Esports illustrated

World Champs T1 Lose First Team Member

The T1 core of ZOFGK has come to an end and has already found a new top laner.

Sage Datuin

(Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)

Two-time League of Legends World Champion Choi “Zeus” Woo-jae and T1 have officially parted ways as the ZOFGK core comes to an end.

Following the organization’s fifth League of Legends World Championship and second consecutive with the ZOFGK core, many fans were anticipating the T1 core to stay together. Throughout the offseason, T1 continued to reveal each member of the ZOFGK core was re-signing with the organization for the 2025 season. 

However, it appears that the three-year dynasty of ZOFGK is finally coming to an end after the organization revealed on T1 socials that the world-renowned top laner would be leaving the organization.

“Today we part ways with Zeus,” T1 said. “We truly thank him for all he has accomplished and wish him all the best.”

It is currently undetermined which team Zeus will join next. However, his next team will likely be a top contender for LoL Worlds 2025, as he was seen as one of T1’s strongest members.

Who Will Replace Zeus in T1?

Former Gen.G and Hanwha Life toplaner Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon will replace Zeus on T1.

Shortly after announcing Zeus’ departure from T1, the organization revealed they had already found his replacement.

“Doran joined the T1 LCK team,” T1 said. “Please support him as the new top laner for T1 and help him shine even brighter at T1!”

Who is T1 Doran?

Doran is a well-established LCK toplaner, having played for top-level teams including Griffin, DRX, KT, Gen.G, and most recently, Hanwha Life Esports. Now, he is set to go forward on a new path with T1 on a one-year contract.

He has gone to the LoL World Championships four times and is also a four-time LCK champion. While he has not won LoL Worlds just yet, Doran is one of best toplaners in the LCK and has beaten T1 in the LCK Grand Finals three times.

 It will be interesting to see if he can live up to the level of play Zeus displayed throughout his T1 tenure. For now, fans can mourn the end of the ZOFGK dynasty and hopefully celebrate the future that is DOFGK.

For now, League of Legends fans should be sure to check out our article detailing how Fearless Draft works as it will be the new format for many competitive leagues. Additionally, those interested in tuning into Arcane Season 2 should also be sure to check out our Release Guide.

Published
Sage Datuin
SAGE DATUIN

Sage got his start in esports as a volunteer writer in 2016 for esports organization, Dignitas. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft as a journalist and reporter for a number of established esports publications, such as esports.gg, Unikrn, Akshon Esports, Howla, The Player’s Lobby, Nerd Street Gamers, and most recently Dot Esports. Now, as a member of Esports Illustrated’s content team, Sage’s primary duties are centered around creating groundbreaking written and video content about the esports industry that impacts the community in a meaningful way. Sage graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Informatics. There, he was a member of the Rutgers Esports Executive Board, both as the head of the fighting game community and a videographer/photographer for the Content team.

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