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The competitive season hasn\u2019t officially resumed yet on the League of Legends<\/em><\/a> circuit, but some regions have already kicked off their preseason events \u2014 the LPL with the Demacia Cup<\/a>, and the LCK with the KeSPA Cup<\/a>, which began on December 6. This tournament will feature the first matchup between Lee \u201cGumayusi<\/strong><\/a>\u201d Min-hyeong, now with Hanwha Life Esports, and T1<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It was the biggest shock of the 2025 offseason: the breakup between T1 and Gumayusi after winning the last three World Championships together. He joined Choi \u201cZeus<\/strong>\u201d Woo-je at HLE, while the young prodigy Kim \u201cPeyz<\/a>\u201d Su-hwan stepped in to replace him. The match scheduled for next Thursday <\/strong>carries real symbolic weight \u2014 it\u2019s the meeting between a homegrown star many believed would never leave and the organization he once defined.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last year, a similar story unfolded between T1 and Zeus. Although he was expected to stay, a long offseason saga eventually pushed him toward HLE. His first meeting with T1 came later than Gumayusi\u2019s \u2014 it happened in the Playoffs of the 2025 LCK Cup in mid-February. Zeus took the series 3\u20132 against his former team<\/strong> and looked unstoppable at that moment. They went on to win the trophy, as well as the first edition of the First Stand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gumayusi will now have to face the players he spent the last five years with \u2014 except Choi \u201cDoran\u201d Hyeon-joon. His partnership with Ryu \u201cKeria<\/strong>\u201d Min-seok is one of the most iconic in the history of the game, but in a few days they\u2019ll be on opposite sides. The stakes aren\u2019t particularly high, but the symbolism is unmistakable: Gumayusi will face T1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Both teams finished first in their groups<\/a> and will now face each other in Round 1 of the KeSPA Cup in a BO3. This match won\u2019t be an elimination round. The other series will feature Dplus KIA against Nongshim RedForce. For the players, the stakes are twofold: to be eligible for the Asian Games, they must have played in the KeSPA Cup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Header Photo Credit: Hanwha Life Esports\/Red Bull<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Write a comment<\/p>\nA sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
– Ilyas Marchoude –<\/h2>\n
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