Lee ‘Easyhoon’ Ji-hoon has returned to T1, but this time he won’t be replacing Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok in the mid lane.
Over 10 years since he shared the role with Faker and lifted the Summoner’s Cup, Easyhoon has returned to T1 as a League of Legends coach.
Back then, Easyhoon got a lot of playtime as Faker was criticised for specifically not being good enough at Azir.
This makes the timing of Easyhoon’s return ironic, as Faker faces similar criticism again following poor performances on Aurora.
But Easyhoon’s playing days are behind him, as the official statement from T1 read:
“We’re excited to welcome ‘Easyhoon’ as the newest coach of T1 starting from Round 2 of the 2026 LCK. With his years of experience, we look forward to the leadership and guidance he will bring to the team.”
This could be a crucial pickup as six-time LoL World Champions T1 are struggling in the LCK this year.
T1 currently find themselves in sixth place with three wins and three losses, and don’t appear to be in good enough form to qualify for MSI or the Esports World Cup.
T1’s Current Coaching Set Up
After retiring as a player in 2023, Easyhoon has found recent success in coaching with BiliBili Gaming.
He joined BLG in 2024 and has helped the organisation win numerous titles, including its first international trophy at First Stand earlier this year.
Reinforcing the coaching staff was a priority for T1 to fill the gap left by Kim ‘kkOma’ Jeong-gyun.
kk0ma stepped down as T1 coach earlier this year, taking a temporary leave of absence due to personal reasons.
That left Im ‘Tom’ Jae-hyeon as interim head coach with help from legendary support Cho ‘Mata’ Se-hyeong.
Easyhoon already knows his fellow coaches well. Tom was his jungler at T1 for part of 2025, and he played with Mata on MVP Blue in 2023.
Do you expect T1 to turn things around again in time for LoL Worlds? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And in other retired player news, popular Twitch streamer Marc ‘Caedrel’ Lamont has declined the chance to play for Great Britain at the Esports Nations Cup.
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