In an interview with e-Focus, Hanwha Life Esports’ new jungler Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok spoke about his new teammate, three-time World Champion and 2025 Worlds MVP Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong: "Personally, I’ve been beaten up by Gumayusi a lot in the past, so now that he’s on the same team as me, I’m really looking forward to seeing him perform even better for the team."

HLE made two roster changes for 2026. Kanavi joined to fill the void left by Han "Peanut" Wang-ho, who retired to complete his military service, while Gumayusi arrived to replace the departing AD Carry Park "Viper" Do-hyeon, who moved to Bilibili Gaming in China. The remaining three players—Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, and Yoo "Delight" Hwan-joong—were retained.

A Head-to-Head Record in Favor of Gumayusi

Gumayusi and Kanavi have faced each other in 16 games, with the AD Carry and T1 winning 11 of them. Their first encounter came in the 2022 Worlds semifinals, where Kanavi was playing for JD Gaming and T1 took the series 3-1. Their second meeting occurred at the 2023 MSI Upper Bracket Final, where JDG won a full five-game series to advance to the final, which they ultimately won against BLG.

Later that year, they met again in the Worlds semifinals, a tournament where JD Gaming was a heavy favorite with their star-studded roster. Just two best-of series away from the "Golden Road," T1 shattered that dream in four games, delivering one of the most iconic plays in League of Legends history: Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok’s Emperor's Divide on Azir against Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk.

Most recently, the two players faced off in the 2025 Worlds semifinals, with Kanavi this time representing Top Esports. The series was one-sided, highlighted by an outstanding performance from T1, who advanced to the final and went on to win it, with Gumayusi even being named Finals MVP. The head-to-head record is clear: Gumayusi leads, and Kanavi is glad to have him on his side for 2026.