After a very difficult Stage 1 in the
VCT China, Bilibili Gaming has started making changes, beginning with its coaching staff. Following the addition of Thong "
balax" Chern Kwi as an analyst, as recently reported by
Sheep Esports, the Chinese organization is expected to recruit Ye "
Anaks" Sang-jun as Head Coach, replacing Tang "
Muggle" Shijun, who is set to be moved to the bench and is allowed to explore options.
Initially active as a player during the early days of
VALORANT, Anaks began his career in South Korea within a growing competitive scene before transitioning to coaching in 2022. After stints with MARU Gaming and DRX, he spent a year inactive before joining JD Gaming as Head Coach during Stage 2 of the 2024 season. It would then take until early 2026 for him to return, this time with ARETE in Challengers Korea, where the team finished Top 5-6 in Split 1.
Nearly two years after his last Tier 1 experience, the South Korean coach is now expected to return to the top level with a project that currently seems to be stalling. After finishing Top 4 at Kickoff with much of the same core already present in 2025, the club appears to be struggling with its staff structure. Appointed as Head Coach ahead of the 2026 season, Muggle had already lost one of his coaches back in January and is now himself being sidelined following Stage 1.
Winners of Act 1 of the China Evolution Series 2026, where EDward Gaming and All Gamers were absent due to Masters Santiago, BLG failed to carry that momentum into the first major segment of the year. Competing in Group Alpha during Stage 1, the Chinese organization failed to reach the playoffs, being eliminated in the group stage with two wins and three losses. The downward trend was then further confirmed during the qualifier for the
Esports World Cup, where BLG exited in the opening phase after a narrow win against Wolves Esports followed by back-to-back losses to Nova Esports and FunPlus Phoenix.
