According to a report by Travis Gafford, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng is coming out of retirement in 2023. While many teams are reportedly in the mix, 100 Thieves are currently the “leading candidate” for the LCS icon. Gafford’s report also suggested that Doublelift would be joined by former TSM teammates Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Mingyi “Spica” Lu. Rookie Alan “Busio” Cwalina is rumored to be the starting support, with the top lane still yet to be decided.
Doublelift is reportedly returning to professional play two years after announcing his retirement. Gafford’s report linking Doublelift to 100 Thieves is the first new infomration since Brieuc Seeger reported that Doublelift was looking to come out of retirment. According to Gafford, several teams are still vying for Doublelift’s services, but 100 Thieves have emerged ahead of rest. Furthermore, Gafford hinted a spicy reunion from Doublelift’s TSM heyday.
After a year in Team Liquid’s failed superteam project, Berjgsen is looking to join another one. In his second year back after “unretiring,” the Dane is reuniting with some old friends from “the glory days.” Although Bjergsen had a rough 2022 and failed to make Worlds with a stacked roster, he feels he still has what it takes to be at the top.
Furthermore, Spica is reported to join 100T as a starting jungler. After two and a half years in TSM, the 21-year-old left the org. There were whispers in the League community of him potentially coming to Europe, but reuniting with Doublelift and Bjergsen was a much more appealing option.
The last player in Gafford’s 100T report is a 19-year-old rookie support Busio. He has been a part of 100 Thieves’ organization since 2021, as he competed in their academy teams. It looks like the org is happy with his progress and wants to give a youngster a chance on the big stage. Hard to imagine a more exciting debut year than laning alongside a legend of the game such as Doublelift.
Fun fact: Busio was seven years old when Doublelift started competing in League of Legends.
100 Thieves was the team with one of the longest-standing cores in the LCS. Ian Victor “FBI” Huang , Can “Closer” Çelik , and Choi “Huhi” Jae-hyun joined the team in 2021 Spring, with Felix “Abbedagge” Braun coming six months later. It is an end of an era, as this roster brought the team to the top of the LCS.
A potential breakup was alluded to in October, when 100 Thieves parted ways with General Manager Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith. Smith was the architect behind the current roster, taking them from last in the LCS to regional champions.
The only member that could potentially stay is top laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho . The Korean veteran has been in the organization since the 2018 season and has consistently been very stable. His future with 100 Thieves is still uncertain, as the org is reportedly exploring multiple options for 2023.
Unlike LEC, the North American offseason is developing much slower, and very few teams have made moves so far. However, we expect the action behind the scenes to heat up as soon as the first dominos start falling. Stay tuned and follow Jaxon’s offseason tracker for all roster changes.
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