According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Toplaner Frankie "Zamudo" Lin has reached a verbal agreement to join LYON in the LTA North. Zamudo is set to replace Eric "Licorice" Ritchie, who will likely remain teamless going into the third split of 2025.

Zamudo is set to arrive from the powerhouse of Tier 2 — DarkZero (Maryville), a team that has seen several of its talents promoted to Tier 1. Most recently, Zamudo finished 2nd place in the NACL 2025 split 1 as well as first in the CLOL 2025 Championship. Though he didn't win the season, he was awarded the Most Valuable Prospect Award. Historically, NACL MVPs promoted into Tier 1 go on to achieve incredible things.

LYON has not had the start they wanted for the LTA North 2025 season. Finishing 7th and 7th/8th in Splits 1 and 2, the organization has decided to look at changing the roster a bit ahead of Split 3, where they will try and aim to qualify for Worlds 2025. So far, LYON’s performance has been rather underwhelming, especially considering they boast one of the most anticipated midlaners across the top leagues worldwide: Kang "Saint" Sung-in.

Fresh out of the LCK CL's DK Challengers, his arrival in the LTA drew eyes — and expectations — that the team's results haven't yet matched. Saint was individually dominant but mistake-prone, heightening the team's existing issues.

Right now, though, the team is lacking cohesion. And while the league’s structure, with its three often short splits, doesn’t give much room to scale, LYON was still reasonably expected to rank higher in the power rankings drawn up by analysts. Let’s not forget: this is a roster with little top-level experience. Losing Licorice, a veteran of nearly ten years on the competitive scene, only underscores that point.

Zamudo now carries the additional burden of short-term results on his shoulders, with only the summer split left to make a statement.

Header Photo Credit: Christian Betancourt/Riot Games