Interview with T1 Gumayusi on the Meta Impact of MSI 2024

I joined Gumayusi after T1’s close defeat, which ended their run in MSI 2024. Despite the loss, he remained optimistic, although he seemed slightly disappointed by the level of influence he had on the outcome of the match.

The role of ADC is known to be unpredictable, making it difficult to achieve balance. When the ADC is overly powerful, the game tends to revolve around it entirely. On the other hand, if it is not strong enough, the meta typically leans towards ADCs with greater utility and/or range. This is the case on patch 14.8, as confirmed by Gumayusi and T1’s assessment of the current meta.

Gumayusi explained that for him, the most effective approach was to sacrifice himself for the benefit of his T1 team, in order to give them an advantage. This may not be the most desirable strategy for a role that includes “carry”in its name.

Gumayusi takes on AD “carry” role for T1

During their first set against BLG at MSI 2024, T1 experienced a 1-3 loss in which Faker was consistently targeted during the draft phase. It has become common for opposing teams to ban multiple mid lane champions in an attempt to limit Faker’s champion pool, as well as targeting Gumayusi with bans on Senna.

It was a priority for Guma to secure strong champions in the bot and mid lanes, as stated by Guma. This decision is understandable, given the high frequency of target bans against Faker and the limited number of ADC champions played by Gumayusi during the tournament.

“Upon reviewing our previous matches, [BLG] employed a strategy to limit our mid lane. As a result, we focused on improving our mid/bottom draft,”he clarified.

T1’s star bot laner, in this series, did have one game where he was able to truly show off his skills – the Draven match.

“One thing that surprised me was our decision to pick Ashe while our opponents chose Varus or Kalista to counter it. However, we were confident in our ability to handle the situation.”

TRIPLE KILL FOR GUMAYUSI! #MSI2024 pic.twitter.com/34vxGdCcAe

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 18, 2024

Despite only playing one game on a champion that wasn’t Senna, Varus, or Kalista, Guma’s performance on Draven proved that he still possesses the carry gene. His exceptional spacing and fearless gameplay on this champion demonstrated his skill and potential. However, for the rest of MSI 2024, he stuck to playing Senna, Varus, and Kalista, as these were either picked or banned in the remaining matches.

I inquired about his thoughts on not attempting to draft a team composition centered around him being a strong carry, given the success of the Draven game. He expressed confidence in the decision made by himself and the team, stating that it was simply T1’s understanding of the current meta.

“According to Guma, the current ADC meta lacks high-risk, hyper-carry champions. He then went on to discuss his strategy for carrying in his role.”

“In our previous match, we allowed the opponent to have Senna, a highly sought-after bot laner, while we selected Taliyah, another powerful choice. Despite these minor drawbacks in the draft, I am determined to carry as an ADC for my team.”

It’s important to mention that other teams at MSI, such as G2, utilized lane swaps in an attempt to safely bring late-game ADCs like Kog’Maw and Jinx to their peak performance on the stage. It appears that every team has a slightly different interpretation of the meta for MSI 2024.

The existence of blue side advantage is another aspect of the story. It is a widely discussed topic, and Guma was eager to share his thoughts on it.

“According to him, the blue side has a slight advantage. However, he also mentioned that on stage, the red side may feel better, but this could be a mental aspect. He expressed uncertainty about using a coin flip to determine who gets the blue side in the first place, as it heavily relies on luck. If someone were to ask for a solution to this issue, he admitted he wouldn’t be too confident in providing one.”

Given that BLG won all their games on blue side, resulting in a 3-2 overall victory, it is difficult to determine the outcome had side selection been switched. However, if T1 had emerged victorious with a 3-2 score, it raises the question of fairness for BLG. This presents a challenging dilemma to resolve.

Despite this, T1’s performance at the tournament remained strong. It is highly probable that the team will continue to stay together during the Summer season and, at the very least, for the remainder of the year.

T1-team-photo-MSI-2024 — Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

Despite his excitement for the Summer Split, Gumayusi still has some worries. His main concern is the continuous DDoS attacks that targeted T1 HQ throughout the Spring.

Despite claiming that their lack of practice in Spring did not impact their performance in MSI 2024, he expressed concern about the potential for it to affect their performance in the upcoming Summer season. He also mentioned that the root cause of the problem has yet to be resolved.

“Returning is a concern for me as the DDoS issue in Korea remains unresolved. It is possible that both our practice and streaming could be affected, thus it is crucial for the DDoS issues to be addressed promptly.”

After all, it appeared that Gumayusi was managing the situation well. He wasn’t letting the defeat affect him too deeply and was already focused on the upcoming Summer season. In the end, that’s all one can do after a narrow loss, especially when minor choices can have major impacts. Additionally, the ADC role is generally more dominant on the present patch compared to the MSI one.

There is a possibility that T1’s team dynamic and drafting strategy will be altered during the Summer season in order to place Guma in a leading role. He will continue to strive for success until T1 is at the top once again.

“When I first became a professional, my goal was not just to win Worlds once. It was to become the top player in the world. Until I reach that level, I will not give up.”