T1 Surprises Fans with Controversial Substitution at LCK Cup 2025
As known, during the fierce match between T1 and KT Rolster, which also marked Faker’s historic 1000th win, the reigning 2024 World Champion surprisingly benched Gumayusi and substituted him with Smash. Although T1 won convincingly and Smash was the MVP, the team still faced significant backlash.
Accordingly, many fans expressed their dissatisfaction with T1’s sudden roster changes without any prior notice or indication. Another reason raised is that Gumayusi is often seen as having to “sacrifice” for his teammates, which has sparked debates directed at T1.
The situation became more serious when in the most recent roster change, T1 suffered a devastating defeat until Faker stepped up to guide his teammates, marking T1’s first-ever “mid-game substitution” in the team’s history as well as in the LCK.
“Idolizing” Players Contributes to T1’s Current Backlash
In reality, T1 often combines fan meetings with their players’ schedules, and the rights of ticket buyers include interacting with players after the match. Therefore, it is understandable that fans felt disappointed when they could not see their familiar player compete. Furthermore, the lack of Gumayusi’s presence during the post-match interaction also added fuel to the fire.
However, this has also revealed the dark side of “idolizing” players. In other sports, it is common for stars to sit out so that coaches can test strategies. Faker himself used to rotate with EasyHoon for Coach KkOma to experiment with tactics.
However, League of Legends in Korea has changed significantly since the days when Faker or anyone from SKT T1/T1 could be benched. Many fans come to cheer for a team solely because of one or two players on the roster. Moreover, it is likely that these subsequent fan meeting activities encourage these fans to spend money on tickets. Therefore, when T1 aims to turn players into “idols,” they must serve fans as much as possible to ensure the interests of both parties, especially the supporters.
Yet, T1 did not meet fan expectations by providing early notice about Gumayusi’s absence. Fans probably understand the need for lineup experimentation, but what they require is a notification, which T1 failed to deliver.
The LCK Cup 2025 itself currently does not significantly impact major tournaments like MSI or the World Championship. The LCK organizers also recognize that one of the purposes of this tournament is to test Fearless Draft. T1’s actions in professional sports are understandable, but had they provided early notice, perhaps the controversy could have been avoided, and ultimately, both Gumayusi and Smash are the ones bearing the most pressure.