With just three days remaining before the LPL winter transfer window shuts, all major teams have confirmed their lineups for the upcoming season. BLG recently posted a video of their sports director Yuan Xi personally greeting Xun at the airport. On the way back, Yuan Xi preemptively told Xun that the coach’s expectations will be very strict next year, both in terms of gameplay and personal conduct—not only for him but for all five team members.

It seems Daeny’s prolonged efforts were aimed at gaining authority, which is necessary to manage players and improve team discipline. This is definitely beneficial for BLG. In previous seasons, Bigwei tended to indulge the players, essentially pampering them, so there was little pressure felt, leading to a lack of rigor in matches and frequent discipline issues. With Daeny applying pressure this time, improvements are expected.

Tangyuan finds a new team with LGD.

After RNG disbanded, Tangyuan became the only player left unsigned. There was no news for a while, but recently agent Beichuan revealed that Yuanshen is 99% ready to start, and barring surprises, he will join the Happy Family. Lianlian Hongcha also recently revealed LGD’s new season roster: Top lane 1jiang is on trial, mid lane Tangyuan remains, and jungle, AD, and support are unchanged. This lineup lacks competitiveness and seems destined for the bottom rankings.

It’s quite surprising that Tangyuan can still find a team. As a conceptual mid-laner, many praise his unbeatable training matches, but after years at RNG, he has few standout moments. His results have been poor year after year, yet he still manages to get signed annually. His career luck is impressive. Since Care moved to NIP, Tangyuan’s new placement seems reasonable; LPL is indeed short on talent, and even bottom-tier mid-laners get picked up every year.

LCK champion jungler joins OMG.

Besides LGD, another LPL team struggling at the bottom has also revealed its roster. Lianlian Hongcha disclosed that former DRX world champion jungler Juhan, known for his “Great Tree” skin, will join OMG. Mohan, who signed last year, remains, as do the top lane and AD carry. Mid lane has brought in Haichao from LNG. Although this is a dual Korean roster, OMG’s strength isn’t much better than LGD’s; these two teams are quite evenly matched at the lower end.

Everyone has witnessed Haichao’s level this year, leading LNG straight down to the bottom. His individual skill is quite comparable to Tangyuan’s. It’s unclear why OMG decided to sign him. Previously, OMG maintained an all-Chinese roster and had some fan interest, but since adding Korean players, even the few remaining loyal fans have left. Worse yet, after bringing in the Koreans, their results have declined, nearing the bottom of the standings.

Peanut’s military service postponed until May.

After competing in the World Championship, Peanut had to step away due to military service obligations. Recently, he has been streaming while waiting to be called up. During a recent stream, Peanut revealed his service has been delayed, and he will continue streaming at least until May next year. This means he won’t enlist for another six months. During this time, besides streaming, he plans to visit China and see his former teammates.

Peanut and his husband agreed that he would visit once, and they also planned a trip with former LGD teammates. In his stream, he discussed the possibility of a comeback but kept it open-ended, not ruling out a complete departure from esports. At his age, the chance of returning after service is slim; by the time he finishes, he’ll be 29. Continuing as a pro player is unlikely, but transitioning into coaching could be feasible.

Conclusion:

Tangyuan, Care, and Haichao—all three still have jobs. Has the LPL truly reached a point where no one else is usable? However, the three clubs signing them probably didn’t spend much, since all three performed poorly this year. Haichao was somewhat lucky to be picked by LNG last year and landed a big contract.

So, who do you think is the strongest among these three mid-laners?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!