- The Korean team got in the Asia international VALORANT league for next year
- It is making roster changes, leaving only its Korean players
- The trio will go on to prepare in Seoul for next year
Following its acceptance in the Asia international VALORANT league, T1 will move onwards without American Zander “Thwifo” Kim and British-Canadian Joshua “steel” Nissan.
T1 Leaves Only Its Korean Core
Esports organizations often have to make big changes when transitioning from one league to another. Such is the case for Korean and North American organization T1 which was recently accepted in the Asia international VALORANT league for the 2023 competitive season.
With such a change come roster shuffles, and according to the sources of Dot Esports, T1 will be releasing its non-Korean players. This means that American Zander “Thwifo” Kim and British-Canadian Joshua “steel” Nissan will be leaving, while T1 continues with the Korean trio of Son “xeta” Seon-ho, Joseph “ban” Seungmin Oh, and Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom.
What Happens Now?
The three remaining players will be moved to Seoul, South Korea, where they will prepare to participate in next year’s Asia international league. The season will begin in February with a kick-off tournament in Brazil, but the first inaugural split will begin later in the year. There were some speculations that steel would also move to Korea to compete in the league under a different team, but nothing has yet been confirmed.
T1 returning to Korea means one of the best Asian organizations goes back to its region. T1 initially signed steel and Thwifo as part of their attempt to make a strong foothold in the Americas international league as part of their partnership with Riot. However, the American-Korean team failed to qualify for an international tournament throughout its tenure.
This is likely one main reason why T1 moved back to the Asia league. Now, it will likely look for other Korean players, striving to build one of the best teams in Asia. Considering T1 is already considered one of the best VALORANT teams, it’s likely its roster will improve even more with the addition of more Korean players, as this will facilitate training and in-game communication.
