According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Xi Lai Gaming have reached a verbal agreement with Chinese player Liang "Lysoar" Youhao to join their VALORANT roster for the 2026 VCT China season and extend the contract of Aleksandr "hvoyA" Eremin for the upcoming season. Lysoar was playing for Wolves Esports and recently announced that he was entering restricted free agency after Wolves permitted him to explore options for 2026.

XLG will therefore add a Chinese player who helped Wolves secure a top-three finish at Masters Toronto 2025 and who has spent the last two seasons competing at the highest level of the VCT China circuit. With the recent departure of Lifan "Viva" Ran to Trace Esports, XLG would be replacing him with a proven league player who already possesses meaningful international experience.

One more year

hvoya has been XLG’s head coach since March 2024, guiding the team through their rise from domestic contenders to VCT China representatives. After Champions Paris, the organization allowed him to explore options for 2026, but according to our sources, he will eventually remain in charge of the project. Sources also said that hvoya tried out with Bilibili Gaming, but ultimately chose to stay with XLG.

Under hvoya's leadership, XLG closed out 2024 in Tier 2 by winning the VALORANT China National Competition Season 2 and the China Ascension tournament, securing promotion to VCT China for the 2025 season, and establishing themselves as one of the most successful Chinese teams outside the partner league.

In 2025, XLG’s first partnered season produced a clear competitive baseline, with a 5th–6th place finish at China Kickoff, a Stage 1 title capped by a 3–1 grand final win over Bilibili Gaming, a 4th-place finish in the Stage 2 playoffs, and qualification to every major international event. Internationally, they placed 7th–8th at Masters Toronto, finished 3rd at the Asian Champions League, exited in the group stage of the Esports World Cup, and ended Champions 2025 in 9–12th place after beating Sentinels but losing to Paper Rex and GIANTX in Group A.

Bringing back hvoya and adding Lysoar would mean starting 2026 with a staff and roster that already share a full year of domestic titles and international experience, while integrating a player coming off a top-three Masters run with Wolves. For XLG, it's the final stretch for the construction of the VCT 2026 project, and, according to sources, they are targeting Huang “WsLeo” Pinwei, former player for Four Angry Men in VCL CN and Thunder Gaming in Ascension CN, for their next recruitment.

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