LPL: A History of Doinb and his Dark Technologies

We take a look at one of the most enigmatic mid laners in the LPL to see what makes Doinb so darn good.

“Especially Doinb who carries a lot by using dark technologies” were the words uttered by then KT Rolster top laner Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho ahead of the 2018 East Asian Rift Rivals event. Smeb was fearful of the unorthodox champion pool of Rogue Warriors mid laner Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang and the chaotic element it adds to facing the Chinese side. During the event’s finals, Doinb proved that Smeb was right to be afraid of one of the LPL’s best mids.

It was late in the day, Korea’s LCK led the series 2-1, with the reigning Chinese champions Royal Never Give Up (“RNG”) being the only Chinese team that many considered a threat to the four Korean powerhouses. In order to force the series to a game five, where the Chinese LPL would be allowed to play RNG once more, Doinb and the Rogue Warriors would have to beat the Korean Spring Split champions Kingzone DragonX (“KZ”).

With the expectations of the Chinese fanbase on his shoulders, Doinb fearlessly locked in Kled, his most famous “dark technology,” and the Korean champions buckled under the aggressive playstyle of the Rogue Warriors. Doinb and his teammates pressed KZ relentlessly, constantly forcing advantageous engages and eventually pushing the series to a fifth game. In the final game, RNG quickly repaid the favor by crushing the Afreeca Freecs in the final game, taking home the trophy for China and delighting the home crowd.

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In many ways, this was the beginning of Doinb’s rise from mediocrity to the very top of League of Legends esports. It was also when the jovial Korean began to garner attention from fans all over the world, drawn in by his wacky antics and his off-beat picks.

Though many Western fans may not have been aware of Doinb before his heroics on Rogue Warriors, he is now a household name following FunPlus Phoenix’s (“FPX”) Worlds 2019 victory. It took him quite a few years to reach the top, but Doinb has actually been active in the Chinese scene since 2015 when he debuted with the Qiao Gu Reapers (“QG”). And he’s been picking oddball pics since the very start. This is a history of some of Doinb’s most famous “dark technologies.”

Katarina

Before being picked up the Qiao Gu Reapers, Doinb was known in high-elo Korean solo queue as a talented Katarina player. His play was so impressive that he managed to earn some rare praise from Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok for his mechanical ability.

Sensing they his talent, the Qiao Gu Reapers signed Doinb in the middle of the 2015 League of Legends Secondary Pro League (“LSPL”) Spring Split. Doinb wasted no time in breaking out his beloved Katarina, piloting it to victory against Energy.Pacemaker All in one of his first professional games.

He would go on to play the pick seven more times during the Spring Demacia Cup of that year. Qiao Gu Reapers were a surprise ticket in the tournament, defeating LPL outfits Oh My God (“OMG”), Snake, and WE despite being considered a second-tier team before the tournament.

The team advanced to the semi-finals where they were shut out by Invictus Gaming. Doinb bravely played his signature Katarina into Song “Rookie” Eui-jin’s Viktor but failed to secure the victory.

QG finished third after winning the third-place playoff against WE in a five-game series. This series was the last time Doinb would play Katarina professionally.