Jungler Tomio Phanlith "Tomio" Chan has reached a verbal agreement with Shopify Rebellion and is set to join as a substitute for their League Championship Series (LCS) team, according to sources close to Sheep Esports.
The Canadian jungler recently found success in the North American Challengers League (NACL) with Disguised, a team affiliated with content creator and OfflineTV member Jeremy "Disguised Toast" Wang. In the summer split, the squad advanced to the finals, ultimately earning the organization's first championship title in the league.
DSG the 2023 Summer LCS Challengers League Finals winners
Rejoining some old friends
While Tomio is currently not set to start on the team's roster, this move will prove interesting due to the jungler having previously competed with two members of the new Shopify Rebellion roster: Aaron "FakeGod" Lee and Tristan "Zeyzal" Stidam. The fact that both FakeGod and Zeyzal are said to have reached verbal agreements likely played a role in Tomio's choice to join Shopify as a substitute, especially given that many fans regarded him as LCS-ready.
It is also likely that this decision was made due to the low number of spots available in the league's jungle position. As of the latest rumors, only Team Liquid and Golden Guardians are reported to lack a confirmed jungler for the upcoming season, neither of which appear to have sought out Tomio.
Expected Shopify 2024 LCS roster
Top lane: Aaron "FakeGod" Lee
Jungle: Lee "Bugi" Seong-yeop
Mid lane: David "Insanity" Challe
Bot lane: ?
Support: Tristan "Zeyzal" Stidam
Sub: Tomio Phanlith "Tomio" Chan
Coach: Seong "Reven" Sang-hyeon
