The countdown to Worlds 2026 has begun. To start the hype for the international event, we are looking at every team in the tournament. LYON dominated the first two splits of the year. They were the favorites for Summer. Team Liquid defied those odds to knock LYON off their perch. They look more beatable in the LCS, but that is more a credit to Team Liquid and Cloud9.
LYON’s Roster
- Niship “Dhokla” Doshi – American Top Laner
- Kacper “Inspired” Słoma – Polish Jungler
- Kang “Saint” Seong-in – Korean Mid Laner
- Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol – Korean Bot Laner
- Jonah “Isles” Rosario – Australian Support
LYON made wholesale changes for 2026. Only Saint remained from the LTA North team. Frankie “Zamudo” Lin was the original top laner. However, he failed to secure his visa again. He had to leave the team, and Dhokla replaced him.
The Surprise LYON Might Need
Some teams never recover from losses. Others use the loss to learn from their mistakes. Two playoff losses would have shaken them. They already showed they can recover once. After losing to Cloud9 in the Upper Bracket, they readjusted. They won the rematch in the Lower Bracket Final. Team Liquid proved too strong for the defending champions. Having regional competition always pushes teams to improve. That should be the case with LYON as well. They also benefit from not having to travel. They can take a short break before returning to the grind for Worlds.
Crediting their loss to mistakes alone does a disservice to Team Liquid and Cloud9. LYON were not at their best; that is certain. However, both Team Liquid and Cloud9 improved. LYON is still one of the best Western teams going into the tournament. No team should believe they are weaker. They may come out fighting bigger and better than before.
Key Player – Kacper “Inspired” Słoma
The Loudmouth
Inspired and Berserker are their best players. Berserker stepped up while Inspired was away in Poland. However, Inspired is the key to unlocking the East. He has challenged the best junglers. At MSI, he went toe-to-toe with both XUN and Kanavi. He dismantled SkewMond, who had just bested Oner.
You can question Inspired’s communication style. He prefers to berate and command his teammates. It has clearly helped. He has been North America’s most successful jungler for the past couple of years. Hopefully, the loss, coupled with Inspired’s communication, does not compound on LYON.
Inspired is creative. He almost always knows what his team needs to win games. He can power farm, but he also looks for early ganks. On so many occasions, he clears three camps and ganks a pivotal lane. Opposing junglers can not bet that he will always perma farm. He does require most of his team’s resources. In the win over Cloud9 in the Lower Bracket, LYON played for him, and it worked.
LYON’s Expectations
They were top three at MSI. Reaching those heights will be difficult. With more Eastern teams and LCS teams rising, they have their work cut out for them. A semi-final finish is not out of the question. The only concern is that they have not beaten an LPL or LCK team this year. They lost to Gen.G Esports and JD Gaming at First Stand. MSI was the same. They lost to Bilibili Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports. Inspired has come close multiple times, but always falls at the final hurdle. 2026 Worlds may change their fortunes.
Swiss Stage Beginnings
Finishing second in the LCS sees them start in Pool 3. They play a Pool 2 team in Round 1.
Potential Opponents
They will face either Team Secret Whales, the CBLOL first seed, Hanwha Life Esports, or Bilibili Gaming.
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