LNG Esports

Origins and the Li-Ning Acquisition

The organization's roots trace back to 2013 with the founding of Snake Esports. For six years, the team competed under this name in the Chinese League of Legends scene. A major change occurred on May 21, 2019, when Snake Esports announced it had been acquired by the athletic apparel company Li-Ning.

The acquisition led to a complete rebranding to LNG Esports, with LNG standing for Li-Ning Gaming. The team is owned by Li Qi-Lin, the nephew of Olympic gold medalist and company founder Li Ning. This corporate backing from a major traditional sports brand provided new resources and a distinct identity, symbolized by a mascot in the team's updated logo.

The Inaugural LNG Roster and Early Success

Following the rebrand, LNG retained a core of five players from the former Snake Esports lineup. This included top laner Li 'Flandre' Xuanjun, jungler Lê 'SofM' Quang Duy, mid laner Huang 'Fenfen' Chen, bot laner Lu 'Asura' Qi, and support Hu 'Maestro' Jianxin. To complete its first roster, LNG made strategic signings, acquiring mid laner Bae 'Plex' Ho-young from the Korean team Griffin and support Duan 'Duan' De-Liang from Vici Gaming.

This new squad found quick success in the 2019 LPL Summer split. They placed seventh in the regular season, securing a playoff berth. In the postseason, they achieved a notable sweep over the reigning world champions, Invictus Gaming, in the first round. Their run ended in the quarterfinals with a loss to Royal Never Give Up, but the debut season established LNG as a competitive force.

Roster Overhaul and a Period of Struggle

Seeking to build on their playoff appearance, LNG enacted significant roster changes ahead of the 2020 season. The team released jungler SofM, mid laners Plex and Fenfen, and support Maestro. In their place, they signed jungler Xiong 'Xx' Yulong, rookie support Liao 'lwandy' Dingyang, and experienced Taiwanese mid laner Huang 'Maple' Yi-tang. Bot laner Wang 'Light' Guangyu was promoted from the academy team.

This revamped lineup struggled to gel. Their first tournament together was the 2019 Demacia Cup, where they finished third in their group and failed to reach the knockout stage. The 2020 LPL season was difficult, with LNG posting a 5-11 record in both the Spring and Summer splits, finishing 16th and 13th respectively. Aside from promoting academy top laner Zhou 'chenlun17' Pengyuan, the team made no other starting roster changes during the year, enduring a period of stagnation.

Building Around a Star: The Tarzan Signing

In December 2020, LNG announced another major reconstruction of its team, aiming for a higher competitive ceiling. The most significant move was the acquisition of acclaimed Korean jungler Lee 'Tarzan' Seung-yong from Griffin. They also signed top laner Chang 'M1kuya' Xiao from SDX Gaming and mid laner Xie 'icon' Tianyu from OMG. Shortly after, Hu 'Ale' Jiale was signed from TT Gaming as a substitute top laner.

Despite these high-profile changes, the team's initial results in the 2020 Demacia Cup were familiar, as they again placed third in their group and missed the knockout stage. The true test would come in the 2021 LPL season, with the new core built around Tarzan's star power.

The 2021 Breakthrough and World Championship Run

The 2021 season with Tarzan was a tale of steady growth. In the Spring split, LNG placed tenth in the regular season and qualified for the playoffs, where they were swiftly swept by Suning. The Summer split saw a stronger performance. LNG finished eighth and secured several upset victories over higher-placed teams during the regular season.

Their summer playoff journey advanced to the fourth round, the quarterfinals, where they were defeated by Edward Gaming, the team that would go on to win the split title. While not champions, LNG's combined yearly performance earned them a coveted spot in the LPL Regional Finals, a last-chance qualifier for the World Championship. There, LNG delivered under pressure, defeating Rare Atom and then Team WE in a close series to secure their place at the 2021 League of Legends World Championship, the organization's first appearance on the global stage.

Organization, Home, and Identity

Based in Suzhou, LNG Esports has established the Yangcheng International Esports Center as its home venue for LPL matches. The organization represents a fusion of esports and traditional sports branding, backed by the credibility and resources of the Li-Ning company. While its competitive focus is primarily on League of Legends, operating within the fiercely competitive LPL, the organization's history from Snake Esports to its current incarnation reflects the evolving landscape of professional gaming in China.