Croco's Triumphant Return: How His Naphri Dominance Secured OK Brion's Victory Against DNF

The Triumphant Return of 'Croco' to the LCK Stage

OK Savings Bank Brion secured a crucial 2-1 victory against DN Freecs on May 4th at Jongak LoL Park, marking a significant milestone in their 2025 LCK Spring Split campaign. The match was particularly special as it featured the return of 'Croco' Kim Dong-beom to the LCK stage after 635 days away from the Korean league. His performance was nothing short of spectacular, earning him the Player of the Match (POM) honors and helping Brion improve their record to 4 wins and 6 losses.

This victory was crucial for OK Brion as they look to climb into the mid-table rankings in the second round of the split. Meanwhile, DN Freecs continued their disappointing run, remaining winless with a 0-10 record. The match showcased both teams' determination, with DNF showing surprising resilience despite their record, but ultimately Croco's leadership and mechanical prowess proved decisive.

First Set: Hype's Pentakill Secures the Opening Victory

The first game started with OK Brion taking advantage of 'Ttoibe's' exposed position on Pantheon to secure first blood. However, DNF quickly responded as Pantheon managed to take down 'Pollo's' Braum. The early exchanges were relatively even, with both teams trading kills, though OK Brion managed to stack two dragons quickly.

As the game progressed, OK Brion demonstrated superior teamfighting abilities, particularly around objectives. They secured a third dragon stack after winning a teamfight by quickly eliminating DNF's bottom lane. While DNF managed to break one dragon attempt to buy time, the momentum remained with OK Brion.

The turning point came when DNF's 'Life' initiated with Neeko using Flash and ultimate, catching three members of OK Brion. Despite this promising start, OK Brion won the extended fight and claimed the dragon soul. Later, when OK Brion attempted Baron to bait DNF, 'Closer's' Taliyah forced 'Dudu' to use Flash and retreat.

In a surprising turn of events, DNF, with their remaining four members in better health, pushed OK Brion away from Baron and started it themselves. The ensuing teamfight became the highlight of the game as 'Hype' on Ashe secured a spectacular pentakill, leading OK Brion to destroy DNF's Nexus and claim the first set.

Second Set: DNF's Resilience Leads to an Equalizer

The second game saw aggressive early exchanges, with 'Closer's' Aurora taking down 'Fengyuan's' Ahri in mid lane, while 'Dudu's' Rumble eliminated 'Morgan's' Yorick in top lane, resulting in a 1-1 kill score. The top lane difference became significant when Rumble hit level 6 first and participated in a three-man dive to cleanly take down Yorick again.

OK Brion attempted to help their struggling Yorick by bringing their jungler for a 2v2 fight, which escalated into a larger skirmish with both mid laners joining, resulting in a 2-2 kill exchange. DNF then won a fight at Rift Scuttler, killed the Flash-less Yorick, and secured a dragon, gaining a significant advantage.

Despite being behind, OK Brion invested heavily to take down the troublesome Rumble and Wukong. However, DNF remained in control, using Herald to destroy the mid first-tier tower. OK Brion slowly tried to catch up, and when DNF was taking Atakan, they managed to catch and kill Rumble in mid lane.

'Pollo' was caught out by DNF, who then boldly started Baron. OK Brion chose to sacrifice Baron for lane pressure. With Baron buff and dragon soul, DNF pushed the mid second-tier tower and attempted split pushing. They secured another Baron and won a decisive mid lane teamfight to even the series at 1-1.

Final Set: Croco's Naphri Takes Control

The deciding game began with a skirmish near the Rift Scuttler, where OK Brion's 'Croco' on Naphri and 'Closer' on Viktor each secured a kill, while DNF's support Alistar managed one kill. Shortly after, Naphri's impact grew as he helped take down 'Fengyuan's' Huwei again.

OK Brion's dominance continued at the Herald fight, where Naphri monopolized the kills, achieving an impressive 5/0/0 KDA by the 16-minute mark. The overwhelming power of Naphri allowed OK Brion to control the game completely, securing all objectives and dominating teamfights to quickly build an insurmountable lead.

By the 26-minute mark, the kill score stood at 20-4 in favor of OK Brion, with a gold difference exceeding 10,000. This overwhelming advantage led to OK Brion crushing DNF to secure the series 2-1, improving their record to 4-6.

Coach Woobeom's Strategic Insights and Team Dynamics

In a post-match interview, OK Brion's coach Choi Woobeom revealed key insights into their approach to the match. "We came with the mindset that we couldn't afford to lose this game. Securing our fourth win was extremely important," he explained. The coach emphasized that they had prepared jungle-focused strategies specifically for this match to reduce the burden on Croco, who was making his return to competitive play after a long break.

Despite concerns about Croco's competitive readiness after joining OK Brion just last month following a period of rest since last year's stove league, Coach Woobeom expressed confidence in the experienced jungler. "Croco is a player with extensive experience. I wasn't worried about his competitive sense," he stated.

Regarding their loss in the second set, Coach Woobeom attributed it to early mistakes that diminished the effectiveness of their composition, which was designed to contain Rumble. He also noted that they hadn't extensively practiced with that particular composition. For the decisive third game, he mentioned that having blue side gave them an advantage in champion selection, though he refrained from sharing specific details about their tier-based champion selection strategy.

Croco's Emotional Return and Future Ambitions

The highlight of the post-match coverage was undoubtedly Croco's emotional interview after his successful LCK return. "I thought it had been about 500 days, but it turned out to be 635 days. When I went to China, I promised I would definitely return to the LCK, and I'm happy to receive POM in my first game back," he shared.

Croco also praised his teammate 'Hype' for achieving a pentakill in the first set: "During practice, he watched a lot of videos. He said he wanted to get a pentakill like 'Deft,' and he did it today, which is impressive." Regarding his dominant performance on Naphri in the third set, Croco explained that it wasn't his personal choice but rather what remained available in the draft. "We had good results with it in practice, so we picked it. I felt nervous in the first and second sets after being away from the LCK for so long, but the third set was easy," he added.

When asked about Coach Woobeom's comment that he could be a definitive in-game leader, Croco mentioned his admiration for 'Peanut': "He's been my idol since before. He's a player who does a great job as a commander, and I want to learn from him and follow his example."

Looking ahead, Croco expressed his determination to help OK Brion improve in the second round: "I want to show the performance that can take us to the western team from the second round. We've announced our first win of the second round, and we'll work hard to win as many games as possible in the second round to achieve good results."

DNF's Struggles and Reflections

On the other side, DN Freecs continued their disappointing run, extending their winless streak to 0-10. In their post-match interview, coach Jung Min-sung and 'Life' Kim Jung-min shared their thoughts on the defeat.

Coach Jung expressed his frustration: "It's disappointing to keep losing in games where we feel we could win. As a coach, I feel responsible for this, and I will prepare more thoroughly." He also explained the decision to field 'Ttoibe' as an attempt to bring change to the team, noting that they had issues with vision control that affected their performance.

Life acknowledged the team's ongoing struggles: "We've continued to perform poorly, and there have been changes to the roster amid our losing situation. We could have won today, so it's disappointing. I'm grateful to Ttoibe for performing well despite having only one day of practice."

Both emphasized their commitment to improving for future matches, with Coach Jung promising: "We will prepare as much as possible through extensive practice to ensure a definite win in the next match. We will do our best to show a winning performance as we have prepared." Life added: "We've had ongoing issues that haven't been fixed yet, but we're working to change. We will show an improved performance in the next match."

Community Reaction and Cultural Context

The Korean esports community's reaction to the match was mixed. On platforms like DCInside and Naver, fans expressed excitement about Croco's return, with many commenting on his impressive performance after such a long absence from the LCK. Comments praising his Naphri play in the third set were particularly numerous, with fans noting how he completely controlled the pace of the game.

Hype's pentakill in the first set also generated significant buzz, with many comparing him to legendary ADC Deft, whom Croco mentioned Hype admires. The comparison to such an established star gave fans hope for Hype's continued development.

For DNF fans, the mood was understandably somber. While some expressed frustration at the team's continued struggles, others noted positive moments, particularly in the second set where they showed they could compete at a high level. There was particular interest in 'Ttoibe's' performance as a new addition to the lineup, with mixed opinions about whether he could help turn the team's fortunes around.

In the broader context of Korean esports culture, this match highlighted the importance of veteran leadership and the respect given to players who successfully return to the domestic league after stints abroad. Croco's mention of Peanut as his role model reflects the hierarchical respect system that remains important in Korean teams, where younger players often look up to established veterans for guidance.

The match also came at an interesting time in the 2025 LCK season, with teams positioning themselves for the second round. For OK Brion, this victory could mark the beginning of a push toward playoff contention, while for DNF, the pressure continues to mount as they search for their first win of the season.