LoL: Gumayusi, the unwanted who became Worlds Finals MVP

What a year it’s been for Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong. Back in late January, at the start of the LCK Cup, he was benched and replaced by the academy’s young AD Carry, Shin “Smash” Geum-jae. What followed was months of drama between fans, the coaching staff, and T1’s management. Ten months later, Gumayusi has just lifted the Summoner’s Cup after a prolific final where he earned the MVP — this is the story of his year.

On January 24, during the third day of the LCK Cup, T1 faced KT Rolster. The team had opened their year with a 2–1 lose to Dplus KIA and a win over DRX the previous day, just a few months after winning the 2024 Worlds final against Bilibili Gaming. To everyone’s surprise, as the players entered LoL Park, it wasn’t Gumayusi who would take the stage, but Smash.

The world champion had posted a message on social media, saying he was shocked after hearing about the benching. Almost like a premonition, he ended his message telling fans to keep believing in him — that he would come back, “with an even cooler version of myself.”

After the end of the First Stand — which T1 didn’t take part in and was won by Hanwha Life Esports — questions arose about who would start the LCK season in the botlane. T1 CEO Joe Marsh released a statement confirming that he had requested Gumayusi’s reinstatement to the roster. Coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun later clarified that it had been purely a competitive decision aimed at gathering data.

The situation had created a lot of confusion and frustration among the fanbase of the world’s biggest organization. Camps formed: some defending the two-time world champion, who were happy about his reinstatement, while others believed that the coaching staff’s decisions shouldn’t be challenged and that the competitive plan shouldn’t be influenced by the club’s board.

Tensions continued, and the LCK season officially began in April. Gumayusi started with the team, as T1 defeated DRX but fell to Gen.G, after which Gumayusi was benched again. T1 announced it was “to take time to reset and regain form,” reigniting the drama. Smash played the next three series and started the fourth against BNK FearX. With T1 tied 1–1 in the BO3, Gumayusi reclaimed his spot — a seat he would hold for the rest of the season.

From the moment Gumayusi reclaimed the botlane, he seemed fueled by a burning desire to win and prove he was the man for the job. On the Road to MSI, the two teams widely expected to make it to the Mid-Season Invitational were Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports. T1 defeated KT Rolster to reach the final match, while HLE was reverse-swept by Gen.G.

The resulting showdown for the last LCK spot saw Gumayusi completely outclass Park “Viper” Do-hyeon: a Kalista game with 19/22 kill participation, a second dominant performance on Varus, and finally a perfect game on Xayah. A clean 3–0 secured T1’s qualification for MSI and convinced many of Gumayusi’s elite level as an AD Carry.

MSI went just as well for T1 and Gumayusi, who made it all the way to the grand final, ultimately falling to Gen.G. Statistically, he led the tournament in KDA, ranked second in his team’s damage share among ADCs in the competition, first in DPM, second in average kills, and second-to-last in average deaths. He was absolutely dominant throughout the tournament.

Back in the LCK after MSI and the EWC, Gumayusi said, “It’s hard to believe the regular season is starting already,” while also expressing his determination to win both the LCK and Worlds. What followed was a very strong regular season from T1, as they closed the gap in the standings and even ended Gen.G’s undefeated streak.

T1 struggled a bit more in the Playoffs, edging out Dplus KIA 3–2 before suffering a heavy 3–0 loss to HLE. The team secured Worlds qualification with another victory over DK but fell 3–2 to Gen.G, earning the fourth seed for South Korea at Worlds.

At Worlds, Gumayusi once again proved that this is his competition — and T1’s — the place where they are at their best, where nothing and no one can stand in their way. In 2023, the MVP was Choi “Zeus” Woo-je; in 2024, the title went to Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. This year, the finals were dominated by the botlaner.

In the series, he was prolific: a first big game on Varus, then, with the team on the brink in game 4, Gumayusi played Kalista to pair with Keria’s Renata Glasc — a perfect combination. But it was in game 5 that he truly exploded, playing Miss Fortune and finishing with over 30% of his team’s damage, more than 25,500 total. He carried the series and T1’s comeback, a well-deserved MVP.