Top 5 New LCS Players to Watch in 2026

Following a bustling LCS offseason where numerous teams revamped their lineups, the league action returns next week on January 24. Ahead of the season’s first event, LCS Lock In, Sheep Esports is turning the spotlight on the fresh faces making their debut in the LCS in 2026.

The North American offseason saw a variety of profiles emerge: imports arrived from South Korea, veterans switched teams, and NACL prospects made their breakthrough in North America’s Tier 1. Let’s highlight the five most compelling names set to make their debut in the LCS.

Undoubtedly the biggest arrival of the year in the LCS—and possibly the most significant transfer of the entire offseason—Korean midlaner Yoo "Zinie" Baek-jin joins Shopify Rebellion. After several years with KT Rolster Challengers in the LCK CL, where he claimed the 2025 LCK CL Kickoff, the 2024 Asia Star Challengers Invitational, and both the 2024 LCK CL Spring and Summer titles, Zinie has been one of the top Korean prospects in recent years. Highly anticipated in the LCK, he is now making his move to North America with the SR squad.

Ham "HamBak" Yoo-jin is leaving South Korea and the LCK for the first time in his career, but he won’t be too out of place as he joins Sentinels, a team already featuring three other Korean players: Jeong "Impact" Eon-young, Cho "Rahel" Min-seong, and Choi "huhi" Jae-hyun. The jungler, who won everything with KT Rolster in the 2024 LCK CL, had joined OKSavingsBank BRION at the start of 2025, but after a difficult period, he was demoted to their LCK CL academy roster. Sentinels will be hoping to see the 2024 version of HamBak back in action—a prospect that could work exceptionally well for them given their roster’s strong Korean-style setup.

The third Korean import on our list is toplaner Park "Morgan" Ru-han, who also joins the league from BRO, on Team Liquid's side. This isn’t the first time Lord Morgan has played outside the LCK, as he began his career in the LPL with JD Gaming and Team WE. After a year with Hanwha Life Esports in 2021, Morgan spent the last four years with BRO, becoming a franchise player of the structure. Known for his aggressive playstyle and entertaining performances, he now faces the tough task of succeeding Impact at Team Liquid, a true pillar of the league.

FlyQuest underwent major changes in 2026 following the end of their glorious cycle, with several high-profile departures making way for rookies who had never played in Tier 1. Among them is Vietnamese support Michael "Cryogen" Luu, brought in to replace Alan "Busio" Cwalina, who left for Europe. Considered one of the top prospects from the American academy scene, Cryogen won the 2025 Aegis Challengers League Summer Split with Milk Esports Whole Milk and previously spent time with FlyQuest NZXT in 2024 as a substitute, though he never saw actual play.

The second player recruited by FlyQuest, this time to replace Kacper "Inspired" Słoma, who joined LYON in the same league, is Johnson "Gryffinn" Le. He began his career in the American academy circuit before moving to T1 Esports Academy Rookies in the LCK AS, where he spent the second half of 2024. In 2025, he joined LOUD in LTA South, finishing fourth—just short of qualifying for the LTA Championship. At FlyQuest, Gryffinn faces the tough task of succeeding the region’s back-to-back MVP from 2024 and 2025.

Several other names could have been included in this list, but these five are, in our view, the ones to highlight for 2026. A number of players from Disguised are making their Tier 1 debut, including jungler Christian "KryRa" Rahaian, midlaner Oh "Callme" Ji-hoon, and AD Carry Sajed "sajed" Ziade. İbrahim "Gakgos" Samet Bulut played only a few games in 2025, but this year he will be FlyQuest’s full-time starter.

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