The current LoL world champion and the most trophy-winning team in LoL esports T1 announced this morning that the players have extended their contracts and that the legendary five will play together next year as well.
The team led by the best player of all time Lee "Faker" Sanghyeok was only one game away from being two consecutive planet champions, but even so, their results since they have been together have been impressive, and by winning this year's championship they cemented themselves in the position of the best team on the planet.
Despite the fact that it was clear to everyone that the players get along very well and that there is a greater closeness between them than just a collegial relationship, the restrictions that the LCK introduces on salaries for the next year announced potential changes in the team because T1 simply could not and would not more to cover the salaries of five top players who are receiving offers from various teams, not only from Korea but also from China.
It was said during the World Cup that this was probably the last tournament for T1 in the current lineup, and even when they won the trophy in the victory interviews, the players were extremely careful in choosing their words when talking about their future. In those moments, it was clear to the audience and to themselves that some things cannot be influenced, but miracles sometimes happen.
T1 has managed to find a magic formula to keep players together, and how it came about is anyone's guess. If you consider that Faker is also a co-owner of the organization, it is clear for him that even though he is the main star of the team, he could accept the minimum salary, while he would make a profit by increasing the price and popularity of the team.
What is the biggest enigma at the moment is how Choi "Zeus" Wooje, the MVP of this year's championship finals, who was expected to accept an offer from some of the rich clubs in China, remained in the team, and how T1 managed to agree on the salary for the famous bot lane consisting of Lee "Gumayusi" Minhyeong and Ryu "Keria" Minseok.
What worked in their favor was certainly the fact that Gumayus and Keria wanted to continue playing together at all costs, which definitely made it easier for T1 to come to an agreement with them and make fans around the planet happy.
As for Moon "Oner" Hyeonjun, he, like Faker, was under contract beyond this year, so T1 didn't have to worry about him at this point, but instead focused on keeping top and bot lane, which exceeded all expectations and succeeded.
