LPL Rising Star Mentions SofM and Canyon
Before entering the LPL Split 2 playoffs, many fans and experts predicted Team WE would be an easy target and quickly eliminated. The first reason was their record of only 1 win against 13 losses in the group stage. The second was that WE would face BLG and AL in the playoffs. However, WE is now shocking the League of Legends scene with Monki leading the charge. Recently, the young star from WE shared his thoughts and specifically mentioned SofM and Canyon.
According to Monki: “When I first started playing professionally, I followed some seniors. But I admire SofM the most. Also, Canyon from the LCK. I mainly watch these two seniors.”
For those unfamiliar, SofM and Canyon both have strong connections to the LPL. SofM was the first Vietnamese player to compete at the highest level of Chinese League of Legends, while Canyon faced LPL teams in both of his two World Championship finals. Additionally, SofM is credited with elevating the “Jungle Carry” playstyle in the LPL and was a key factor in Riot implementing the current jungle monster respawn timer.
As for Canyon, in two consecutive years facing LPL teams in the Worlds finals, he earned one win and one loss. Notably, Canyon and Damwon Gaming’s championship victory was against Suning, SofM’s team.
LPL Rising Star Soaring with WE
With two consecutive wins against two of the strongest teams currently in the LPL, Monki’s WE is in a strong position to reach MSI 2026. One more win against TES will see WE return to the international stage for the first time in nearly 10 years. However, this will be a tough challenge as TES is also very strong and possesses an unpredictable playstyle comparable to BLG or AL.