Throughout his time since officially debuting in the professional LoL scene and building his reputation as one of the best AD carries in the world, Gumayusi can be considered one of the rare players from T1 who consistently maintains the highest performance. Perhaps, the rare difficult times for the player born in 2002 were from the LCK Spring Finals until the end of MSI 2023. However, at the most critical moment when Faker was injured and had to take a break from competition, Gumayusi became the reliable name, the last support for his teammates. Nevertheless, T1 at that time did not achieve really good results.
However, it cannot be denied that Gumayusi also went through a period of both mental and performance decline. During that time, the confidence of the superstar born in 2002 nearly vanished, and Gumayusi was also not confident about his ability to stay at T1. A prime example is right after T1 was eliminated from MSI 2023 and continuously had poor results in the LCK Summer 2023 group stage. At that time, Gumayusi made a “legendary” statement: “T1 is the strongest team, and only the best players can play for T1.”
It can be said that after the T1 players won the Worlds 2023, Gumayusi’s statement became more popular than ever. It not only demonstrated the character of this player but also affirmed T1’s status in the global LoL scene. Some fans even suggested that T1 should offer special rewards for Gumayusi. His statement has a media value and helps T1 promote better than any banner or marketing slogan, especially combined with the recent championship title.
More importantly, in terms of image and reach, it can be said that T1 is finding a “second Faker” right within the team. Gumayusi’s statements are not only highly “content-creating” but could also become a quality brand or slogan. The above statement is a perfect example. For Gumayusi himself, he stands out even more as he “dared” to post about the championship on the social media platform Weibo of the LPL audience after defeating an LPL team (Weibo Gaming) to claim the title at Worlds.
Gumayusi himself also claims he will build his own empire, surpassing even Faker at T1. Whether he can achieve this or not is still unknown, but one thing is for sure, Gumayusi is making an impression as a player who “talks the talk and walks the walk,” with every statement he makes capable of creating content instantly.