T1 official: LCK regular season will maintain a six-man lineup, Gumayusi will still be the starter but will remain in rotation

Live Bar March 19th LCK first and second stage regular season roster list was announced, then T1 official responded to the new stage regular season lineup, confirmed the new season LCK lineup is Doran , Oner , faker , Gumayusi , Smash , Keria , Gumayusi will start the new season, and said that the reason Smash was promoted to T1 team is because Smash has withstood the test in the LCK Cup and performed well, so he will continue to serve as AD in the first team, the two AD players will continue to rotate in the subsequent arenas of the 2025 season.

A MESSAGE FROM JOE

To all T1 fans:

First of all, I would like to thank all of our fans for their unwavering support as we prepare for the 2025 LCK season. Your support and dedication have provided tremendous motivation for our team to defend our second consecutive World Championship title. With the introduction of the Fearless Draft mode in the 2025 season, we foresee new challenges ahead, and we can't wait to take on these challenges together.

I understand the fans' frustration with our lack of prior announcement of our last roster move and the possibility of a six-man lineup. I hope you can understand that these decisions were not made out of disrespect for the fans, but rather were made after a long internal discussion between our front office and coaching staff in order to move forward.

I have complete trust in Coach kkOma and General Manager Becker and the coaching staff. After an in-depth discussion with them, I requested that Gumayusi be included in the starting lineup for the 2025 LCK regular season. The final decision was to have Gumayusi start the regular season as the starting bot laner. This decision was not made lightly. As the Ceo of the company, I have a responsibility to make decisions that are beneficial to the company's progress from a long-term development perspective.

While Gumayusi will begin the regular season as the starting lineup, the healthy competition between him and Smash will continue for the rest of 2025. Ultimately, the coaching staff will decide which player will make the greatest contribution to the team's success.

Gumayusi has been a testament to his hard work, dedication, and adaptability throughout his career since joining T1 in 2018. Since becoming a main player in 2020, he has become an exceptional player with his aggressive playstyle. Over time, he has adapted his style to the needs of the team, which has sometimes had a negative impact on his personal statistics and reputation, but he has never wavered in his commitment to the team's success, ultimately helping the team achieve the great feat of two consecutive championships.

With the major changes in the game, the 2025 roster will require a super carry in the bot lane. I have every confidence that Gumayusi will be able to adapt and perform well in this role, just as he has in the past. More importantly, he has once again proven himself to be one of the best bot laners in the world. I've said that Gumayusi bleeds black and red, and I really do. He has shown great loyalty to T1 , and this is my way of repaying his loyalty.

In the preparation process for 2025, we originally planned to keep the five-man lineup, but in the process of preparing for the LCK CUP, the coaching staff proposed to test Smash , and Smash also performed well during this period. Therefore, it was decided to include Smash in our LCK lineup. We are confident in his growth and believe that he has the potential to develop into an excellent player. Smash will also interact directly with fans through T1 members, T1 POP and personal live broadcasts from March 24, just like other starting players.

Additionally, I want to address the discussion among fans regarding the roster changes. It is very frustrating to see the divisions among fans. I believe that T1 's platform should be a place to support and celebrate players, not to provoke conflict. Our silence during the release of the full roster image and sponsor materials for the six-man roster did become a cause of confusion and controversy. For this, I once again sincerely apologize to our loyal fans and partners. The roster changes cannot satisfy everyone, but I hope that everyone will continue to support the six players who have worked tirelessly for T1 's victory.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement to T1 . We will continue to work hard to write T1 's history in 2025.