Preface: The S15 season has completely ended, and it’s believed that the vast majority of players have paid attention to the recent offseason period. The LCK region’s overall hype is very strong, particularly around the familiar HLE team. During the transfer period, they acquired AD carry Gumayusi, who took over from T1’s FMVP player. The K Cup performance was decent overall; although they didn’t clinch the championship, their strength was notable. However, recent interviews have thrust Gumayusi into the spotlight, where he openly expressed a desire to remove Faker, raise his own salary, voiced dislike for T1, wanted to resign, and even revealed he initially intended to join GEN but chose HLE because Ruler wouldn’t leave.

Gumayusi Wants to Remove Faker and Join GEN

Most players are quite familiar with the LCK region, widely recognized as a top-tier league worldwide. In recent years, LCK’s overall development has been rapid and consistent, securing world championship titles for multiple consecutive years. No other region has been able to withstand their pressure. During the winter transfer window, many top teams made roster changes, including the reigning champion T1, who let go of AD carry Gumayusi and brought in Peyz. They also recently won the K Cup. After the offseason began, Gumayusi’s interviews seriously put him under intense scrutiny.

Firstly, Gumayusi talked about his struggles during the transfer period. He said there wasn’t a clear moment but sometimes he disliked T1, similar to how an office worker clearly feels like quitting their job. He also mentioned wanting to join an LCK team capable of competing for championships. Since GEN’s Ruler’s contract was not expired, he had no choice but to join HLE as a second option. Honestly, this statement ignited HLE fans, unsure if it was intentional or just a lack of tact to even mention GEN.

Later, HLE’s official team responded, stating they had extensive discussions with Viper and only after confirming that Viper would not stay did they immediately negotiate with Gumayusi. If Viper had stayed, Gumayusi might have played in the LPL this season. The team management also admitted they had contact with LPL’s Bin during the transfer window but ultimately did not finalize a signing. Surprisingly, this rumored transfer story turned out to be true. If Bin joined LCK, how would negotiations have gone? Maybe Bin was even getting double eyelid surgery during talks.

Some netizens found previous remarks by Gumayusi, where he joked that if he were a team owner, he would raise his own salary and get rid of Faker because two suns cannot exist under the same sky. Although somewhat playful, Gumayusi clearly didn’t hold back his words. The next season’s competition will be interesting to watch. Coach Redmi mentioned in an interview that the teams to watch in LCK are mainly T1 and GEN. If HLE can handle those two, they likely will achieve good results. Let’s see if they appear in the S16 Pioneers tournament.

Farewell Thoughts

Unexpectedly, this round of interviews caused so many issues. Has Gumayusi not realized he misspoke? Bringing GEN into the transfer discussion was surprising. The triple champion does have some leverage, but choosing teams like that is probably still difficult. If not for Viper giving him a chance, he might have ended up playing in the LPL this transfer season.

What do you all think about this situation?