LPL rumor round-up: transfers, shake-ups, and a new-look OMG?

In the wake of the LPL spring finals, China’s professional League of Legends players are taking a much deserved break from competitive action. But of course, when the games aren’t in session, the rumor mill kicks into high gear. Could the summer LPL split feature very different teams? Some rumors would suggest so.

First off, though, an important disclaimer: these are all just rumors. None of them are confirmed, and most of them probably won’t happen. You can use your own judgement about what seems likely and what doesn’t, but I wouldn’t go placing any money on any of these changes just yet.

That said, here’s a round-up of the more interesting rumors we’ve seen floating about:

OMG is implicated in a bunch of roster shake-up rumors. Due to Pomelo getting blamed for OMG’s loss at All-Star, there’s a lot of buzz that the team could replace him, although he’s not likely to leave voluntarily. One rumor has him being replaced with WE Academy jungler Loveanj, perhaps with Cool going to WE in trade. A perhaps more likely rumor holds that Allen will be moved back to jungle, Pomelo will be benched, and OMG will bring in someone new for support.

There are lots of rumors suggesting potential changes for Team WE, but it’s hard to know what if anything will happen since the team just recently picked up a new Korean coach who may be looking to shake things up. Rumor has it Loveanj wants to leave WE Academy, which is helping fuel the ‘Loveanj to OMG’ rumors, but with a Korean coach and probably Korean training partners now in the mix, there’s a good chance he’s more interested in staying.

LGD‘s mid-laner Rena is reportedly retiring, and will be replaced by We1less, a young mid-laner who currently plays for LSPL team Vici Gaming but who’s quite highly-rated. If all of that is true, it would be considered by many to be a step up for LGD, although how well We1less will be able to perform under the increased pressure of the LPL spotlight remains to be seen (or not).

Royal Club, which had a pretty dismal showing in the spring, is reportedly looking to shake things up with a new mid-laner and top laner. Corn, another LSPL mid-laner, actually played with Royal Club during IET and is rumored to be their new full-time mid player. The new top player is rumored to be EP.HK’s Laopi, but to be quite frank that seems like an odd choice—why replace your top-laner with a guy who’s just a sub on an even lower-ranked team, and who isn’t particularly young?

Whatever happens, it’s sure to be an interesting summer season in the LPL, so stay tuned for the official announcements when they come, and of course don’t miss our live streams once the games begin again.