One of the most criticized names after T1’s loss to Gen.G in the LCK Summer Finals 2023 is Gumayusi. This is all due to a mistake he made in game 3 when Gumayusi was the last hope for T1. With just that one mistake, all the efforts of the ADC born in 2002 throughout the season for T1 were wiped away. In fact, some hardcore fans even demanded Gumayusi to retire, while he was once considered the most consistent player for T1 when Faker had to take a break.
Recently, Gumayusi compared the ADC position in a team to an egg in a bowl of ramen. For those who may not know, a perfect bowl of Japanese ramen generally includes noodles, broth, thinly sliced pork, dried seaweed, pickled bamboo shoots, and green onions. Notably, despite the many types of ramen, they all commonly include at least one soft-boiled egg as a topping. For many people, the soft-boiled egg is perhaps the most delicious and important topping in ramen. However, Gumayusi’s implication has left many viewers feeling a sense of bittersweet reality.
Explaining his statement, Gumayusi shared: “The ADC position is like this; using ramen as a metaphor, the ADC would be like the egg. The Top Lane, Mid Lane, and Jungle are like the water, noodles, and seasoning, but sometimes the ADC doesn’t matter. Of course, if it’s ramen, it’s much better with an egg, but that’s how it feels. The Support is like the vegetable packet. For example, if you have two identical bowls of ramen, the one with the egg is better. That’s when the role of the egg is highlighted. But if there’s little broth, no seasoning, or the noodles aren’t cooked, then what good is the egg? It’s of no benefit at all. However, if everything is ready, then the egg becomes important. Otherwise, it means nothing.”
Interpreting Gumayusi’s meaning, it can be seen that the ADC position can only truly unleash its potential and role when teammates are ready and create conditions for it. This is entirely reasonable since in the early stages of a match, the ADC is often the position that influences the game the least but is still “cared for” very meticulously. Additionally, Gumayusi may imply that if a team is losing comprehensively, having an ADC or not doesn’t matter. The ADC position only truly makes an impact when both sides have a balanced matchup.
Gumayusi’s comments, which seem like a common joke from a “prince,” represent a bitter comparison about the role of an ADC in a professional League of Legends team, especially for high-expectation teams like T1. His quote has also attracted attention, even from well-known figures in the League of Legends community, and continues to spark much debate.