Latest news with #FirstStand2025
Saudi Gazette
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup
After a turbulent start to the year, T1 has officially announced the return of Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong to the starting lineup as AD carry for the 2025 LCK Spring Split. The decision follows a disappointing performance in the LCK Cup, where the reigning world champions finished in sixth place — far below expectations after securing back-to-back Worlds titles. The team's abrupt roster changes and lack of communication sparked criticism from fans and cast uncertainty over T1's direction heading into the new season. In a post on X, T1 CEO Joe Marsh clarified the situation, stating that the choice to bench Gumayusi in favor of rookie Sin "Smash" Geum-jae was made by the coaching staff, who wanted to evaluate the rookie in a competitive setting. Smash's strong showing during the tournament earned him the starting position throughout the LCK Cup, where he played 15 matches, including the elimination loss to Hanwha Life Esports. In contrast, Gumayusi featured in just five matches. Hanwha Life Esports went on to dominate the tournament, winning both the LCK Cup and First Stand 2025 without losing a single series. According to data from Oracle's Elixir, Smash posted a KDA of 7.5—the second-highest among all ADCs in the tournament, behind only Kim 'Aiming' Ha-ram. Despite Smash's impressive stats, Marsh confirmed that Gumayusi will reclaim the starting role for the upcoming Spring Split, though both players will continue to compete for the spot in practice. The final call will rest with the coaching staff and be based on ongoing performance. Marsh also revealed that he personally asked the coaching staff to give Gumayusi a chance to prove himself again, expressing full confidence in his ability to reclaim his reputation as the best bot laner in the world. Initially, T1 had aimed to retain its full Worlds-winning roster for 2025. However, the departure of top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je to Hanwha Life forced the organization to sign Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon as a replacement. Gumayusi's temporary removal from the lineup only deepened fan concerns, particularly over the decision to field a rookie in such a high-pressure role.
Korea Herald
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Seoul to host first-ever First Stand Tournament this month
First Stand Tournament newly joins Riot Games' lineup of global League of Legends competitions Seoul is set to host First Stand Tournament 2025, a newly lauching international League of Legends esports competition organized by Riot Games, this month. The tournament kicks off March 10 at LoL Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and runs for six days. First Stand Tournament will join the World Championship and Mid-Season Invitational as one of the professional LoL esports' global events. Five teams representing various regions will participate in the tournament. Hanwha Life Esports, the 2025 LCK Cup champion, will represent South Korea, while Team Liquid will take the banner for League of Legends Championship of The Americas. For LoL Championship Pacific, team CTBC Flying Oyster will take the stage, while Karmine Corp and Top Esports will represent Europe and China, respectively. The tournament will kick off with the round-robin stage, March 10-14, in which each team will face every other team once. The four top-performing squads from the group stage will advance to the knockout stage -- a best-of-five, single-elimination bracket -- slated to take place March 15-16. The finals, held at LoL Park's LCK Arena on March 16, will determine the first-ever First Stand Tournament champion. The champion of First Stand Tournament will earn a direct spot in the 2025 MSI playoffs, bypassing the preliminary rounds. The 2025 MSI will be held in Canada in July. A key feature of First Stand 2025 is the Fearless Draft system, which prevents teams from selecting champions used in previous games. If a best-of-five series reaches its final round, a total of 50 champions will become unavailable, demanding a broad mastery of the game's diverse roster for players and ensuring dynamic matchups for LoL fans. Riot Games said it will be introducing a revamped heads-up display at the First Stand Tournament. This new interface, designed to deliver live updates on active buff trackers, champion information and other match statistics on-screen without obstructing essential gameplay visuals, aims to modernize and deepen audience immersion, according to Riot Games. First Stand 2025 will be streamed live on Soop, Naver Esports & Games, and the YouTube LCK channel. Matches will begin at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends. Tickets to watch the games offline can be purchased via Interpark starting 48 hours before each match.
