LoL - LPL: Viper joins Bilibili Gaming

Park "Viper" Do-hyeon's name has been widely rumored throughout this offseason—and for good reason. He is joining BiliBili Gaming in the LPL. On November 19, Hanwha Life Esports officially announced Viper's departure. After three years of loyal service, the club is changing its roster direction and is seeking to acquire Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, who will reunite with Choi "Zeus" Woo-je. This leaves Viper as one of the most sought-after Asian AD Carry prospects available on the market. With the well-known ADC shuffle happening in the LCK, it was expected that some players would likely leave the league.

Viper is thus returning to the LPL with one of its biggest clubs, taking over the botlane role previously held by Zhao "Elk" Jia-Hao at BiliBili Gaming. This move ends Elk's three-year botlane partnership with Luo "ON" Wen-Jun.

Viper made his LoL esports debut in 2018 with Griffin and, together with the teammates who were promoted to the LCK with him, shook up the league. After promotion, they reached the finals and finished in second place, and he went on to deliver dominant performances in the regular seasons as well. However, after the "Griffin incident" the team collapsed, and 2020 proved to be a difficult year.

In 2021, Viper announced his move to China’s LPL and, playing for EDward Gaming, delivered an incredible level of performance that dispelled all prior doubts. In 2021, he made the year his own by showing astonishing prowess: winning Spring regular season MVP, Rookie of the Year, the Summer title, and the World Championship.

After finishing two years in the LPL, Viper returned to Hanwha Life in the 2022 offseason, three years after leaving. Over the past three years, he helped the team win the 2024 LCK Summer, reach the 2024 Worlds quarterfinals, win the 2025 LCK Cup, win the 2025 FST, finish runner-up in the 2025 LCK, and reach the 2025 Worlds quarterfinals.

BLG have long been known for fielding all-Chinese rosters. But in 2026, after making waves throughout the offseason rumor mill, they’re breaking that tradition by bringing in Viper to help them return to the forefront of the scene. Despite winning the third split's title, their performance in the LPL was far from dominant—and even less convincing internationally, as shown by their early exit in the 2025 Worlds Swiss Stage.

To change things up, BLG are bringing back a player well-versed in major events, who will replace Zhao "Elk" Jia-Hao and end his long-standing partnership with Luo "ON" Wen-Jun. It’s a formula that still needs to prove itself. For now, Zhuo "knight" Ding and ON have already re-signed through 2027, while Chen "Bin" Zebin is also expected to stay. Peng “Xun” Li-Xun has been officially announced as Bilibili Gaming’s main jungler for the upcoming season. The only remaining uncertainty for the team is the jungle position, as rumors suggest that multiple players might rotate or share the role next split.

According to OSEN, Viper’s agency, Shadow Corporation, also commented his move to the LPL: "Through many conversations, the player first and foremost expressed his sincere desire to challenge himself again on a new stage and to further grow as a person and as a pro. Although his final destination has not yet been decided, his resolve was so firm that he was willing to accept conditions lower than in previous years. Please send him a lot of support going forward."