Big signings for
Invictus Gaming this offseason, as the team retains three players from the roster that qualified for the 2025 Worlds. Jungler Yan “
Wei” Yang-Wei and support Tian “
Meiko” Ye have been extended through 2026, while star midlaner Song “
Rookie” Eui-jin stays on until 2027.
For the remaining roles, the organization announced that toplaner Kang “
TheShy” Seung-lok will take a break next year, and AD Carry Chen “
GALA” Wei has joined JD Gaming. The team will therefore need to find two new players for the next season, despite the fact that most of the top teams have already locked in big names for these roles.
While Wei’s contract extension isn’t very surprising, given that he’s 23 with a long career ahead of him, the fact that Meiko and Rookie have also extended is a real testament to their longevity. Just a few weeks ago, Meiko had mentioned on stream that he was considering
taking a break in order to perform at the highest level.
On his side, Rookie is a true living legend. He began his career in 2013 in the LCK with KT Rolster but quickly joined IG in the LPL the following year.
World Champion in 2018, he left IG in 2021 to join Victory Five in 2022, Top Esports in 2023, and Ninjas in Pyjamas in 2024. At the start of this year, he rejoined IG as part of a plan to reform the super roster alongside TheShy. They had a strong season, leading the organization to the Worlds Play-In stage.
Rookie will turn 29 in March, meaning he will play at least until he’s 30 — an impressive longevity, especially for a South Korean player, as they typically have to fulfill mandatory military service around the age of 28. According to
The Standard, Rookie may be exempt due to having obtained a Chinese Green Card.
With the departures of TheShy and GALA, the team will need to find two new players. According to rumors, Lim “
Soboro” Seong-min has been mentioned for the toplane, while Chiu “
Doggo” Tzu-Chuan is linked to the botlane alongside Meiko. If this happens, he would become the third player from CTBC Flying Oyster to join the LPL, following Tsai “
HongQ” Ming-Hong and Yu “
JunJia” Chun-Chia, who both signed with JD Gaming.
