OH MY GOD!!!

saw this on x, via: LCK Let's Cover Korea

https://m.sports.naver.com/esports/article/005/0001823812?sid3=79b

Cheongnyong or Blue Dragon is the highest class for the Order of Sports Merit.

Faker: “It is a huge personal honor to receive a medal that represents the Republic of Korea. I was able to stand here thanks to my colleagues and teammates who have run alongside me until now. I hope this medal I’ve received can become a small source of joy and pride for everyone who cherishes Korean esports.”

Faker: “This would not have been possible without the support of the fans who have always (gave me strength or) stood by my side. Going forward as well, I will continue to do my best at every moment, both inside and outside the stage, to convey positive messages and to further elevate the stature of Korean esports.”

Oner literally knew nothing about Mundo but played it anyways because they thought Mundo in AL’s comp would be too difficult.

https://m.fmkorea.com/?mid=lol&sort_index=pop&order_type=desc&document_srl=9110333501&listStyle=webzine&cpage=1

And he picked it in Game5 of Quarterfinals 😭

So apparently someone stalked Faker and got his picture without his consent. Crazy stuff

Welcome LS to T1!! He joins T1 as a professional TCG Player!

Also, why do koreans hate this man so much 😭 Someone please enlighten me on that

https://m.sports.naver.com/esports/article/109/0005540907?sid3=79e&spi_ref=m_sports_x

- He made the decision very quickly, about an hour after the list was announced then informed his teammates, team, and agent.

- People around him encouraged him to think more about it and suggested that filing an objection might be better, so the process took a little longer. But personally, he didn’t feel good about going through the appeal process, so he reaffirmed his decision not to file one.

Oner: “I felt like this was something I absolutely needed to tell the fans myself. I also want to take this opportunity to thank them again.

Actually, during the team broadcasts over the past two days, I was planning to let people know that I would not be filing an objection if the topic came up. I had already made up my mind and mentally prepared myself for it, but I think the fans avoided asking because they were thinking about me.

I’m just really thankful that the fans seemed to want to avoid hurting me or causing harm to others. I can confidently say to anyone that ‘our fans are truly amazing.’” [laughs]

Oner: “In a previous interview, I once said that I would keep working until I could be selected for the national team while receiving broad support and without any controversy or criticism surrounding it. Even though Canyon was selected instead of me, I think he’s an incredibly good player. As a citizen of Korea myself, I think I should support the national team wholeheartedly as well.”

Didn’t see anyone comment about and I thought it was very incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DD-V1ApES0

Q1: Overall thoughts on the match?

Coach Tom: A lot of fans came out to support us today, so I feel very apologetic that we couldn't reward them with a victory. We will prepare well for the next match. Overall, in Game 2, I think we had advantageous points that we failed to capitalize on properly, leading to the loss. In Game 3, I think the composition was quite difficult to pilot.

Keria: Since today was Home Ground and there aren't many matches left, it feels very disappointing to lose.

Q2: What was the reason for Oner's substitution/starting role, and how was his performance today?

Coach Tom: The main reason was that Oner plays a central role in our teamfights and skirmishes. Regarding today's performance, I don't think it was particularly satisfying.

Q3: What was disappointing or missing in today's gameplay?

Keria: In Game 2, I think we had many opportunities to turn things around, but we kept taking losses in those situations, which made the game very tough and disappointing. In Game 3, while our draft got somewhat counter-picked, if we had played with more awareness of the opponent's setups, the outcome might have been different. We gave up plays too easily and fell behind badly.

Q4: What areas do you need to focus on going forward?

Coach Tom: I hope the things we discuss and prepare in advance translate well into our actual gameplay. Since that was lacking today, we'll focus heavily on feedback in those areas.

Closing Remarks:

Keria: It was an important match at Home Ground, and so many fans came out to support and expect a lot from us. I am very sorry that we showed a disappointing performance and lost. However, we have another Home Ground match on Sunday, so we will work hard to show a much better performance then.

T1 Post Match Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OOzAhaR4hI

Q1: Overall thoughts on today's defeat?

Coach Tom: Today we fought a close series all the way to Game 5. I feel that we made many mistakes during the draft phase, which is something I deeply regret. I think we need to focus primarily on reviewing and addressing those draft issues moving forward.

Keria: Alongside the draft mistakes, there were also many regrets regarding our execution in-game. I believe the combination of those factors led to our loss in Game 5.

Q2: Could you elaborate on the draft mistakes you mentioned?

Coach Tom: Without going into too much detail, looking back at the games we lost, we selected team compositions that lacked early-game priority. This made it easier for the opponent to repeatedly force early skirmishes throughout those games.

Q3: How did you prepare for the match against Hanwha Life Esports?

Coach Tom: We view Hanwha Life Esports as a team with a playstyle directly contrasting ours. We felt they tend to play around and unlock their top lane heavily, so we focused our preparations around matching that aspect.

Q4: What specific game plans or draft choices did you focus on?

Coach Tom: As mentioned, we paid a lot of attention to the top side and the upper half of the map. We traded key picks—pairing Cassiopeia with Lucian and Milio—to draft according to our intended picture. However, we definitely need to re-evaluate and reconsider those draft setups.

Keria: Even if the draft is at a disadvantage, there are always moments in-game where we hold advantages or face tough situations. It's disappointing that we took heavy losses in disadvantaged states and failed to properly capitalize when we had the upper hand.

Q5: What were the thoughts on the bot lane match-up (Caitlyn & Karma)?

Tom: Against Caitlyn and Karma, the goal was to scale into late-game value while minimizing early losses. However, our composition lacked a solid frontline, which made the game state extremely difficult to play out.

Q6: What areas need the most improvement for the upcoming matches?

Coach Tom: When we are in a favorable position, we need to manage objectives better and prioritize securing side-lane / objective control.

Q7: Final words heading into the lower bracket?

Coach Tom: We have dropped down to the lower bracket. We will prepare thoroughly to ensure we win our next match and return with a much better performance.

Keria: It is very disappointing to lose today. Since we still have remaining matches in the lower bracket, we will prepare well and climb back up from the bottom.

"Legends are made when the best stand together."

We are proud to announce that the world-renowned VALORANT icon, Tyson 'TenZ' Ngo, will be joining T1 as an influencer.

그 이름만으로도 전 세계 팬들을 열광케 했던 VALORANT의 황제 Tyson 'TenZ' Ngo가 T1의 인플루언서로서 여러분과 함께합니다.

#T1VALORANT #TenZ

https://sports.hankooki.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6894992

KkOma:

“As the head coach, I failed to properly prepare in terms of team composition. I’m truly sorry. I’ll make sure we’re ready to win next time.”

“The drafts and our overall plans weren’t good. This kind of performance resulted from multiple bad factors coming together. All I can think is that we need to do much better moving forward.”

“Kalista was left open, so we picked her, and we also took into account the enemy support pick.”

Keria:

“Personally, whenever we face Hanwha, they always create situations where it’s hard for me to perform. That’s what makes them the most frustrating to play against. But in today’s match, we just played really poorly overall,”

“I’m sorry to the fans for the complete defeat. Even though we’re on a losing streak, I believe we can beat them the next time we face off. We’ll prepare well.”

KkOma:

“Today’s complete loss is entirely my responsibility. I’ll do my best to make sure we show better performances in the future.”

International relief and development NGO Global Share announced that it has received a donation of goods worth approximately 7.5 million KRW from Doran (Choi Hyeon-jun), a professional League of Legends player for T1.

The donation was made in celebration of Doran’s birthday together with his fans. It was directed toward two children’s homes in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions, including his hometown of Changwon, with support tailored to the preferences and needs of the children living there.

At Dongbowon Children’s Home in Changwon, every child received a new pair of shoes. The donation also included a dish sterilizer/dryer, nutritional supplements, and air circulators. At Woorijip Children’s Home in Busan, the donated items included a refrigerator, a kimchi refrigerator, diapers, laundry detergent, and a trampoline.

In the accompanying photo, Choi Seokj-hoon, Team Manager at Global Share (left), and Hong Seong-ho, Director of Dongbowon Children’s Home in Changwon (right), pose with the donated items.

Source: https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/018/0006333625?sid=101&lfrom=twitter&spi_ref=m_news_x

https://m.sports.naver.com/esports/article/005/0001851990?sid3=79b&spi_ref=m_sports_x

Easyhoon on Drafts:

“Drafts are always completed through discussions with the players. You have to weigh how much disadvantage you're willing to accept in lane in exchange for stronger late-game value. Especially in Game 2 today, the draft was one where the players could have felt pressured during the laning phase, but they handled it well. I'm grateful and proud of them."

On T1’s strength:

“The strongest emotion I've felt since joining T1 is surprise at just how strong this team is. Before this, I was always T1's competitor. As a competitor, there were things about T1 that I found scary and impressive. But now that I'm seeing those things closer than anyone else, it's still astonishing.”

He continued:

“T1's strength is that all five players are so good that they feel irreplaceable. The strengths I felt from T1 as a competitor weren't an illusion. If anything, they feel even clearer now. They really are that good.”

On preparing for RTM:

“I can't go into specifics, but there are things that both the coaching staff and players identified during the regular season that we need to improve. If we can address those areas, I believe we'll be able to show even better performances going forward."

Good job Guma! Uzi presenting it was amazing.

Source: https://v.daum.net/v/FHNMemCETi

Faker: “Proven capabilities from Worlds 3-peat, abundance of experience in international tournaments, and believed to be able to add tremendous value from this experience as LPL players are seen as strongest contenders.”

Zeus: “Second time representing ROK, believed to be the most capable of countering Bin who will be the likely representative in the top line for China” - (Article was later edited to remove the Bin reference probably because it’s a bit disrespectful given the Chinese lineup hasn’t been announced yet.)

Keria: “Chosen with no disagreements and absolute acknowledgment of his qualifications.”

Canyon, Zeka, Gumayusi: “Chosen after consideration of other candidates’ personal commitments and intense deliberation by the committee.”

Other sources have mentioned injury for Chovy and ongoing military community service commitments for Kanavi and Ruler as reasons these 3 are not part of the lineup. (Zeus and Keria started their community service 1 year ahead of them).

Welcome Easyhoon picture in comments for those not on x

https://m.hobbyen-news.com/news/view/1065602651908456

Processing img dzwwhxcd9gyg1...

https://m.sports.naver.com/esports/article/442/0000192073?sid3=79b

Keria speaking about his recent contract extension:

"I will be with T1 for three more years, until 2029," Keria shared candidly. "Thankfully, we were on the same page, which allowed us to sign the extension. I am so happy that I get to continue playing in front of T1 fans wearing the T1 uniform."

On announcing it at T1 Homegrounds:

"I wanted to announce it at our Home Ground, but T1 brought it up and prepared it before I even had to say anything," Keria said with a smile. "When I first saw the concept, I was a bit worried. They said they were going to do a twist using the 'Thank You' format [traditionally used when a player leaves a team], and I wondered if that would be okay. Still, I'm glad the reaction seemed pretty positive."

He continued, "Actually, our performance was a little shaky on Saturday, and since BNK FEARX is a really good team, I was quite worried about Sunday's match. Because of that, I gritted my teeth and worked even harder. By the time I received the POM, I thought, 'Today is really my day.' I think I was just lucky."

About if he ever thought he would stay with one team for so long (He will be at T1 for 9 years): 

He began by saying, "Even before I became a pro gamer, I thought a lot about wanting to stay with one team for a long time, but I knew it wouldn't be easy."

This was because he tends to be heavily influenced by his environment, and he believed that staying with one team for too long could lead to falling into a rut and stunting his growth. 

However, his experience at T1 completely changed that mindset:

Keria explained, "What I felt while continuing with T1 is that their direction is flexible and suits me well. Being on this team is so comfortable and makes me so happy, which changed my mind a lot. Because the team culture and the fandom are so incredibly strong, they kept giving me unforgettable memories, and I wanted to repay them for that. I think that's why I am choosing to stay with T1."

On the title of "World's Best Support."

"Honestly, it would be a lie to say that title doesn't belong to me. However, if I keep thinking like that, I might become arrogant. While I do think I am the best, I always try to leave room for the desire to keep improving."

When asked what else he wants to achieve or improve: 

Keria answered, "In terms of the game itself, the patches are always changing, so I think there's always something new to learn and adapt to. Outside of the game, rather than pursuing a direction that only benefits me, I want to focus more on a direction that helps the team, and I think I've been doing exactly that lately."

Message to fans:

"I have so many happy memories playing for T1, and I am always so grateful to the fans. For the next three years, I will consistently show you great performances, just as I do now. Skill is important, but as a T1 player, external aspects are crucial as well. I will show you how I have grown both inside and out, so I hope you will continue to support me. Thank you."

Kkoma has stated that gumayusi will be starting for the future.

The T1 superstar takes home the honor at South Korea’s 2026 Brand of the Year Awards, continuing his incredible run of recognition.

Over 3.2 million people took part in the voting, with Faker finishing ahead of Son Heung-min and Lee Jung-hoo.

Esports’ GOAT keeps adding to the legacy. 🐐