T1 has continued to be a standout team in the 2022 Dota Pro Circuit, currently sitting in second place in the Southeast Asia regional league. The organization is looking to sit on its success, signing SEA legend Kim “QO” Sun Yeob as an analyst to help its roster improve.
QO was part of several deep runs at various iterations of The International with MVP Phoenix alongside T1’s current coach Park “March” Tae-won.
The South Korean/Australian pro took an extended break from competitive Dota in 2018 after Immortals dropped its roster. He most recently played for Team Oracle, a team that he helped form in May 2019 before transitioning to a coaching role for the team.
Oracle has been mostly inactive since May 2020, with many of its players leaving to play for other teams like Nigma Galaxy SEA and 5ManMidas. This signing gives March some additional support when coming up with strategies for his players, while also bringing together one of the original South Korean Dota duos again.
Now that Valve has canceled the 2022 DPC Winter Tour Major, T1 has a lot to fight for as it tries to surpass BOOM Esports for the top spot in the SEA region. If they can close out the regional league with a win over BOOM and Fnatic, Kuku and his crew will secure the top seed, earning $30,000 and 300 DPC Points heading into the Spring Tour.