Hanwha Life, considered a strong favorite to win, saw their EWC 2026 journey end in the quarterfinals. They suffered a surprisingly lackluster 0-2 defeat to T1 in the match for a spot in the semifinals. Despite managing the busiest schedule, Hanwha Life's Lee 'Gumayusi' Min-hyeong said, "It's disappointing, but I think of it as a chance to get an early look at the performance of teams we might face later at Worlds or other major tournaments."

'Gumayusi' expressed his regret, saying, "We all worked hard to win this EWC, so it's a shame to finish in the quarterfinals. The schedule has been incredibly grueling since the MSI, and I want to tell my teammates who endured this tough journey together that they did a great job. I want to go back, get some good rest, and prepare well for the next match."

Regarding the cause of the defeat, he assessed, "I think we were slightly outplayed in terms of overall macro, such as the void grub skirmish in Game 1 and our movement in Game 2. T1 is a team with a high ceiling that you can never let your guard down against, so I knew that if we were complacent or made mistakes, a result like this was entirely possible."

Having finished the tournament, Hanwha Life will now return to Korea to prepare for the LCK. 'Gumayusi' explained, "We have about ten days until the LCK, but we have to prepare for matches and handle other commitments, so I think we need to focus on those first. It will be a short break, but I think the best thing to do is to rest as well as we can during that time."

Although the EWC exit is disappointing, 'Gumayusi' is looking at the bigger picture. He said, "Winning the MSI gave us plenty of confidence and showed us our potential. Even though we were knocked out in the quarterfinals at EWC, I think we got a preview of the performance levels of teams we might encounter later at Worlds or other major events."

He concluded by saying, "We aimed for the championship, so it's disappointing to be eliminated in the quarterfinals, and I'm sorry to the fans. We will return, prepare well, and work hard until the next match," before leaving the interview zone.