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Another roleswap to the support position is on its way in the LEC. Last offseason, Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer transitioned to support in order to join Team Vitality. This summer, jungler Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong is expected to make a similar move, as he is set to start for Natus Vincere as a support, sources tell Sheep Esports on Saturday.
Malrang had already informed NAVI early in the offseason that he would be open to playing support, though the organization considered several options—including retaining him in the jungle role.
Priority on a European jungler
Throughout the offseason, NAVI explored multiple jungler options, including Marcin "
Jankos" Jankowski, Enes "
Rhilech" Uçan, Kacper "
Daglas" Dagiel, and Francisco "
Thayger" Mazo Sánchez. Ultimately, the team secured Thayger on Thursday,
as reported by Sheep Esports.
One challenge in finding a new jungler was NAVI’s preference for a short-term solution—ideally just for the summer split. This initially made Malrang a strong candidate to remain jungler before Thayger became a viable option.
Before securing a European jungler, NAVI also looked at various support players, including Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser, Théo "Zoelys" Le Scornec, Carl Martin Erik "Rekkles" Larsson, and Olivier "Prime" Payet. Prime was recommended by Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon, his teammate at Ici Japon Corp. However, once Thayger was confirmed, the team chose to keep Malrang on the starting roster by moving him into the support position.
Reducing the Bench Size
In an interview with Sheep Esports, NAVI’s CEO confirmed that all players and coaching staff were fully transferred to the organization. As a result, AD Carry Patrik "
Patrik" Jírů and support Lee "
Execute" Jeong-hoon will continue to receive payment despite being benched.
While it's unclear how much this influenced the final decision, by keeping Malrang in the starting lineup, NAVI avoids the cost of adding another new player to its payroll.
It’s also worth noting that Malrang previously played two official LEC matches for Rogue
as an emergency substitution. Since the beginning of the offseason, he has been consistently grinding Solo Queue in the support role and has successfully climbed the ladder in the role.
NAVI’s LEC Summer 2025 roster
Top: Adam “Adam” Maanane
Jungle: Francisco "Thayger" Mazo Sánchez
Mid: Emil "Larssen" Larsson
ADC: Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon
Support: Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong
For more roster updates, check out our Transfers Hub.
Update: The report has been updated with additional jungle options.
