T1 has reportedly moved Kim “stax” Gu-taek to the bench, according to a report from Sheep Esports. DH is widely expected to step into the active VCT Pacific lineup in his place.
T1 hasn’t officially confirmed the change. The report stops short of saying stax has been released, meaning his contract status with the org is still unclear.
The move follows T1’s failure to qualify for the upcoming international stop in London. The team actually breezed through Stage one group play with a five-zero run, but stumbled in the playoff bracket, dropping a key series against FS before losing the qualifier to Paper Rex, who steamrolled the rest of the APAC weekend.
stax is a legacy name in Korean VALORANT. He built his reputation with Vision Strikers and DRX as a veteran initiator, shot-caller, and fan favorite from the earliest days of VCT.
But on the current T1 roster, his value as an in-game leader had already been absorbed by Munchkin, the former Gen.G IGL. With another experienced caller running the team, stax was judged purely on his initiator play, an area where his form has bounced around between strong runs in Santiago and rougher showings in Kickoff and the EWC qualifier.
DH has been linked to the roster for weeks, with earlier reporting suggesting he was already lined up to join. The expected starting five now reads Munchkin, Meteor, BuZz, iZu, and DH, though T1 hasn’t locked in roles. The biggest question is who handles primary initiator duties, with iZu often pointed to as the team’s strongest fit there.
If T1 lets him explore options, stax instantly becomes one of the most interesting names on the Pacific market. His veteran calling experience and name value make him a target for any team looking for leadership, with Gen.G and a DRX reunion already floating around as speculation.
