Gumayusi leaves T1

Gumayusi officially leaves T1 . Photo: T1

On the evening of November 17th, the T1 League of Legends team's social media accounts simultaneously posted farewell messages for player Gumayusi. The announcement quickly came as a surprise to the global fan community, especially since the two teams had recently won their third consecutive championship together.

"Gumayusi has ended his contract with T1 to begin a new challenge. The trophies they won together and the legacy he built are a part of history in the hearts of the fans."

"We are grateful for the dedication, sacrifice, and outstanding performances of the player over the years," T1 stated.

The aforementioned player joined the world champions in 2018. He officially debuted in 2020 during a rebuilding phase. Gumayusi and the ZOFGK roster helped the organization reclaim the LCK championship with a perfect winning record in 2022. Aside from their defeat at the 2022 World Championship, this player and his team won three consecutive championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

In the recently concluded season, Gumayusi was awarded the MVP title for the best player at the World Championship.

After Faker, Gumayusi is one of the most popular players at T1. This player is expected to become the next icon of the "red dynasty". In interviews, he has also repeatedly affirmed his desire to stay with the aforementioned team.

However, following Zeus's departure last season, Gumayusi became the target of attacks from a segment of extremist fans. His performance and inability to play certain champions became weaknesses, and he was blamed for T1's failures.

Ultimately, after winning the 2024 championship, the aforementioned marksman was relegated to the bench without clear reason. Throughout the early stages of the LCK Cup, he had to sit on the sidelines watching the young player Smash play as the main. Gumayusi stated that it was a difficult period in his career, causing him to lose confidence.

Subsequently, the coaching staff offered no explanation that satisfied the fans. Coach Kkoma stated that benching the world champion was part of a "gathering of information" process. On the other hand, Gumayusi was also constantly attacked by anti-fans in various forms.

In addition to online violence, extremists also sent funeral flowers and hired buses displaying LED screens with insulting messages directed at the aforementioned player. Meanwhile, T1 caused outrage by not taking any action to protect their player.

Gumayusi's departure from T1 could trigger a domino effect in the transfer market. He would become a hot commodity, sought after by teams in China and South Korea. The question of who will replace him at T1 is also a topic of great interest to fans.