As the offseason draws to a close, T1 stax reflected on his performance and the key areas he plans to focus on in 2026.
For T1’s in-game leader (IGL) Kim "stax" Gu-taek, there is plenty to work on ahead of the next season. After an impressive start to the year, which included winning their first international trophy in Bangkok, T1 struggled to maintain momentum, something they cannot afford in the upcoming season.
In an interview with esports.gg ahead of the Red Bull Home Ground, stax discussed his personal mistakes, key areas to improve, lessons learned in 2025, the new head coach, and what it’s like being one of the most relatable VALORANT players around.
The Masters Bangkok fever dream
For T1 stax, there is no better moment this season than his victory at the Masters Bangkok tournament. “It was my first time winning an international event, and it has a lot of meaning for me,” he said. The experience was a rollercoaster of emotions that stax is still struggling to put into words.
However, after Bangkok, T1 faced challenges both domestically and internationally. “I’ve been reflecting and thinking that maybe I’ve been lacking in some fundamentals since then. I’m working on strengthening my basics,” stax explained.
T1 finished 7th in VCT Pacific: Stage 1, followed by a 4th-place finish in Stage 2. Their Champions run ended prematurely, as they didn’t manage to qualify for the Playoffs.
Even after a disappointing performance later in the year, T1 stax believes the team has enormous potential and can go further next season. “I think everyone is on the same page, and we know the Champions trophy means everything. Everyone wants it. It’s the one trophy missing from our shelves,” he said.
The 2025 lesson taught him a lot about communication and being the in-game leader his team needs. “Personally, I don’t think my performance was that strong this year,” he added. “Communication between our team members also wasn’t ideal, so we’re going to work on improving that. We’ll do our best to perform better next year.”
Red Bull Home Ground
Before the season ends, T1 will participate in the Red Bull Home Ground 2025, an off-season tournament they won in 2024. Although stax hopes to face Fnatic and NRG, their first matchup will be against Sentinels. Can they win it two years in a row?
T1 stax is the most relatable VALORANT player
If you haven’t crashed out in the middle of a VALORANT ranked match, you’re probably one of the very few. One thing that makes T1 stax stand out is that he’s one of the funniest and most relatable VALORANT players ever. "Because I’m streaming, I want to react more and engage with the chat. Instead, I ended up getting more frustrated, and the stream snipers are really annoying," stax commented. "Playing ranked is hard."
As a Controller player, T1 stax has yet to study Harbor's latest rework. "I watched the video and some clips, and I think this kind of rework is really good. I want to try it, but I haven’t yet," he explained. Who knows if he can now be more viable in the competitive scene? Throughout his career, T1’s IGL has played Harbor in competitive matches five times.
KDG joins the roster as the new Head Coach
On Oct. 29, T1 announced that Kim “KDG” Dong-gun would join the team as the new head coach, parting ways with Yoon “Autumn” Eu-teum. Describing the new coach, T1 stax emphasizes the word “fundamental.”
KDG began his coaching career in 2023 with the Korean esports team Shadow Corporation. Since 2025, he has been leading the T1 Academy squad, helping them secure victory at VALORANT Challengers 2025: Stage 3.
"Right now, we are in the offseason. But if we work hard with KDG’s new head coach, I think we can achieve good results. Please continue to support us. I’ll give my best in our games, so please cheer for us and keep showing us your love," stax shared in a heartfelt message to T1 fans.
T1 LoL Worlds 2025 victory
Their fellow teammates from League of Legends defeated KT Rolster to claim the LoL Worlds 2025 title for the sixth time, an incredible achievement in stax’s eyes. When asked, “Are you happy Faker got to win again?” he replied, “Of course. They were so calm and clearly enjoying the match.”
Although T1 didn’t accomplish every goal in 2025, the organization still enjoyed a highly successful year, securing both the Masters Bangkok trophy and the League of Legends Worlds 2025 Championship.
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