Zeus

2025 was a pivotal year for Zeus, a year of significant transition and challenging adaptation in his career. After reaching the world championship with T1 and establishing a dynasty, he made a bold decision: to leave his comfort zone and join the ambitious HLE as a free agent. This choice carried the expectations of being the "greatest top laner of all time," and also the immense pressure of proving his independent carry ability within the new "super team." However, the ideal synergy didn't immediately translate into dominance on the field. That year, Zeus experienced the growing pains of transitioning from a cornerstone of a dynasty to a piece of a new system. His performance, much like Jayce in his champion pool, struggled to find a new rhythm with the team, navigating between the long-range pressure of his "cannon form" and the close-quarters combat of his "hammer form." After transferring to HLE, Zeus didn't lose his top-tier mechanics and laning ability; he remained the super player capable of single-handedly tearing apart the top lane. The challenge lies in how his talent can be perfectly integrated into a new team centered around a mid-bottom duo (Zeka and Viper). During his time with T1, his synergy with Oner's top-jungle duo, along with Faker's overall strategic coordination, created ample room for him to maneuver and allow for tactical adjustments. However, at HLE, he needs to work on integrating with the stylistically different jungler Peanut and adapt to a resource allocation model that may no longer be solely focused on him. This systemic shift was particularly evident in crucial matches throughout the season. In some tense moments where he could have single-handedly turned the tide, he sometimes hesitated or became disconnected from the team, failing to convert lane advantages into unstoppable victories. Throughout the season, HLE's performance on the international stage fell short of pre-season expectations for a "super team," suffering early setbacks in important international tournaments. As one of the most prominent stars on the roster, Zeus, despite his individual highlights, undoubtedly shared the burden of this disappointment and the resulting criticism along with the team. Therefore, 2025 will be a period of exploration for Zeus regarding new challenges related to "adaptation" and "leadership." He proved that his individual skill as a top player is a rare commodity in any system, but he also revealed that a great player not only needs to excel in a familiar system, but also needs to relearn how to lead the team to victory in a completely new, even uncomfortable, environment. The leap from T1's "god-like player" to HLE's "leader" was far more difficult than imagined. This year, he may not have been able to replicate the overwhelming dominance of the previous two years, but this experience may be a necessary tempering for his long-term career development. In 2025, Zeus is still searching for a new formula to forge his individual brilliance into a weapon for team victory. His story is far from over, and new challenges have just begun.