Lee “CheongGak” Il-ho has stepped down from his position as coach of T1, the Korean organization has announced.
SOUTH KOREA – Lee “CheongGak” Il-ho has stepped down as coach of Korean team T1 after holding the role since March last year, helping the side throughout the 2023 VCT season. The news comes less than a week following the team’s campaign at VCT Pacific KICKOFF finishing as quarter-finalists.
However, a statement from coach Jacob “Daeda” Hale, who was brought into T1 just before the KICKOFF event, indicated that CheongGak was not present during the tournament this month. Daeda shared on Twitter, “While I never got to work with Cheonggak, I’ll always wish the best for him wherever he goes. He is always spoken highly of by the staff here.”
Best known as a former PUBG PC player for the likes of Danawa, DWG KIA, and Maru Gaming, CheongGak transitioned into VALORANT as a coach straight to one of the VCT-partnered teams. He helped T1 to third place in the inaugural VCT Pacific League season last year, which paved the way for the team’s subsequent participation at VALORANT Masters Tokyo and Champions Los Angeles.
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Despite maintaining a relatively lower profile and not being a widely recognized figure in the public eye, CheongGak received praise from former T1 members of the last season, such as Son “xeta” Seon-ho and the current Gen.G player Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom. Munchkin expressed, “He’s like a big brother to me. He gave me advice and helped me on the right path a lot. He’s a smart guy and I hope he has a chance to prove it.”
T1 underwent significant changes from the previous season, introducing three new members—Ham “iZu” Woo-joo, Kevin “xccurate” Susanto, and Daniel “Rossy” Abedrabbo—into the starting lineup. Additionally, coach Daeda, originally from North America and formerly leading Rossy’s previous team Turle Troop, is now part of the T1 coaching staff.
With Lee “Carpe” Jae-hyeok taking the reins of the team, T1 began the year 2024 on a positive note, coming close to securing a spot in VALORANT Masters Madrid. However, their journey was halted in the semi-finals of VCT Pacific KICKOFF by Paper Rex. Nevertheless, T1 will have a month to prepare before returning on stage at VCT Pacific League Stage 1 starting April 6.
T1 are now:
- 🇰🇷 Ha “Sayaplayer” Jung-woo
- 🇰🇷 Lee “Carpe” Jae-hyeok
- 🇰🇷 Ham “iZu” Woo-joo
- 🇮🇩 Kevin “xccurate” Susanto
- 🇺🇸 Daniel “Rossy” Abedrabbo
- 🇰🇷 Yoon “Autumn” Eu-teum (Head coach)
- 🇨🇦 Dakota “Stunner” MacLeod (Coach)
- 🇺🇸 Jacob “Daeda” Hale (Coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of T1
