Bengi Resigns from T1: End of an Era for League of Legends Legend
In a surprising announcement on July 7, Bae “Bengi” Seong-woong, a former player-turned-coach for League of Legends, has decided to resign from his position at T1. Bengi’s departure from the organization will take place at the end of the current LCK Summer Season.
T1’s general manager, Becker Jung, made the announcement on Twitter and expressed gratitude to Bengi for his incredible journey with the organization. Bengi served as both the team’s jungler and head coach, leaving behind a remarkable legacy with T1.
For the rest of the 2023 season, Im “Tom” Jae-hyeon will step in as the interim head coach. He will lead the team in the remaining LCK split matches and any international events, including the World Championships in South Korea if T1 qualifies.
Bengi, who initially joined T1 in February 2013 when it was known as SK Telecom T1, played a crucial role alongside Faker in the team’s legendary run from 2013 to 2017. Together, they secured three Worlds titles and reached another grand final.
After leaving T1 to join Vici Gaming and subsequently retiring, Bengi returned to T1 as a coach in 2018. He briefly stepped away, only to return in late 2020 to coach T1’s Challenger side. Bengi led the squad to victory in the 2021 LCK CL Spring Season, but their performance declined in the Summer split.
In September 2022, Bengi replaced Polt and became T1’s main head coach just before Worlds. Under his leadership, T1 reached the Worlds grand final once again, finishing as the runner-up. Despite a second-place finish in LCK Spring 2023 and a third-place finish at MSI 2023, Bengi’s position as head coach for 2023 seemed promising.
However, a disappointing start to the LCK Summer Season, criticism from fans following defeats, and a hand injury to Faker, T1’s star mid-laner, led Bengi to make the decision to leave. It has been a challenging month for the organization.
Tom, the new interim head coach, and T1 will face off against LCK ladder leaders Gen.G later today at 1am CT.
Bengi, T1, League of Legends, coach, resignation, LCK Summer Season, Faker, Worlds Championships.