wings, who now sit tied for fourth place with CJ Entus and NaJin e-mFire.
In solid position to make a playoff run, Chaser is primed to lead his team.
On the cusp of breaking out as a top Korean team, Jin Air's efforts are always somehow thwarted or rerouted, leaving devoted fans with a sadplane and crashed hopes. This summer Chaser looks to pilot the Green Wings in a different, more successful direction as one of the few remaining carry junglers in the region.
Interested in watching Chaser and Jin Air attempt to take flight? Catch all the action right here on Lolesports.
