T1 CEO Joe Marsh has confirmed on Wednesday that
Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong will start the season, with
Jang "Smash" Yong-jun competing alongside him throughout the year. The final decision on who plays will be up to the coaching staff. Marsh also stated that he personally requested this approach, emphasizing his role in making long-term decisions to ensure T1's best interests.
This announcement comes after T1 started the LCK Cup with Gumayusi as their AD Carry. Following a loss to
Dplus KIA and a win against
DRX, the team decided to swap their ADC, promoting Smash from T1 Esports Academy. The reasons behind this decision were initially unclear, leading to frustration among fans. Coach Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun later clarified that
it was purely a competitive decision aimed at gathering data. Since then, Gumayusi has not played a single game.
Joe Marsh reflected on Gumayusi's impressive career. The botlaner joined T1 in 2018 and, through hard work and his aggressive playstyle, earned a spot on the main roster in 2020, benching
Park "Teddy" Jin-seong. Since then, he has only continued to rise, playing a key role in T1’s back-to-back Worlds victories.
He added that the changes to the game in 2025 require T1’s botlaner to take on a hyper-carry role, and he has full confidence in Gumayusi to fill that position as well as he has in the past. The two-time world champion will have to prove that he is still the best ADC in the world, while his unwavering loyalty to T1 throughout this period has not gone unnoticed.
