T1 carpe is Leaving Pro VALORANT

After winning Masters Bangkok 2025, T1 has announced core roster member carpe is stepping off the team in an indefinite hiatus. Let’s explore everything to know about the situation.

T1 Announces carpe is Leaving

On July 11, 2025, T1 announced that Lee “carpe” Jae-hyeok is stepping off the VALORANT team’s main roster. In addition, it seems he is retiring from pro play as a whole for a while: “Carpe is pressing pause on his professional gaming career to embark on a new journey.”

In an X.com post, the South Korean organization wrote a goodbye message memorializing carpe’s time on the battlefield. T1 stated, “Through countless setbacks, his inextinguishable passion and the resilience to bounce back never wavered. The dedication and unyielding spirit that finally brought home the Masters Bangkok trophy will forever resonate deeply with his teammates and colleagues. While his journey on the stage rests for now, we look forward to the day he returns to show us his brilliant form once more. GG.”

T1 also posted a YouTube video about the situation, titled “At Last, This Moment.” In it, carpe reminisces on his favorite experiences with the team and explains more about his decision. He reassured fans, “I’m sure you’ll see me again.”

Notably, carpe is taking this hiatus as he reaches 27 years of age. T1’s home country South Korea mandates that men between 18 and 28 serve its military for at least 18 months, depending on the branch and role. Netizens speculate that carpe could use his time off to fulfill his military service requirements. If so, he could return after his service period finishes.

carpe’s Career: From Overwatch to VALORANT

carpe has represented T1 VALORANT since November 2022, and has been a consistent starting presence for the past four years. Notably, he was originally an Overwatch player before joining the lineup. Esports fans might recognize him for his time on the Philadelphia Fusion / Seoul Inferno. Beginning in 2017, carpe specialized in DPS and played Hitscan heroes, so it makes sense that his aim transferred to VAL. He was generally considered one of the best DPS players in the Overwatch League (OWLs) during his prime.

On T1’s VALORANT team, carpe won Masters Bangkok 2025. This was a particularly significant victory for the organization, since T1 also won the League of Legends World Championship the same year. This made them reigning international champions in two Riot Games titles. carpe also played in VALORANT Champions 2023, Masters Tokyo, and Masters Shanghai.

What Does This Mean for VALORANT Esports?

carpe’s departure from T1 is pausing a nearly decade-long career. Jae-hyeok’s influence in the esports sphere uniquely spans several competitive titles, setting him apart from peers. Many VALORANT players migrated from Counter-Strike, but the two games are extremely similar and share near-exact formats. It’s much rarer to enter the pro scene from an entirely separate genre. Team Heretics’ benjyfishy is another example that comes to mind, having joined from the Fortnite competitive circuit.

T1 will have to replace carpe in upcoming competitions. VCT Stage 2 is approaching, which is crucial for top-tier teams since it dictates which will progress to VALORANT Champions 2026. This is a relatively wise time for the org to switch its roster around, as there is still about a week before the VCT Pacific Stage 2 Group Stage kicks off. For more info on the tournament, check out our full guide here.