The first person to leave T1 after the World Finals

T1 lineup in LCK Cup, when Smash plays as the main player. Photo: LCK .

Since the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Championship, many transfer rumors of top teams have been released. One of them is related to T1, the team that just won the championship for the third consecutive time. Specifically, Smash, the substitute marksman of the World Championship champion, may leave the team and join Lining Gaming (LNG) in the LPL.

Specifically, according to a Chinese League of Legends transfer news blogger, LNG is looking for a young Korean duo to build a roster for next year. The two targets are Smash from T1 and Zinie, a young midlaner playing for KT Rolster's second team.

Smash was promoted to T1's starting lineup at the beginning of the season. The young player replaced Gumayusi in the LCK Cup, leaving his mark in a few matches. The marksman stood out with some skill-based picks instead of normal shots. At the same time, T1 also often played a composition around Smash when he was on the field.

However, pushing "veteran" Gumayusi to the bench without a clear reason made fans angry. After the failure in the LCK Cup, losing the ticket to First Stand, the T1 coaching staff announced that this was part of the process of collecting data and testing gameplay. For the rest of the season, Smash returned to the second team, competing in the Challenger tournament.

Riot Games allows each team to bring 7 players to the tournament. In addition to the 5 main positions, there are also 2 substitute players. However, T1 did not bring Smash to Worlds 2025. The team played with 5 members throughout and Gumayusi won the MVP (Best Player) title.

T1's contracts with its players are still relatively long. Faker has just signed a contract until 2029, while Oner and Keria still have clauses until the end of next season. The team's ADC and top laner are nearing the end of their terms, but have an option to extend.

As for Zinie, he is the best performing mid laner in the Korean second division. With KT Rolster signing a long-term contract with BDD, leaving is the optimal solution for both sides.

At the same time the transfer rumors broke out, LNG posted a recruitment for Korean interpreters. At the same time, Smash also changed its in-game avatar to the Lining Gaming logo, quietly confirming the information.

Source: https://znews.vn/nguoi-dau-tien-roi-khoi-t1-sau-chung-ket-the-gioi-post1601582.html