Gumayusi Leaves T1 League of Legends After Historic Worlds Win

Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong has departed from T1‘s League of Legends team after seven years, in which he helped the team win three consecutive world championships – including in 2025 – and one LCK title.

While Choi “Zeus” Woo-je leaving last year was a huge surprise, it was also a roster move made right at the end of the season, and the circumstances around how the move was negotiated had no shortage of controversy. To this day, it remains unclear whether Zeus fully intended to leave T1.

Meanwhile, Gumayusi left pretty early in the off-season. He definitely wanted out of the organization despite having been with them through thick and thin for the last few years.

What could possibly have made Gumayusi want to leave T1 after having so much success? And who’s replacing him?

Why did Gumayusi leave T1?

This roster move isn’t T1 choosing to replace Gumayusi and upgrade. No, there’s good reason to believe that this was actually Guma’s choice and that T1 had to go with another ADC option due to him wanting to leave the team.

The news of Gumayusi’s departure was announced via T1 themselves and wasn’t leaked beforehand, something that’s rare in League of Legends these days. Here’s what T1 had to say in a public announcement:

“‘Gumayusi has concluded his time with T1 as he moves forward to take on a new challenge.

The trophies we lifted together and the legacy he built will always be a proud part of our history and in the hearts of our fans. We are deeply grateful for his dedication, sacrifice, and incredible performances throughout his years with us. As he begins this next chapter, we’ll continue to cheer for him and wish him every success ahead.”

It’s important to note that Gumayusi chose to leave on November 17, the day that his contract expired. Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon’s contract expired on the same day, but he’s remaining with the organization. Someone leaving the day their contract is up is relatively rare, and it means that Gumayusi chose this for himself rather than T1 letting him go.

A T1 representative confirmed this in the following statement:

“After this year’s LoL Worlds Championship concluded, we had many conversations in a positive atmosphere, and both sides agreed not to disclose the detailed process. As a result, as mentioned in the video message, Minhyung has decided to take on a new challenge, and the organization also expressed its gratitude for his dedication and support for him.”

And, though T1 won Worlds 2025 with him getting MVP flowers, the rest of the year didn’t go too well for them. They barely made it to Worlds. Just because T1 has been so dominant at the year’s biggest international for 3, arguably 4 years in a row, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any issues internally. Gumayusi did get benched early in 2025, after all.

What Next for Gumayusi?

So, where might Gumayusi end up? Rumors from several sources believe that Park “Viper” Do-hyeon is almost certainly leaving HLE, so it’d be no surprise to see him join that team and re-unite with Zeus. At this point in time, it’s the most likely destination for him unless Gen.G decides Gumayusi’s an upgrade over Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk.

But, no matter where Gumayusi ends up, this move has thrown the off-season into utter chaos. There’s a very real chance that Doran leaves as well, and it’s hard to say whether or not Ryu “Keria” Min-seok will stick around now that his lane partner is gone. 

Peyz to Join T1

According to Sheep Esports, Peyz will be returning to the LCK and joining T1. This player isn’t even 20 years old yet and has multiple international titles, so he’s one of the best ADCs they could have chosen to replace Guma.

During his time on Gen.G, Peyz had T1’s number. He was able to consistently beat Gumayusi when he was on the team from 2023-2024, with Gen.G winning every domestic title for those two years.

The only person who is guaranteed to stick with T1 at this point is Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, though it’s worth mentioning Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun and Keria’s contracts don’t expire until 2026.