Hanwha Life Esports has formally revealed that Lee ‘Gumayusi‘ Min-hyung will be integrated into their League of Legends lineup for the 2026 LCK competition.
This announcement materializes after the aforementioned player concluded his association with T1, the reigning League of Legends World Champion, earlier in the current month.
Hanwha Life Esports expressed in a statement: “Given his exceptional level of play and considerable experience, Gumayusi will be instrumental in guiding Hanwha Life Esports towards achieving even greater success. We respectfully request your unwavering support as we embark on this new chapter with Gumayusi throughout the 2026 season.”
This acquisition signals the conclusion of Gumayusi’s engagement with T1 following a year characterized by uncertainty concerning his position within the organization. This period encompassed events ranging from T1’s CEO intervening to reinstate the player at the commencement of the 2025 LCK season after he had been substituted by academy player Sin ‘Smash‘ Geum-jae, to the triumph of securing the Worlds 2025 title.
Gumayusi was distinguished as the Most Valuable Player during the Grand Finals encounter against KT Rolster. Subsequent to the culmination of the tournament, T1 officially communicated the 23-year-old’s departure from the team on November 17th, accompanied by a formal announcement and a commemorative video, thus marking the conclusion of his seven-year representation of the organization.
As Gumayusi commences his subsequent venture with Hanwha Life Esports, his vacated position as the bot-laner for T1 has been assumed by Kim ‘Peyz‘ Su-hwan, who previously competed for Gen.G Esports during the 2024 season.
Smash Also Departs from T1
Smash, an academy player exhibiting significant promise within T1, has likewise concluded his association with the organization to join Dplus Kia in the capacity of their latest bot-laner.
Dplus Kia conveyed: “Bearing skills cultivated through steadfast dedication and exhibiting rapid development, he stands poised to realize his full potential. We solicit your anticipation and encouragement. We kindly request a resounding round of applause to extend a warm welcome to Smash, thereby ensuring that his journey of advancement with Dplus KIA may achieve even greater distinction.”
T1 is undergoing a substantial transformation as a consequence of the concurrent departures of both Gumayusi and Smash, thereby drawing to a close a period marked by considerable upheaval. Having once been embroiled in intense competition for a position on T1’s primary roster, the two players are poised to enter the forthcoming season under the banners of different organizations.
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