In an interview, T1’s CEO Joe Marsh revealed that the organization plans to approach its future in Valorant similarly to its youth development program in League of Legends, which was instrumental in discovering Faker.
T1 scouted Faker and initially signed him to its B-team in the early 2010s, nurturing him into the exceptional player he is today. Since then, the organization has expanded its youth academy, fostering emerging talents like Zeus and Gumayusi to complement their star players.
During the interview with RTP Arena, Marsh outlined T1’s strategy to replicate this successful model in Valorant after facing challenges with past teams not meeting expectations. He mentioned that the team will consist of 11 members, all from Korea.
“We have an esports academy with around 250 students, and half of them are focused on Valorant. The top Valorant player will likely be someone who has solely played Valorant. Not a castoff from CS or Overwatch, so we’re investing at the youth level,” he stated.
T1 was among the first organizations to enter the Valorant scene, initially signing a North American team composed of former CS players in 2020. However, those rosters struggled in professional play, and T1’s prospects improved significantly after joining VCT Pacific with Asian and international lineups.
Interestingly, T1 continued to recruit experienced players from other esports during the VCT league era. Adding former Overwatch stars like Carpe, Munchkin, and Sayaplayer, as well as Counter-Strike veteran xccurate.
shifting away from North America
Since shifting away from North America, T1 has participated in three major VCT events but has yet to secure any championships or high placements. With their best finish being third in the 2023 VCT Pacific League.
Marsh announced that T1 will unveil its Valorant roster for the 2025 season in October. Giving fans a glimpse of the organization’s new direction before it embarks on its VCT campaign.
Developing unknown talents from Valorant’s solo queue has proven successful for various teams in 2023 and 2024. For example, Evil Geniuses promoted Demon1 from obscurity to win a Champions trophy, while Gen.G scouted Karon, who helped them secure a Masters title in 2024.
Whether T1 can discover and develop a similarly talented player remains to be seen, but given their track record in League of Legends, they have a good chance of finding the “Faker” of Valorant.
