As the 2023 World Championship draws to a close, the League of Legends transfer market is heating up with many noteworthy updates. Most recently, Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) officially announced that they have renewed their contract with player Viper. The “Archer” will continue to compete under the HLE banner in the upcoming 2024 season.
Notably, in HLE’s announcement, they mentioned the phrase “reaching new heights.” In the past 2023 season, HLE spent a significant amount to acquire Zeka and Kingen (who were the reigning world champions at that time) to create a “super team.” With this announcement, HLE may be looking to build an even more formidable roster for the upcoming 2024 season.
In recent days, there have been numerous transfer rumors suggesting that HLE is attempting to recruit Scout and Peanut. Even top laner Kiin and support Lehends from KT Rolster (KT) have been considered targets for HLE. These are all quality names that have proven themselves. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if HLE aims for these players to build a new “super team.”
Interestingly, when Viper’s contract renewal announcement was made, KT players were live streaming. They even joked that Lehends and Kiin would soon join HLE to team up with Viper, just like the rumors suggested. However, Kiin later stated that he didn’t know what his teammates were talking about, as a way to deny these rumors.
Of course, the transfer market this year is still long, and the aforementioned “blockbuster” deals could still happen. Even if Kiin or Lehends deny the rumors at this moment, this situation could change soon. With substantial financial backing, HLE could also recruit other big names.
In recent years, building a “super team” in the LCK has often not yielded very good results. HLE themselves experienced this when they finished empty-handed in the 2023 season, even failing to secure a spot at this year’s World Championship. Hopefully, HLE will learn valuable lessons from that failure to build a truly strong “super team” capable of competing in the next LCK season.