The most costly million-level transfers in KPL history: Jiu Cheng ranks fifth, Cat single-handedly ruined a championship-contending team

Although there are no matches during the transfer period, it still draws great attention! After all, if a team can acquire a strong player in the transfer market, it can change the fate of that team! Therefore, many teams offer transfer fees reaching millions to secure their desired players!

However, a higher transfer fee does not necessarily mean the player will strengthen the team! In this episode, let's talk about the five most regrettable million-level transfers in KPL history!

Fifth place: Jiu Cheng

Under Jiu Cheng’s leadership, Hero JiuJing ended the QG dynasty and secured a three-peat championship for Hero! However, later on, Jiu Cheng had conflicts with the coach and was eventually sold by Hero JiuJing! Back then, DYG spent millions to blindly acquire Jiu Cheng; although it was a team record, they only managed a runner-up after a tough series. Later, when SK coached DYG, Jiu Cheng was benched, and after he left the starting lineup, DYG won the team’s first-ever championship, making Jiu Cheng a failed investment.

Fourth place: Yao Dao

At his peak, many fans even said that no one could compare to Yao Dao! While at Wolf Team, Yao Dao indeed helped secure many championships. However, due to Dao Zai’s emergence, Yao Dao lost his starting spot and eventually transferred! KSG was heavily overcharged by Wolf Team, ending up paying millions for Yao Dao. Although they achieved a runner-up and broke team records, subsequent results were unimpressive. Now KSG is selling Yao Dao to Hero JiuJing at a steep discount!

Many fans have revealed that this time Yao Dao’s transfer fee was only 700,000! If that’s true, KSG really must have lost all hope!

Third place: Fei Niu

When it comes to Fei Niu, everyone is familiar — he’s the top player in KPL! After losing his starting position in Wolf Team, Fei Niu decided to transfer! RW Xia spent millions to acquire Fei Niu, hoping for mutual success, but they only managed a top 10 finish, barely grabbing third place after Xiao A arrived. The team’s performance worsened, culminating in a disastrous season with zero wins.

The worst part was that Fei Niu eventually left as a free agent, pushing RW Xia from a top-tier club to the brink of bankruptcy. Although it’s still unknown which team Fei Niu will join next, it’s certain he won’t stay with RW Xia!

Second place: Chu Chen

Not sure how many remember that AG once spent 10 million to bring in a player — that player was Chu Chen! AG was a typical mid-tier KPL club with no dominant jungler, so their results were mediocre. Looking around, no jungler was fit for the role, so they surprisingly spent millions to buy Chu Chen, a B-tier shooter, as their jungler.

Although Chu Chen performed decently and secured a third place, his fans even demanded bringing in Yi Nuo to improve the team’s results, which led to Chu Chen being quickly dropped from the starting lineup and fading into obscurity.

First place: Cat God

When it comes to the biggest flop, Cat God dares to claim second place, but no one dares to claim first! Cat God single-handedly destroyed a KPL team! After being traded one-for-one by Lao Lin at eStar, RNG spent millions to acquire Cat God, but the team failed to even make the playoffs, producing no impact at all. This directly caused RNG’s finances to collapse, resulting in a long-term stay in the B division.

The strength of Bomb Cat is still quite overwhelming, but his playtime is limited. Why is that common in professional matches? Of course, it’s because Shen Mengxi is a bit challenging. Especially Shen Mengxi’s second skill, whose bomb launch and float mechanics allow her to evade control and damage, while providing stable group knockback. Then there’s the ultimate, which has a short cooldown, grants great vision, and can frequently cover distant areas with firepower, disrupting opponents’ formations.

However, to play Shen Mengxi well, one must balance clearing waves and saving bombs carefully. Being stingy with bombs makes wave clearing difficult, but using all bombs to clear waves leaves you helpless in team fights, turning the first two skills into mere decorations. Shen Mengxi isn’t a traditional rigid mage but a flexible mobile turret, and dealing maximum damage with her is not easy.