Loki returns to Cloud9 as the team builds a 7-man roster for Summer 2026

have officially announced the arrival of their new midlaner, Lee “” Sang-min, from the LCK, completing a seven-player roster. His signing does not necessarily mean Eain “” Stearns is being replaced, as Cloud9 appear to be building a setup where both players can remain part of the active rotation.

This marks Loki’s return to the organization, after he already served as Cloud9’s midlaner throughout the 2025 season before leaving to return to South Korea to be close to his family. The move comes just one day after Hanjin BRION announced his departure, releasing him after he expressed a desire to return overseas.

Loki was one of the league’s standout midlaners in 2025, if not the best, but he has seen very limited playtime since joining BRO earlier this year. He appeared in seven best-of series during the regular season and played just one game against in the Road to MSI, as Jo “” Woo-jin took most of the starting opportunities at the role.

Despite being one of North America’s biggest and most iconic organizations, Cloud9 have not won a title since Spring 2023. They finished second at Lock-In behind and third in Spring after falling to , prompting a major push to make their Summer split a success and avoid a repeat of last year, when they missed Worlds qualification to the surprise of .

To that end, Cloud9 have brought back Loki, added Edward "Tactical" Ra, and built a seven-player roster with two backups in the carry positions. The organization has also overhauled its coaching staff: head coach Nicholas "Inero" Smith has stepped down, with Christian “IWDominate” Rivera taking over after previously assisting the team. He is joined by Marius “Veigar v2” Aune as strategic coach, as well as Noh “Arrow” Dong-hyeon and Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi, who complete the staff.