T1

T1 Gumayusi Suggests Worlds 2023 Could Be Current Roster’s Last Ride

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Gumayusi, the star ADC of T1, had made comments that suggest the current roster will not remain together for the 2024 season. “Worlds is special every year, and I know our fans might not like it when I say this, but I think this might be the last Worlds we play as a team. In a way, I think it’s more meaningful this time because I want to win the tournament with this team. Also, for Faker and T1, it’s their first Worlds in Korea, so they have a strong desire to win. I hope it will be a tournament where we can make up for our runner-up finish in the past,” Gumayusi told Naver.

The current iteration of T1 (Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, Keria) has been together since the 2021 season. Zeus, Oner, and Keria all joined the team in late 2020 after a down year for the prolific franchise. However, their results have been mixed. They failed to win an LCK title in 2021 and lost in the semifinals at Worlds. 2022 appeared to be a better year for the squad. However, they were upset in the Grand Final of Worlds by DRX. Furthermore, T1 has lost its spot as Korea’s perennial champion. They have finished second in the last three LCK splits (Summer 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023). In each one, they lost decisively to Gen.G each time. The aggregated record across those three splits is 9-2 to Gen.G.

Read More: Worlds 2023 tracker

Last Dance For T1?

As mentioned by Gumayusi, despite T1’s longstanding dominance, this is actually the first time that the team will play at Worlds hosted by their home nation. Additionally, people are unsure just how long Faker has left in his pro career. While the star midlaner is contracted through 2025, his quality of play has been slowly declining in recent years. Furthermore, for the first time in several years, T1 had to play without Faker as he rehabbed from an arm injury. Much like the ’95/96 Bulls, this could be the “Last Dance” for one of the most recognizable LCK rosters in recent years.

However, Gumayusi’s comments should not come as too much of a surprise. There have been some rumors about a change up at T1 to compete with the likes of Gen.G. Meanwhile, Zeus and Keria are both on expiring contracts while Oner is signed through 2024. It remains to be seen what a strong run at Worlds 2023 will have on these decisions. At MSI 2023 in May, T1 finished third behind Chinese powerhouses JDG and Bilibili Gaming. Both of those teams will be seen as title favorites at Worlds.

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Faker Reveals Arm Injury Has Been Affecting His Play

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By the lofty standards of T1, the 2023 Summer split has been somewhat disappointing. At the time of writing, the team is 6-2 in the LCK. By comparison, T1 have lost just four matches over the last two splits combined. The slow start has seen them leapfrogged by an undefeated Gen.G as well as a one-loss KT Rolster. However, part of the issue may lie with the health of their veteran mid laner, Faker.

Faker, who has been spent his entire career with T1, has essentially professional League of Legends every week since 2013. When he’s not in pro play, he’s more than like at home or at the training facility playing the game. Faker has a 3.7 KDA this split, which puts him around the middle of the league for that category. If he maintains that KDA, it would be his lowest tally since the 2021 Summer split. However, Faker recently revealed that he has been dealing with an injury that has affected his play.

Read More: Meet Noah – the KT Rolster reject turned Fnatic superstar

Faker Receives Treatment For Arm Injury

Speaking after T1’s 2-1 series win over Nongshim RedForce on July 2, Faker revealed that he was being treated for an arm injury. “I haven’t been feeling well recently. I believe my performance since the BRION match may have been impacted because of this […] I am under treatment and in talks with the team,” Faker told the media. The news hit an international audience thanks to a translation from veteran reporter Ashley Kang. Arm injuries can be common, especially in more intense leagues such as the LCK. Dplus star Showmaker received treatment for a wrist injury in 2020. Meanwhile a recurring shoulder injury led to the first retirement of Chinese legend Uzi in 2019.

T1 played BRION Esports on June 17, meaning that the issue has been hampering Faker’s play for nearly two weeks. However, T1 has gone 4-1 during that span, only losing to the aforementioned KT Rolster. While Faker reassured fans that the injury wasn’t too severe, he won’t have much time to recover. T1 are scheduled to play DRX on July 5, giving him just three days of rest. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.

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