Yesterday, the official T1 LoL X account shared a message from CEO Joe that directly addressed the situation over the team’s bot lane, Gumayusi, who was benched unexpectedly during the LCK Cup 2025 Playoffs earlier this year.
For context, Gumayusi was replaced by debut player Smash at the recent Playoffs. T1 fans were confused by the switch-up that came out of nowhere, especially mid-tournament. Since the Playoffs ended on February 23, no announcement on the official T1 roster or the change in bot laners was given.
Now, Joe released a statement saying that, for all intents and purposes, T1 LoL is now a six-person team. Gumayusi will be the starting bot lane this season, but he will be competing against Smash during practices.
The goal of these competitions is to push each player while also giving the coaches, Becker and kkOma, a chance to decide which player will start as the year progresses.
The reason behind this isn’t so simple. While fans love Gumayusi, and Gumayusi’s successful gameplay has resulted in two back-to-back World Championships for T1, the introduction of the Fearless Draft across the entire season may have led T1 coaches to believe Gumayusi couldn’t keep up.
In case you aren’t aware, the Fearless Draft is a new tournament style that changes how games pick and ban champions. It’s been introduced in all regions for the 2025 season, including the LEC and the EMEA Regional Leagues and Masters.
Joe is of the opposite mind, and he pointed out that Gumayusi has been with T1 since 2018 and evolved through the years to fit what the team needed. The CEO acknowledged that Gumayusi’s commitment to being the perfect fit for T1 often led to the bot laners stats falling.
“Over time, [Gumayus] adjusted his game to align with the team’s needs — often to the detriment of his own personal statistics and accolades — but he never wavered in his commitment to the team’s success…”
The League of Legends meta is pushing the bot role to a hyper-carry position again, which Joe also pointed out in terms of Gumayusi’s playstyle:
“With a new roster in 2025 and significant changes to the game, our BOT must once again evolve into a hyper-carry position. I have full confidence that ‘Gumayusi’ can adapt and thrive in this role, just as he has before.”
These statements together make it look like the T1 coaches don’t think Gumayusi fits the new play style of the role. However, Joe strongly disagrees, and he said that he pushed the coaches to include Gumayusi.
To end things, Joe apologized for taking so long to address the problem. T1 was aware of the discourse in the community, which Joe also admonished the community for and encouraged them to support all six players.
For now, T1 and Gumayusi fans specifically can look forward to communicating with the player through the T1 Membership, T1 POP, and live stream on March 24th.
