Gumayusi Rarely Uses Ezreal Revealing T1’s Major Difference
In the recent match against OKSavingsBank BRION, Gumayusi had the opportunity to use Ezreal again after a long time. As many viewers have pointed out, the inability to perform well with champions like Ezreal, Kai’Sa, or Zeri is the reason why Gumayusi was tested by T1. However, the match against OKBRO also revealed a factor that even T1 fans may not have realized without this game: T1 cannot operate the team composition with Ezreal.
Looking back at Smash during the LCK Cup 2025, when this player uses Ezreal, the win rate is… 0%. T1 is also one of the rare teams that almost cannot win when their ADC uses Ezreal, and this weakness has persisted since Teddy was still wearing the jersey of the reigning World Championship champions. However, instead of other positions changing, it was the change of Gumayusi – Smash that led many to blame the two-time World Championship ADC instead of thinking the other way around.
Ezreal is a very strong late-game champion. Therefore, in the early and mid-game, the entire team needs to support Ezreal as much as possible while also meeting another requirement: not to fall behind too much in lane, even having to force a tie to win. The simple reason is that Ezreal needs as many resources as possible to farm and simultaneously needs to be adequately covered and secured kills during fights.
But if they play like that, it will inadvertently hinder the entire T1. Doran’s champion pool, while not too narrow, leans toward a style that can win against lower-tier teams but struggles to compete against Zeus, Kiin, or even Morgan, PerfecT on a high-performance day. Therefore, Doran also needs support. Faker has long since lost the superior laning skills to ensure winning every matchup. Supporting him is, of course, necessary.
However, Oner – Keria cannot bear too many responsibilities, especially since Oner also needs resources. Therefore, when T1 plays “ADC-centric” (with Smash), the whole team becomes weak. When T1 plays Ezreal for Gumayusi but chooses Naafiri, Jayce…, they find it even harder to operate and more easily countered.
T1 May Have Learned a Lesson
The victory against OKBRO was a must. But more importantly, with the choice of Ezreal for Gumayusi, it seems that the League of Legends audience and T1 have realized: they cannot play “ADC-centric” and instead of forcing themselves, they should just use champions they are comfortable with, make reasonable bans and picks, and play at their true level to achieve victories as they have done in the past.