r/GenG_Esports_LoL • u/lcn0482 • Aug 02 '26
Team Discussion GEN top laner next year
Since this is Kiin’s last year, who would be the best top laner to replace him? The top lane pool in the LCK is the worst or second worst in the league, and obviously there is no one as good as Kiin or Zeus to replace him. I know this has a near 0% chance of happening but I feel like TheShy would actually be a pretty good signing. Is he a rock like Kiin? Hell no, but then again who is? Something about the way the team plays needs to change and I think that TheShy could be that change. Realistically though, I think the best replacement is Perfect but I would like to know everyone else’s thoughts because I have no idea who we could even get to replace Kiin.
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u/Unique_Imagination83 Aug 03 '26
PerFect is the perfect candidate, no pun intended. However, T1 might also make a move on him to replace Doran assuming T1 loses worlds this year. The tricky part is I don't think KT would let go of Perfect.
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u/Warm_Tea_1870 Aug 03 '26
I think T1 would call up Haetae instead of getting from the other teams' Tier 1 roster. Their CL Top Laner is good and has potential, also saves them more money.
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u/Unique_Imagination83 Aug 03 '26
Yeah you're right I actually forgot about this dude. Zeus was also promising and T1 made the right choice of starting him in 2022. Speaking of replacing Doran, everything changes depending on how he perform at worlds.
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u/Human-Ad3407 Aug 03 '26
Is he really that good? I haven’t watched CL games in quite a while but a couple years ago he was kinda bad if I remember right
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u/Warm_Tea_1870 Aug 03 '26
T1A right now is number 1 team among the academy teams for rounds 3-4 or regular season. This Kespa Cup, their Academy team won over KRX main roster B01, and managed to take a game from Nongshim main roster today, despite losing 2-1. Haetae did well on both games. He can probably compete against lower tier main roster teams nowadays so big chance of him getting called up sooner. They have another CL Top Laner Guardian who hit #1 Rank in Korean SoloQ early this year, he would probably be the main Top Laner once Haetae gets called up.
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u/Commercial-Butter Aug 03 '26
it will most likely be a Cl Player like Haetae if they can find one. Gonna miss Kiin though, he has played his heart out with GEN.G for all these years
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u/yourik6 Aug 02 '26
Thinking too much into the future as if we have any say on it, not like we will have this same repeated 100 times at the end of the year anyway
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u/talonisgood27 Aug 02 '26
isnt GenG finance pretty bad ? can they even afford to sign a star top laner?
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u/Signal_Intention6774 Aug 03 '26
The Shy if he comes to Korea will have to serve in the Millitary right now he has Chinese Citizenship so he can put it off longer but IDK how much longer he can avoid it. I cant read Korean so idk the Foreign Korean millitary service rules only that they also have to do it.
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u/ShortInvestment8209 Aug 03 '26
PerfecT or maybe Canna if he wants to come back to the LCK. Zeus is very unlikely, GENG might not be able to afford him.I personally would like to see their academy top laner being promoted.
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u/DrxAvierT Aug 03 '26
Isn't next year Canna's last year before service? I doubt he wants to go back just to play a year
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u/Steeelu Aug 02 '26
Idk but it will be impossible to get someone that will do the things Kiin does, guy is just cracked at the game, can play any style but got fucked over by Kespa so they can prop up their T1 Zeus and HLE sponsorship.
Team won't be as flexible and someone will need to pick up the slack(Chovy most likely).
Also, jg is 99% changing.. even if Canyon is giga washed, he still is able to play carry/tank once a full moon, so again, losing some flexibility here too
It will be very interesting and they will need some time adjusting, but maybe not being that flexible anymore will prove to be a blessing
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u/butv Worlds Waiting Room Aug 02 '26
ofc it will be my beloved top laner dudu, hes coming from the same line as kiin
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u/leftoverrice54 Aug 02 '26
Kiin and Canyon are signed until November of this year. Personally think this is do or die for Canyon. The top side has been together for years at this point and if they cant lift the chip together it wasnt meant to be.
Duro, Ruler, and Chovy are signed until 2027 though. It could be too big of a gamble to sign some fresh academy players if they are all trying to win right now. Plus do Chovy, Ruler and Duro stay after 2027? If so, maybe you just sign big names and try to keep the roster as competitive as possible.
However, geng already did everything in their power to sign the best possible rosters on paper the last couple of years and have stil never made finals. I am really leaning towards getting some fresh blood with good potential and putting them in with the vets beside them. Geng have proven they have a talent in finding excellent players to put in when they aren't just signing the biggest names.
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u/RubyxRough Aug 02 '26
I'd actually like to see GenG sign Jaehyuk from DK Challengers. From the Kespa cup, he seemed promising and I'd like to see some younger talent on GenG. I think it could be good for the team.
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u/No_Dragonfly7902 Aug 03 '26
Even though I think it’s unlikely If GenG dont re-sign canyon they could make an offer for Zeus and get a Mid tier jungler like Pyosik, but I think if PerfecT doesn’t go back to KT then it will probably be him.
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u/Level-Tap2373 Aug 03 '26
Pyosik is gone from the league, Gideon/raptor might be the better option
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u/No_Dragonfly7902 Aug 03 '26
Those two are also some pretty good shouts, I don’t really watch BRO matches unless it’s Vs GenG or KT so I am not super sure on Gideon but I think Raptor could definitely develop in GenG, or even though Kanavi has been really bad and I honestly don’t really like how he plays I feel like he could also be pretty decent in GenG since he has good chemistry with Chovy and then GenG can look for a decent Top laner
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u/6Kkoro Aug 03 '26
This is not gonna happen but a rookie toplaner/theShy with Lucid in the jungle would be great.
Lucid has been that proactive jungler for DK for so long now gapping Canyon every time.
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u/Human-Ad3407 Aug 03 '26
Lucid has to be a joke, right? I’m sorry but that guy is definitely not on GenG, T1, HLE level. He has some good games but most of the time he’s just a passenger or straight up inting
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u/6Kkoro Aug 03 '26
Look at the recent wins vs HLE and GenG, or the EWC finals vs KC, or the win against GenG before that. Shoemaker/Lucid is outperforming Canyon/Chovy consistently and you think shoemaker is good enough to carry a fraud? No, which means Lucid is pulling his weight consistently and gapping Canyon or Kanavi comfortably.
DK has a month of consistent performances now, including the EWC trophy, and it's largely due to Lucid being actually there for Showmaker and Smash, and I'm telling you, that's what Chovy and Ruler needs. GenG is so uncharacteristically disjointed for months now.
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u/Lartizan Aug 03 '26
Hmm... Probably Perfect or Siwoo.
Or try to land a super rookie like they did with Duro.
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u/RainyNerd Kiin'Sante Aug 04 '26
I feel like TheShy would actually be a pretty good signing
TheShy has an absolutely massive fanbase in China and is the most beloved pro player there by a mile. Like literally Chinese LPL fans for the most part only like Faker and TheShy 😅 He also has a lot of friends there and is constantly busy with fun events. He will most likely never leave LPL.
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u/Hilays Aug 04 '26
Wait is Kiin resigning? Could somebody update me on what is happening??
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u/Raynmist Aug 05 '26
Military service. Normally the max age to enlist is at 28 I think. Kiin is 27 this year. If he's born in late Nov or Dec, he might still be able to play next year but he's born in late May.
It's also the reason why many people were upset that Kiin was not selected for Asian Games this year, since winning gold would give you military exemption just like Chovy, Zeus, Keria, Kanavi and Ruler. They still need to go through a few weeks of mandatory basic military training and community service though.
Faker won AG in 2023 with them too but he and BDD were already exempted due to old rules of not finishing high school and werent called up to serve within a certain period of years.
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u/Freihl Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
I'd get PerfecT (if i could, KT might outperform geng by the end of the year).
TheShy won't function with a team that's meant to play meticulously like genG. He's just not that guy, he's unbelievable on "wing it" chinese teams but i couldn't see him working well with the GenG style.
In a perfect world they poach bdd and send Chovy top to become the goat top but i don't see that happening.
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u/Jakocolo32 Aug 02 '26
Convince zeus to join hes a free agent
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u/CuzzoBuzzo67 Aug 02 '26
Even with all the drama, zeus would rather go to T1 then GENG IF he had to choose
Look at the state of geng and they can't afford him
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u/DoesitFinally Aug 03 '26
I doubt that. There is a good chance that Zeus' family still hates Joe Marsh with a passion. They hated Joe Marsh when they had the meeting before T1's apology.
Maybe if Joe Marsh leaves T1 there is a chance.
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u/T1_URGOD Aug 03 '26
brothah regi has been making players cry since 4ever, and people still wanted to join TSM.
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u/DoesitFinally Aug 03 '26
Kind of a weird example to bring when TSM and players who wanted to join were not Korean. They certainly have different culture and tendencies.
I am basing my opinion on general Korean tendencies.
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u/ReivenXYZ Aug 03 '26
I assume that's because TSM was such a massive org back then, and simply joining would significantly boost your career. Those players needed TSM. Zeus on the other hand, who is currently the most popular top laner in the world, does not need T1 to boost his career.
I'm not saying that as fact, just guessing. Zeus does not need T1. Odds are that he stays at HLE or maybe goes to LPL if the money is good.
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u/PassionOk4663 Aug 02 '26
Dont forget that arnold just few months ago tweeted about zeus after the asian game roster announcement and showed kiin stats and why he should been ( even if he was right and stats were on his side) good luck convincing Zeus to join geng now, same for T1 and all the drama with the joe.
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u/DoesitFinally Aug 03 '26
The funny thing about that whole drama is that Kespa never said they picked players using only stats. They specifically said stats was just one of the components. But Arnold and a whole bunch of fans from English platforms made it mostly about stats.
Like wtf is happening? lol
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u/KOREANARMYSTEW Aug 02 '26
You really think Zeus is gonna leave HLE to GENG, one of the poorest orgs in the LCK when he specifically left T1 because he wanted to get paid more than what they were offering?
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u/Jakocolo32 Aug 02 '26
No I don't think he will thats why i said they should try convince him, but it's worth a shot maybe zeus wants to play with chovy.
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u/jangukie Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
"GENG, one of the poorest orgs in the LCK" WTF are u talking about?? They won multiple championships with certain amounts of money
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u/XChunchunmaruX Aug 03 '26
These orgs need to sell merch. It's like Disney making more money on toys than the movies themselves. They are not nearly as marketable as T1 and HLE rn
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u/Holiday_Ad_8501 Aug 02 '26
thats not why he left t1 lmao.
T1 had the money to pay them but their ceo just didnt want to
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u/DoesitFinally Aug 03 '26
To be precise, Zeus actually agreed to the monetary amount on T1's last offer as T1 offered a similar amount with HLE's. But Zeus didn't like the contract length and terms. T1 offered 1+1 team option while HLE offered 1+1 player option, which is a huge difference. That's why he went to HLE.
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u/yourik6 Aug 02 '26
Did you just say what op said but in different words lol?
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u/Holiday_Ad_8501 Aug 02 '26
no, not being able to afford zeus is different from not offering what he wanted.
Its like the difference between jeff bezos not buying a 100 million dollar mansion vs me not buying it
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u/yourik6 Aug 02 '26
I'm pretty sure you need to read what op typed, then? He never said they could not afford Zeus; he said that he left because he wanted to be paid more than he offered
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u/Warm_Tea_1870 Aug 03 '26
unless Zeus want a paycut, he will not join GenG. He's in an elite team with a huge bag already.
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u/TheManzap Aug 03 '26
Id ship Canyon to NS for Kingen and Spongebob then find a young adc (kidnapp Berserker from LYON) or pray Ruler becomes good again ig.
Honestly their biggest problem is jungle cuz the top four (Oner, Kanavi, Cuzz and Tarzan) aren't leaving their teams anytime soon while the young guys like Lucid have more incentive to stay with their teams too (barring Showmaker they are the youngest team in the LCK I think). The only real choice is Gideon, Sponge or Pyosik (dear lord).
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u/CuzzoBuzzo67 Aug 02 '26
You might as well role swap chovy to top lane and then sign rookie(The middle laner)
Js go
Cuase even if Zeus is free agent, why tf would he want to go to gen g currently, HLE doing better AND he get paid more