Under the bright spotlights, in an arena roaring with fans, and the most important trophy of the year on the line. Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyung, a 24-year-old eSports player for T1, finds himself at yet another final. He’s been on this stage before, but the nerves are all the same. The pressure weighing down on his shoulders a reminder of his long journey here. But there was little time to dwell on that as the was game about to begin. It was soon time for him to make his stand for the Summoner’s Cup.
Every year, the League of Legends Worlds Championship draws millions of watchful eyes. Fans tune in to watch their favourite players clash in a 5v5 MOBA (Mulitplayer Online Battle Arena) game full of strategy and skill, executing plays that succeed by a hair. Worlds is a showcase of League of Legends played at the highest level.
Every player takes on a specific role: Top Lane, Jungle, Middle Lane, Bottom Lane and Support, selecting from a roster of 173 unique champions. To win, teams work together to destroy the enemy’s ‘Nexus’ located in their base.
Since its inception, LoL Esports has garnered a large fanbase, topping charts with a peak viewership of 6.9 million viewers in 2024. This is a feat only achieved thanks to the various personalities and narratives that shape each competitive season. And Gumayusi’s story happens to be my favourite.
His professional career started with a brief stint on an amateur team KeG Seoul at the age of 16. At an amateur tournament, his team had taken home the trophy without losing a single game. His explosive debut and budding talent had drawn the attention of SK Telecom T1 (now known as T1), which eventually signed him on as a trainee.
Since 2022, Gumayusi was crucial part of T1, making up the ‘ZOFGK’ roster. This roster was led by the veteran player, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, who took the team of young upstarts to 3 finals and 2 trophies from 2022 to 2024. In this team of superstars, his teammates were often the ones in the spotlight for their flashy performances. Whereas Gumayusi was their stable foundation, always willing to play weak side if it meant enabling the rest of them to make plays. He’s perfected this ability to play unselfishly even when given lesser resources from his team. It is because of this unselfishness that he often takes a backseat in discussions for the best player on his team.
Coming into 2025, no one predicted T1’s top-laner, Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je to leave. It caused a stir amongst hardcore fans, who had grown attached to the specific ZOFGK lineup, and had expressed their dissatisfaction with the management quite strongly. But alas, the show had to go on, and T1 signed Choi ‘Doran’ Hyeon-jun to round off their 2025 roster. The newly formed roster started the year a little rocky, needing time to adapt to their new dynamic.
Just a week into this roster’s debut in the LCK (LoL Champions Korea) Cup, Gumayusi was suddenly swapped out in favour of their Academy team player, Sin ‘Smash’ Geum-jae. Viewers were left scratching their heads wondering why the coaches would bench the player that had seen so much success already.
It is not abnormal for swaps to happen in eSports. Gumayusi himself had built his way up to the main roster through T1’s trainee system as well. Fans were upset because the decision came out of the blue, an official announcement was made only a mere 90 minutes before a match. Discussions on the benching surfaced, most agreed that Gumayusi had likely been swapped because the current meta picks for bot-lane were ones he was not proficient in. While Smash had shown promise on those meta champions. T1’s organisational manager had explained that their choice to try out Smash during the LCK Cup was because the results from LCK Cup had no impact on T1’s qualification for Worlds.
After LCK Cup, T1’s CEO Joe Marsh put out a statement pushing for Gumayusi’s return to his starting position as the regular season began. But with this announcement came the formal introduction of Smash to the main roster, meaning T1 were moving forward with a 6-man roster. And Gumayusi was subbed out once again in April.
Fans were still raw after the loss of Zeus, worried they would lose yet another core player of their favourite roster. They felt Gumayusi was being treated unfairly by the coaches – a player of his caliber did not deserve to have his abilities and position questioned. While I did not agree fully with their sentiment, I could relate to the frustration. In the statement from their organisational manager, he mentioned that Smash was playing both on stage and in practice matches. Which felt like Gumayusi was sidelined entirely in favour of the new rookie who was admittedly performing amazingly on stage. Smash’s standout debut in the LCK only encouraged T1 to keep starting him instead.
Ultimately, whether Gumayusi was playing or not, he was subject to criticism. He made the most of his situation, practicing relentlessly behind the scenes.
This kind of thing can happen to and occur for anyone so as I slowly looked back on my situtation, I came to think of it as an opportunity to grow even further. (…) I will come back with an even cooler version of myself.
But Gumayusi couldn’t seem to catch a break. In a situation that was already so volatile, a group called T1gall had taken his benching as fuel for their hate. This was far from the first time, as this same group was notorious for making Gumayusi the target of their harassments in past years. T1gall sent protest trucks with LED billboards to mock and criticise both Gumayusi and T1 management. Funeral wreaths were sent to the T1 Headquarters to slander Gumayusi publicly. They used these tactics in droves to harass Gumayusi throughout the duration of 2025, with the goal of bullying him and the management into geting him off the team entirely.
In spite of the endless doubt, Gumayusi continuously put in the effort even while on the bench. He invested his time into practicing the champions that he was criticised on, playing over hundreds of games to expand his champion pool. It was through his hard work that he returned to his starting position on the main roster. This time for good.
After a shaky showing in their regular season, T1 clawed their way back to defend their title at Worlds as the 4th seed. Meaning, on paper they were the lowest ranked team from their region. They began their run in the Swiss stage with 1 win and 2 losses. Just 2 losses shy of complete elimination. It was to the relief of fans that they had scraped 2 more wins to lock in a spot in the Knockouts Stage.
In quarterfinals, T1 narrowly beat the Chinese favourites Anyone’s Legend in a 3-2 fashion. The series was incredibly back-and-forth, and needless to say had my heart rate skyrocketing. Most notably, Gumayusi had picked Kai’Sa despite being on match point – a champion he was heavily criticised for not having in his repertoire. But it was a different Gumayusi now. His weakness had turned into a strength for him to weaponise.
Their next matchup went much smoother in comparison, a swift 3-0 win and Gumayusi was back for his 4th Worlds finals. This time, their opponents would be KT Rolster, the undisputed underdogs of this ‘Telecom War’. The last time T1 faced an underdog, they had tasted bitter defeat. Would history would repeat itself?
The series began with T1 taking the first win, then losing the next 2 games. Down 2 losses now, the pressure was mounting. T1 were 1 misstep away from letting the trophy slip from their hands. The team worked to even out the score, taking back game 4 thanks to Gumayusi’s Kalista.
It was do or die for both sides in game 5. But as it progressed, it was becoming increasingly clear that T1 were about to win it all yet again. KT needed more than a miracle to come back. Every team fight looked one-sided. And Gumayusi was the reason why. At the end of the game, he alone made up for 30% of his team’s total damage.
A dominant performance from Gumayusi had claimed his third trophy. And rightfully so, he was awarded finals MVP (Most Valuable Player). This time, it was Gumayusi in the spotlight, carrying his team across the finish line. It felt like we had come full circle. From seeing him struggle early in the year, to being the reason for his team’s victory. Receiving Finals MVP was undeniable, tangible proof that his efforts were not in vain.
It didn’t feel like just another Worlds trophy. Gumayusi wasn’t just along for the ride. He had played a critical part in his team’s success and was finally getting recognition for it. This final act of vindication was the cherry on top.
In a livestream he opened up about his feelings on their 2025 season. He discussed the pressure he had felt after going down two games, and reflected personally about his thoughts throughout the year. He expressed how this year had felt like proving himself to himself.
I really wanted to cry when I got Finals MVP, but the tears wouldn’t come (…) honestly, it was a really tough year for me (…) I went to counseling multiple times for mental health. It was also the year when my confidence in myself dropped the most. It felt like the first time I really doubted myself.
-Gumayusi on a livestream
At the end of 2025, it was announced that Gumayusi had left T1. Gumayusi had always felt poised to be Faker’s successor – the next franchise player for T1. So it came as a shock that he had decided to leave because he wished to improve as a player, to carve out his own path outside of T1. Ask any of my friends, they’d tell you the news had all but killed me on the inside. It was heartbreaking to see one of my favourite players leave, especially after his triumphant conclusion to the season. But I think this was the most beautiful ending to his journey at T1. From under-appreciated and overlooked, he showed that he had always been an indispensable part of T1’s success.
Funnily enough, Zeus and Gumayusi found themselves teammates once again in Hanhwa Life Esports. Finals MVP in hand, 3rd Worlds trophy under his belt, Gumayusi could start over in a brand-new team with zero doubts about himself. Worlds 2026 is here now. And I’m excited to see this brand-new chapter unfold.
Joleen Jublee 
claire 
Jonte Siegel