LoL: "We asked so much of him, he probably had it tougher than anyone" — Coach Mata on Gumayusi

In a documentary released by the LCK on Monday, December 15, focusing on the four South Korean teams that participated to Worlds 2025, viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at their journeys. T1 is, of course, featured, and it is through an interview that head coach Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong reflected on the title and on this year’s MVP, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong.

The former 2014 World Champion support with Samsung White said: “For Gumayusi this entire season, I feel like we asked so much of him. He probably had it tougher than anyone, but he pushed through all of that and won it all. It almost feels like a Worlds title times 1.5.” After lifting the trophy, the AD Carry joined Hanwha Life Esports in one of the biggest transfers of the offseason.

Gumayusi had a long and tough year, during which he was benched for the LCK Cup, replaced by Shin “Smash” Geum-jae by the coaching staff’s decision. It took an intervention from Joe Marsh, CEO of the organization, to reinstate him, as well as a long period of drama with the fans. His return was triumphant, culminating in a Worlds victory.

His departure from HLE was one of the biggest shocks of the offseason, but he’s not the first player to do so. After the 2024 title, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je also left the team that had raised him, joining HLE. This year, Zeus and HLE were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Gen.G, meaning Zeus watched T1 and Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon ride the magic of Worlds all the way to Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s sixth star.

In the documentary, the 2023 Worlds MVP toplaner said: “Now that T1 has completed the three-peat and I have two titles with them as well, seeing my old teammates achieve what I couldn’t achieve myself, I was genuinely happy for them. But at the same time, I had this bittersweet feeling too, so it’s definitely a mix of emotions.”