With just 10 days left until the LPL winter transfer window officially enters the auction phase, clubs are currently striving to renew contracts with key players to avoid a weak lineup next year. If auctions start on the 18th, top teams are expected to announce contract renewals or departures next week. This year’s transfer rules are quite intriguing since no one knows their teammates until the final stage.

In recent days, transfer news about players has been flooding in, but no one can confirm exact destinations before official announcements. Recently, a blogger revealed that NIP is disbanding and will rebuild for the new season. The starting five from S15 have all left, and checking the LPL official site confirms NIP currently has zero active players—all have terminated contracts and become free agents.

NIP clearing out all active players is somewhat unexpected because, although this team has never been very competitive since joining the LPL, they were not at the bottom either. To avoid finishing last next year, they should have retained some talent. However, it’s also possible NIP will follow LNG’s example by buying promising Korean players from the LCK or going all-in on a top-tier player during the auction to build the team around them.

NIP’s plans remain unclear, but the departing players will definitely participate in the auction. Doinb is very likely retiring next year; he has repeatedly stated during streams that he doesn’t plan to compete in S16. At his age, skipping next season basically means retirement. Among the remaining players, Solokill and Leave should have no trouble finding new teams during the transfer period, as both are fairly strong.

Especially Leave, whose performances in the regular season and Knight’s Journey were impressive. However, he was somewhat underwhelming at the Invitational. According to Park’s report, Leave was the standout ADC among LPL’s scrim partners at Worlds this year. During laning phases, he repeatedly outperformed the world championship duo and earned praise from many coaches. Yet in team fights, he still suffers from the old problem of getting inexplicably killed quickly.

Though Leave plays aggressively, his damage output is undeniably strong. For teams lacking a major AD carry, Leave could be a great fit—for example, teams like WBG or AL. With Light Emperor likely retiring next year, if Weibo can maintain their current roster and sign Leave, a good coach could elevate their strength to a new level. As for AL, the situation is less certain.

Korean sources reveal GEN is competing to sign Karl. After the Worlds performance of their jungler and support, their market value has soared. AL’s current roster probably won’t stay intact, and even if the top, mid, jungle, and support positions are renewed, management likely aims to acquire an AD carry of Gala’s caliber. Leave is probably a backup option, but in this transfer window, he ranks fairly high among AD candidates and likely has a chance to join a mid-tier team.

As this year’s LPL dark horse, NIP performed quite well. It’s said their total investment was just over 5 million RMB, and although they didn’t make Worlds, they still outperformed LNG, which invested tens of millions. With all players leaving, NIP has three options: go all-in on a top player, buy Korean imports from the LCK, or completely rebuild from scratch. Since the transfer window hasn’t started yet, we’ll have to wait and see.

Conclusion:

This year’s two LPL dark horses, FPX withdrawing from the league and NIP disbanding and rebuilding, have released many players. Along with RNG’s retreat, a large number of players will likely become free agents after the transfer window. However, this isn’t necessarily bad for the LPL, as clearing out underperforming or complacent players will improve the league’s competitiveness.

So, which team do you think will consider signing Leave?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!