The offseason thunderbolt was on the side of this year's world champions. After the re-signing of Ryu "
Keria" Min-seok, Mun "
Oner" Hyeon-jun and Lee "
Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, everyone was waiting for Choi "
Zeus" Woo-je to sign so the two-time world champion roster could go for another year. But that moment never arrived. While the reasons for this are still being discussed by the various parties involved (agents, T1, Zeus...), one thing is certain: Zeus will not be playing for T1 next year and has signed up with Hanwha Life Esports. To replace him,
T1 wasted no time in snapping up Choi "
Doran" Hyeon-joon, who is now making the reverse trip to join the Black and Red.
This marks the end of the most competitive roster in
League of Legends history. ZOFGK comes to an end after making three Worlds finals in a row, winning two of them and an LCK title. While the team struggled a bit in the Korean league, T1 always raised their game once at Worlds. The year 2024 was one of the most flagrant in this regard, with a qualification obtained in a more than complicated manner at the end of the Regionals Finals. However, once at Worlds, the team metamorphosed to reach the heights of its art. T1's “special skill” is acknowledged by Lee "
Faker" Sang-hyoek himself as he said in a
Worlds trailer: “
Worlds, no matter when or where, is our home ground”. This roster has left an indelible mark on the history of
League of Legends, with its extraordinary performances and singular style of play.
The departure of Zeus makes way for DOFGK. Doran will have a lot to prove when he joins the roster. Although he's considered one of the best toplaners in Korea, he'll have to fill the shoes of the man who was surely considered the best. He'll also have the pressure of replacing one of T1's fan favorites. So you can expect him to have a sword or
blade of Damocles hanging over his head.
Even so, Doran already has a fine track record, with no fewer than three domestic titles to his name, two with Gen.G and one with HLE. Doran will be able to use the title of reigning LCK champion as a
shield to ensure that he enters the
ring with his new team in the best possible frame of mind. In any case, the aim will be to help his teammates regain the LCK title, a goal that several T1 players have in their sights for next year, in addition to international tournaments.
