T1’s Gumayusi Reflects on MSI 2024 and Looks Ahead to Summer Split
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with T1’s ADC, Gumayusi, following their narrow elimination from MSI 2024. Despite the loss, Gumayusi remained in good spirits, though it was clear he felt some frustration about the limited impact he had on the series’ outcome.
The Challenge of Balancing the ADC Role
The ADC role in League of Legends is notoriously difficult to balance. When it’s too powerful, the game revolves around it entirely. When it’s weaker, the meta shifts towards ADCs with high utility or range. According to Gumayusi and T1’s analysis, this latter scenario defined patch 14.8.
Gumayusi explained that his best approach to carrying the game was often to sacrifice personal advantage to benefit the team. This is not ideal for a role traditionally centered on being the primary damage dealer.
T1’s Draft Strategy and Target Bans
In their 1-3 series loss to BLG at MSI 2024, Faker faced significant target bans, which is a common strategy against T1. Alongside bans aimed at Faker’s champion pool, Senna was frequently banned to limit Gumayusi’s options.
“Looking at our matches before, [BLG] used a tactic to kind of shut down our mid lane. So, we worked on having a better mid/bottom draft,” Gumayusi explained.
A Shining Moment on Draven
Gumayusi had a standout performance on Draven in one game of the series, showcasing his exceptional skill and fearless gameplay. However, this was the only game in the tournament where he wasn’t on Senna, Varus, or Kalista, due to the heavy focus on these champions in the draft phase.
When asked about not drafting more around his hard-carry potential, Gumayusi believed the team made the right call based on their read of the meta. “I just don’t think the ADC position right now has those sort of high-risk, hyper-carry champions in the meta,” he explained.
The Meta and Draft Disadvantages
Gumayusi detailed his strategy of taking minor draft disadvantages to strengthen the team overall. “In our last game, when we gave Senna, who is a top tier bot laner, to the opponent and we took Taliyah, who is also a strong pick? Those kind of little draft disadvantages that I take for the team is how I’m trying to carry as an ADC right now.”
The Blue Side Advantage Debate
Another topic of discussion was the perceived advantage of the blue side in matches. “Blue side is at a small advantage,” Gumayusi noted. “In terms of the game sides on stage, I feel like the red side feels better? It might be mental, it might not be. But, in terms of how we decide who gets blue in the first place? I don’t know if a coin flip is the right way because it depends so much on luck. If someone asked me how to fix this, though, I wouldn’t be too sure.”
Looking Ahead to Summer Split
Despite the challenges at MSI, T1’s performance remained strong, and the team plans to stick together through the Summer Split and beyond. However, Gumayusi expressed concerns about the relentless DDoS attacks on T1 HQ during Spring, which hindered their practice.
“I do worry about going back. As far as I know, the DDoS issue in Korea hasn’t been resolved yet. We might be affected in both practice and streaming, and the DDoS issues should be solved as soon as possible.”
Conclusion
Gumayusi is already looking ahead to the Summer Split, determined to bounce back from the close loss at MSI. With ADC potentially being stronger on the upcoming patch, T1 might adjust their strategy to put Gumayusi back in the spotlight. His ultimate goal remains clear: “When I debuted as a pro, winning Worlds once was never my goal. It was to be the best in the world. Until I achieve that, I’m not going to stop.”
