T1 Becomes a “Viral” Name at KeSPA Cup 2025 for a “Hard to Forget” Reason
It can be said that the KeSPA Cup has never attracted as much attention as the 2025 season, when aside from Gen.G, the other two top teams from LCK, T1 and HLE, are both eager to compete for the unofficial early season title. The fact that these teams field their strongest lineups has drawn more attention to the tournament, and notably, T1 is making headlines as all three of the standout Marksmen in the tournament are, or have been, part of T1.
Accordingly, it turns out that all three players currently wearing T1 jerseys, Peyz, Gumayusi, and Smash, have each achieved a pentakill in this tournament. Notably, Peyz, Smash, and Gumayusi all secured their pentakills in the shortest timeframe for their respective teams.
For Peyz, it was his first BO3 match in T1’s colors. For Gumayusi, it was also his first BO3 match playing for HLE and the first pentakill for the 2025 World Championship FMVP against his former team. It becomes even more meaningful knowing that the T1 player who fell to allow Gumayusi to complete his pentakill was Keria, Gumayusi’s closest teammate during his time playing for the reigning World Champions.
These could also be the key factors determining the success or failure of T1 and other LCK teams next season.
According to updates from Riot, starting from the new season, Marksmen will have an additional equipment slot, while Riot will minimize the playstyle of lane swapping. Thus, the role and power of AD will definitely increase significantly. At the same time, teams will need to focus on playing around AD to maximize the strength of the quality Marksmen they possess.
In this context, besides Ruler from Gen.G, both T1, HLE, and DK are equipped with very talented superstars. The battle among these superstars will greatly influence the success or failure of their respective teams in the upcoming season.