Lucas "Badlulu" Piochaud is making his return to France. The 23-year-old talent is set to join Ici Japon Corp ahead of the 2026 season, according to sources close to Sheep Esports. After a successful year with GIANTX Pride in the Superliga, capped off with a Summer and a Final Four title, he’s back home—becoming the third player locked in by Ici Japon Corp. The team also considered Toplaner Jarosław "Kozi" Marchewka for the position.

At 23 years old, Badlulu continues to stand out as one of the top toplane talents in the EMEA region. Initially known in France for his background in Trackmania, he transitioned to League of Legends in 2021 and joined Solary Academy, where he discovered Div2. Since then, he has spent two and a half years in the LFL with Mirage Elyandra, GameWard, and AEGIS, consistently competing in the Up & Down tournament—only falling short with the latter at the end of 2023. He also spent a year and a half in Spain with CASE Esports and, of course, GX, where he earned the first ERL title of his career.

IJC Rebuilding Ahead of 2026

Despite being a young organization in the French ecosystem, Ici Japon Corp has already made a strong impression. After starting in LFL Division 2 at the beginning of 2024, the team dominated both splits and earned promotion to the LFL by defeating AEGIS in the Up & Down tournament. Once in the league, they immediately fielded a competitive roster for Winter 2025, featuring players like Lee “Hans SamD” Jae-hoon and rookie Theo “Theocacs” Sauda.

Together, they reached the LFL Winter Finals and the EMEA Masters Grand Final, though they lost 0–3 to Los Ratones. The following two splits were less successful, with IJC struggling in the league’s punishing format. The team also suffered from the midseason departure of Hans SamD to Natus Vincere and failed to qualify again for the EMEA Masters.

Ici Japon Corp’s reported 2026 Winter roster:

For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub and Offseason Live Tracker.