T1’s Shocking Decision: Why Gumayusi Was Benched for Smash

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After several weeks of little to no updates from Smash being preferred over Gumayusi in T1’s League of Legends squad, team manager Becker has at last provided fans with an explanation behind this choice.

This realization arises once Team 1 (T1) is ruled out from competing in the inaugural First Stand, a fresh League of Legends international tournament marking the beginning of the year. Yet, it’s not solely T1 who should bear the blame for this situation, as the revised LCK format has significantly hampered their chances.

In response to this, T1’s decision to substitute Gumayusi with Smash has sparked debate among fans, who were already disheartened by Zeus’ departure. Many have been questioning why the world champion ADC was not playing in the 2025 season’s first split, calling for explanations behind this move.

They’ve given a response and shared some understanding behind their decisions, as well as hinting at potential lineup changes for the upcoming tournament.

T1 management breaks silence on Gumayusi getting benched

Prolonged use of Smash as T1’s primary ADC in the LCK has left the organization in an uncomfortable predicament. This was evident when LazyFeel, who had temporarily replaced Teddy, couldn’t rejoin DNF Freecs’ LCK Challenger team, demonstrating that overly retaining a substitute LCK Challenger player on the main roster can lead to significant complications.

This circumstance doesn’t affect the upcoming LCK split, but it underscores the fact that T1 was aware of the potential consequences of keeping Smash in their lineup for such an extended period. If they had planned to return him to their CL roster earlier, they would have made the move weeks ago.

As for myself, Smash’s exceptional gameplay in the ADC role has solidified his status as one of the top-tier ADCs in the LCK. Frankly, it’s a toss-up between us on who should start in our team – both of us have got what it takes to lead the charge.

Originally, T1’s League of Legends team replaced their two-time World Champion player Gumayusi with the newcomer Smash for his first appearance in the LCK. Notably, this move has led to one of the most impressive debut performances by a rookie in the league’s history.

— TopMob (@TopMob) February 1, 2025

Essentially, during a live broadcast, manager Becker disclosed the reasons behind Gumayusi’s substitution. He clarified that in the revised format, the LCK Cup didn’t influence T1’s eligibility for Worlds, thus they opted to reshuffle their roster and experiment with new strategies.

As the season kicked off with an unexpected twist and with the upcoming LCK Cup match on the horizon, the coaching team proposed a shift in the roster of players, as Becker pointed out. He believed that given the circumstances, it was the ideal moment to experiment with fresh strategies during the LCK Cup, since the potential risks were minimal.

Additionally, Becker pointed out that the substitution of Smash by T1 occurred during the initial week of the LCK Cup competition. Contrary to appearances suggested by T1’s announcement 90 minutes prior to their second-week match, this decision was not made abruptly.

It was mentioned that Gumayusi has been given unrestricted access to T1’s training facility and the opportunity to observe scrimmages, but he hasn’t been participating in these scrimmages. Instead, it appears that Smash is the primary player during both official matches and practice sessions for T1.

Becker stressed his effort to remain impartial between the players regarding who should start for the team, acknowledging that it’s KKoma who has the authority to adjust the lineup.

He expressed understanding towards Gumayusi’s current predicament and encouraged him further, all the while applauding Smash for his debut in the LCK Cup and wishing him success in his future endeavors.”

“He felt for Gumayusi in this situation, boosting him up, as well as praising Smash for his first appearance at the LCK Cup. He also wished Smash good luck for what’s to come.

It seems that two players, one who has been instrumental in T1’s past successes and another who is a promising newcomer to the LCK, are both striving intensely to achieve the team’s current objectives.

Furthermore, it was disclosed that harmful remarks directed at T1 have escalated to such an extent that the organization is now taking legal action and pressing criminal complaints against those who issue threats against the team members.

Regarding the anticipation among fans for increased engagement with Smash, Becker has verified that both Guma and Smash have been included in Team T1’s upcoming roster for the next phase. However, it remains undecided at this point which player will take the starting position on the team.

As Smash officially joins the LCK roster under T1, I’m pumped to deliver the content you’ve all been craving! Keep an eye on our official channels for updates. Plus, we’re committed to maintaining platforms where Gumayusi can engage and connect with fans as a member of Team T1.

As a gamer, I’ve learned that sometimes changes need to be made behind the scenes for the best interests of the team. In this case, it turns out that some adjustments were required in my contract, adjustments that didn’t align with our long-term goals if I was only going to be a temporary addition to T1’s roster. Now, we’re working on those changes so I can fully embrace the role of a T1 member, ready to bring my A-game to the table!

Despite his assertion, “unforeseen factors” might potentially influence the choice of T1’s starting ADC, and he didn’t provide a definite answer about it. Instead, he simply affirmed that both players would be active contributors to T1’s content as fully-fledged team members from now on.

Since T1 won’t perform on the main stage for more than a month, they have ample time to decide and adjust their team lineup before the second split of the year begins.

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2025-02-14 20:51