You can’t miss out her fun character that sparked the recent match between NNO Prime and the world champion team, T1. Thunny, or Elena Rose, called attention from the League of Legends community after NNO victory against T1. She became Thunny of League of Legends, the lady with awesome skills and wit.
From Team Manager to A Sudden Pro Player
Could you have imagined a team manager to play against the world champions and even beat them in a match? Turns out, the 24-year-old German esports personality, Thunny, made all of this possible.
She began to manage NNO Prime in December 2022, where they participated in some tournaments. This includes the Die Techniker Prime League and the EMEA Masters. However, for Thunny, she usually works behind the scenes as the team manager.
Yet, things switched up this December 2024 that became a highlight in her life and in the community. You might wonder how she ended up playing against T1? Well, it was during the Red Bull’s “League of its Own” event in Paris this December 15, 2024, in which NNO Prime participated.
Before the event started, NNO’s Daniel “Broeki” Broekmann, also her partner, suddenly fell ill. You know sometimes, you just have to step in and that’s exactly what she did. Thunny played since they didn’t have a replacement player for Broeki in that match. In turn, she’ll be competing with professional players like LoL legend Faker in front of 18,000 people.
Their Historic Match Against T1
Now, this showmatch against T1 rewrote Thunny’s name in the history of League of Legends esports. She is no longer just a team manager for NNO Prime but also an outstanding replacement player.
Starting up their series, there were special conditions implemented beforehand, like the “Nemesis draft.” This type of draft had teams picking the champions for their opponents. A truly thankful moment for her, she got Seraphine, which is a champion she played often.
Right from the start, NNO showed their strength by taking the lead. Although T1 quickly bites back with 5,000 gold, they still failed to dominate against NNO.
In their second match, NNO caught T1 in an ambush trap on the top lane of the game. With this result, they take the lead against back-to-back World champions for a 2-0 win.
Her Legacy She Created
Here come her wits that gained most attention from the League of Legends community. Following their historic victory, Thunny made a playful remark on her X (formerly, Twitter) claiming her retirement from pro.
Achieved everything I ever wanted.
— Thunny (@thunnyx) December 15, 2024
I retire. pic.twitter.com/79qNhCHGZm
Aside from their unexpected win, she became the first woman to defeat T1 in a competitive setting. Her win rate record was set to 100% along the way, which is a superb number if you ask.
On the other hand, her partner positively sees everything that happened. Despite missing the chance to be under the same spotlight as T1, he said it was even better that Thunny was there. So that created her story and title to her name just from a uniquely fun situation.
Now, Thunny resumes her career as the team manager for NNO Prime and oversees their participation in events. Only this time, she added an achievement and skills. Doesn’t it look to you that she might be a little bit overqualified for her job?
Conclusion
You can’t expect to make a list of the best moments for the League of Legends community without her story. NNO Thunny proved with her skills and wits, she can put up a fight against T1. Maybe someday, people can see Thunny played in League of Legends competitive stage once more.
