Uzi injuries may force retirement as RNG battles at Demacia Cup

William Davis Published 24/12/2019

The future of Royal Never Give Up and its biggest star AD carry Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao is uncertain, as according to different sources the player might not be able to play in 2020.

Uzi might miss the LPL 2020 Spring Split and possibly the rest of the year. According to former RNG jungler Liu “Mlxg” Shi-Yu, the results of Uzi’s last medical examination are not as hopeful as the team expected. Uzi is resting and focusing on recovering, but his full plans for the next season are uncertain. The player is apparently yet to formally communicate with the team about the situation.

Uzi’s injuries have been an ongoing problem for the past couple of years. The player has been vocal about his condition and how difficult it is for him to play for more than a couple of hours at a time. In a documentary produced by Nike and the LPL, Uzi described the pain that starts around his right shoulder blade and runs all the way down his arm. According to the player, in a previous medical exam, a professional said Uzi’s arms were equivalent to those of someone who was “40 or 50 years old.”

Will injuries force Uzi to retire from RNG?

The situation have forced RNG to use a substitute player through Spring 2019. The team already had to bring in another player to replace Uzi in the Demacia Cup. Former Flash Wolves player Lu “Betty” Yu-Hung is currently the bot lane starter for RNG. The team also added two new junglers and one extra top laner in the offseason.

The new iteration of RNG didn’t have the best start in the Demacia Cup 2019. The team finished the group stage with two victories and two defeats, just enough to make it out to the next stage. RNG is facing Rogue Warriors in the quarterfinals, a team that looked solid through the first part of the event.

RNG is yet to release any official statements regarding Uzi’s situation. The fans speculated that RNG could be in the market for another AD carry that could take over permanently if Uzi decides to retire. The rumors pointed at former World Champion and current free agent Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo as the new RNG member. Another rumor said that JackeyLove would return to Invictus Gaming.

RNG is focusing on the Demacia Cup 2019, and an announcement will likely have to wait until at least the end of the tournament.

Read Also

League of Legends

T1 Esports Challengers vs Galions: WSCI Semifinals best bets and predictions Wasif Ahmed T1 Esports Challengers faces Galions in the World Star Challengers Invitational semifinals. Honoring their organisation, T1.EA is one of the two favorites to win the event, easily defeating every opponent they’ve faced so far. Against them, Galions also made quick work of their Korean quarterfinal opponent. Here are our predictions and the best bets for T1.EA vs GL. The org of LoL champions is also a stronghold in tier 2. ...

League of Legends

Solary vs DN Soopers Challengers WSCI Semi-Finals: Bets and Predictions Ben Boland Solary goes up against DN Soopers Challengers in the semi-finals of the World Star Challengers Invitational 2026, the inaugural edition of the tier 2 World Championship. Europe and Korea have been dominating the tournament, and only those two regions remain in the semi-finals. This is the first time that secondary leagues face off internationally, making this the first true test of those regions’ strengths. Is the LFL the best tier ...

League of Legends

LYON vs Shopify Rebellion LCS playoffs lower bracket: Best bets and predictions Ben Boland LYON faces Shopify Rebellion in the lower bracket of the LCS Summer Playoffs 2026. The winner of this match claims North America’s final spot at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship, while the loser ends their season in fourth place. Neither team should have been in this spot. LYON entered the playoffs as the favorite and they’re now in the loser’s bracket, and SR was expected to lose much ...

League of Legends

Team Liquid vs Cloud9 LCS Playoffs Upper Bracket Finals: Bets and Predictions Ben Boland The LCS Upper Bracket finals are one many would not have predicted. Team Liquid takes on Cloud9 to see which team will lock in their spot in the Worlds 2026 Swiss stage and the LCS Summer Grand Finals. League of Legends bettors are in for a treat in this best-of-five, with many good bets available. Let’s take a look at some of the best bets for the Cloud9 vs. Team ...

League of Legends

The LEC’s Viewership Is Down 20% From Summer 2025 Ben Boland As the Summer Split has concluded, the results are out — and the LEC’s viewership keeps declining for the second year in a row. Even though Europe has achieved strong results this year, fewer viewers follow these teams regionally afterwards. According to Escharts, the LoL European league has recorded 173,989 average viewers in Summer 2026, and 438,821 peak viewers. In 2025, the LEC had an average viewership of 213,292 with ...

League of Legends

Is Voice Chat Coming to League of Legends in 2026? Ben Boland After a decade of being opposed to it, Riot has finally taken steps to implement voice chat in League of Legends. However, the launch of voice chat in LoL has been delayed as the feature is experiencing setbacks. Here’s a rundown of the situation. Earlier this year, players discovered voice chat-related files on the LoL Player Beta Environment (PBE). Following them, Riot communicated on March 13 that they were now ...

League of Legends

LoL: Europe Shines Against Korea in 2026 As NA Struggles To Keep Pace Ben Boland In 2026, Europe has had its best results against the East in LoL Esports history. While their losses to North America may overshadow their achievements, EU has a winning record against South Korea this year. Meanwhile, NA has the LEC’s number but has its worst head-to-head against the East since 2023 — here I will break down the key statistics that show this. After years of Europe being a shell ...