We sat with T1 star ADC Gumayusi to ask, amongst other things, about the ongoing roster rumors around T1 and the possibility of the team breaking up in the off-season. Guma gave a reassuring message to fans, telling them ‘not to worry’ about the team’s future.
Though they don’t have an international title to their name, modern-day T1 will go down as one of the most iconic rosters in League of Legends history. Veteran Faker flanked by young, talented players has been a formula for success.
This new iteration of T1 has seen Faker once again fighting for international titles, coming closer than ever at Worlds 2022 before losing at the hand of Deft and the rest of DRX. And, while Faker has renewed his contract with the organization through to the end of 2025, some of the other players are set to be released soon.
We asked Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyeong about whether or not his stance on T1’s roster splitting up has changed, and he had reassuring words for his fans. According to Guma, they shouldn’t be too worried about what happens once Worlds 2023 is over.
Gumayusi reassures T1 fans amid roster change possibility
Gumayusi’s relation to T1 stems back to far before he himself was a pro player. INnoVation, Gumayusi’s older brother and Starcraft legend, spent a few years playing under the T1 banner. And, according to Guma, his brother’s advice and experience has been valuable to him as a pro.
“My brother has also influenced me a lot regarding getting to know about the pro player life, and maybe getting to know about the pros and cons. To this day, I play while thinking about my brother, and it’s been very helpful.”
What’s more, Guma spoke about how his older brother recommended he join T1 after having played for them.
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“I don’t know if I can say if we’ve bonded over being a part of T1 together, but he definitely recommended I join T1.”
Despite Gumayusi thinking that it may be T1’s last tournament together as a team in the past, his tune changed a bit when speaking with us about the topic.
Amid speculations of roster changes in T1, Gumayusi remains positive and confident! Full interview on @Dexerto #Worlds2023 pic.twitter.com/X8wS9Va4Ns
— Lara Lunardi in 🇰🇷 (@LaraLunardi) October 28, 2023
“Even if the roster would change, I don’t think that would impact my confidence at all. It’s just that… three of our players contracts are coming to an end. That doesn’t mean that it’s guaranteed that we would be changing our roster. I’d like to tell our fans: Don’t be worried. I think you should just focus on supporting us and enjoy for the time being.”
His message was still a bit cryptic, but Gumayusi’s spirits were high when we spoke to him at the event. He clearly still has confidence in the team. Teammate Zeus spoke on the possibility of roster changes as well, but it’s hard to say what the result will be with their contracts open for renewal.
Gumayusi is one of the three players, alongside Zeus and Keria, whose contracts are expiring in 2023. However, it seems that he’s determined that he can perform his best whether he sticks with T1 or not.