For most League of Legends esports players, an international tournament begins long before they step onto the stage. There are long-haul flights, unfamiliar practice environments, new food, jet lag, and the challenge of adapting to a different country while preparing for the biggest matches of the year at an international event.
For T1’s new AD carry, Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan, none of that exists this time.
The Mid-Season Invitational 2026 (MSI 2026) is taking place in Daejeon, South Korea, allowing the former MSI champion to prepare in familiar surroundings in his first international tournament wearing T1 colors.
“Normally, back in the days when I qualified for MSI, I always had to travel overseas to play over there,” Peyz told Dot Esports at MSI 2026 in an exclusive interview. “But this time, since it’s hosted in Daejeon, Korea, I think it feels really nice because I get to play in an environment where I’m really used to. So I don’t really have to worry about maintaining our condition.”
While some players may feel additional pressure competing in front of a home crowd with high expectations, Peyz doesn’t see it that way. “I don’t feel any special pressure coming from playing in front of the home crowds.”
That composure wasn’t limited to his answers. Throughout the interview, Peyz frequently took a moment before speaking, weighing his words with the same patience that has defined his career. For a player who has repeatedly been asked to replace some of League‘ greatest AD carries, there was little sign of nerves, only quiet confidence in his own ability.
Few players spend the opening years of their careers following legends. Peyz has done it twice, first after Ruler at Gen.G, now after Gumayusi at T1. Despite that, he has never let the weight of those expectations define him.
Living up to T1’s expectations, not its past
After Gumayusi left T1 to join Hanwha Life Esports, Peyz made the biggest move of his career, joining the most decorated organization in League of Legends.
The transfer also reunited him with former Gen.G teammate Doran while placing him alongside Faker, Oner, and Keria, a core that has defined modern League esports with T1. Rather than dwelling on the expectations that come with following another legendary ADC, Peyz has leaned on the same mindset that has guided him throughout his career.
“I am really confident in my own performance, so I have always thought [that] as long as I can display my performance in full potential. I think I, myself as a player, can fill their big shoes.”
Instead of redefining T1 around his own aggressive carry style, Peyz said his goal is much simpler. “I wanna be an AD carry player that always does his best in a given draft or in-game situations. I wish T1’s bot duo can be the best in every aspect possible.”
That partnership with Keria has steadily developed since the KeSPA Cup, particularly during the laning phase, something Peyz believes unlocks the rest of T1’s map. “Right now, the early laning phase is really important. We had a lot of conversations about it, and we talked a lot.”
“Keria, he also has a good perspective when it comes to in-game knowledge and how he sees the game. So once we get through the lane really well, he knows how to spread his influence all around the map, which is very critical,” Peyz said on his chemistry with the best support player.
“As long as we have a really good laning phase early on, I think that also allows us to have an easier game,” he said on T1’s chances of lifting the MSI trophy this year.
The reunion with Doran has also helped smooth the transition. Having already played together on Gen.G, Peyz believes his former teammate has only continued to grow.
“He was a very fantastic player already back then. Because he’s always working hard, always trying his best to develop himself, always seeking to find ways to become even better at the game, I’m pretty sure he has a lot more detailed aspects that have improved as well,” Peyz said.
“He’s a great teammate, and he’s a very reliable teammate,” he added.
A prodigy record breaker who credits everyone else
Despite being one of the youngest elite ADCs in history, Peyz recently became the player with the most pentakills in professional League, reaching 14 career pentakills. For a player often praised for his mechanics and late-game teamfighting, the statistic could easily become a badge of individual excellence.
But Peyz sees it differently.
“I believe that it doesn’t really relate to an individual player’s performance,” he said. “I think I was able to achieve this record because I had teammates who took really good care of me. So I’m just really grateful.”
The same mindset extends to T1’s MSI ambitions.
Although he lifted the trophy with Gen.G in 2024, only Faker has previously won MSI twice among his current teammates. Rather than viewing himself as the missing piece to end T1’s title drought, Peyz simply wants to celebrate alongside the rest of the roster.
“As far as I know, Faker is the only teammate that actually has MSI titles. So I really wish that we can win this MSI together, so all of the teammates can finally lift the trophy together,” Peyz said.
It’s a fitting goal for a team that has dominated almost every stage in League. Despite T1’s unmatched legacy, MSI has become an elusive title, with the organization failing to win the tournament since 2017 in Brazil despite reaching the finals in 2022 and 2025.
Peyz already knows what it takes to lift the trophy, and now he hopes to help his new teammates do the same.
Ready for whatever MSI’s meta brings
Heading into MSI, Peyz expects stability in the bot lane despite the tournament being played on a fresh 26.13 patch. “I don’t think there is going to be a major change when it comes to the bot lane meta,” he said.
Instead, he expects the most significant adjustment to come from the buffs to Void Grubs, which could encourage teams to revisit lane swaps depending on the situation.
For T1, those strategic tweaks may matter. But listening to Peyz, it becomes clear his focus isn’t on records, expectations, or replacing legends. It’s about executing every draft, every lane, and every team fight as great as possible.
Peyz isn’t trying to rewrite the organization’s history. He’s trying to help write the next chapter for the decorated esports organization.
Two dominant 3-0 victories have left T1 just one best-of-five away from MSI 2026’s Bracket Stage. If Peyz can carry the same quiet confidence he displayed throughout the interview onto the Rift, T1 may finally be poised to end its nine-year wait for another MSI crown.
