Faker’s Controversial Move on the Day Smash Replaced Gumayusi
In the match against KT Rolster, T1 decided once again to bench Gumayusi, as many had predicted after T1’s loss to Gen.G. Of course, with a player performing poorly like KT, a victory for T1 was not surprising. This match also marked Faker’s milestone of 1000 games played. Therefore, after the match, he was invited to the analysis room while Keria was speaking on stage about his Player of the Match (POM) title.
Notably, Faker made a seemingly ordinary statement that is quite sensitive at this moment: “If possible, I would give one more vote to Smash. He performed well in crucial situations. I can also see that every position at least got one vote except me. I must admit that I didn’t have a very good game.”
Fans Debate Faker’s Statement
In a normal context, Faker’s statement could just be seen as the usual professionalism. But in the context of the ongoing T1 – Gumayusi – Smash drama, many are concerned that Faker’s comment might be used as an excuse by Gumayusi’s anti-fans to attack him if this player is given a chance in upcoming matches.
However, there are also many opinions suggesting that Faker was simply showing professionalism and wanted to acknowledge Smash’s contributions. In reality, if the LCK Cup 2025 is just a warm-up and not deemed too significant, then the 2025 Regular Seasons would be Smash’s first official LCK match in T1 colors. Therefore, Faker’s show of support is perhaps just normal.
Nevertheless, it seems that the opinions of outside figures supporting or opposing T1 and Gumayusi are no longer too significant. Gumayusi’s fans’ trust in T1 has hit rock bottom. And now, there is little expectation that T1 will allow Gumayusi to return in the near future; in fact, this team might truly be in a corner before the marksman with two consecutive World Championship titles can “comeback.”