Former MAD Lions jungler Shad0w reportedly joining LGD Gaming
Former MAD Lions jungler Zhiqiang “Shad0w” Zhao is looking at a potential comeback to the professional scene, as he is reportedly joining LGD Gaming in the LPL.
After taking a break in the most recent spring split, the young jungler might be making his debut in the top Chinese competition. Shad0w has Chinese residency, which means that he can join the league without taking up an import slot. After Shad0w has played his whole career in Europe for teams including MAD Lions and mousesports, it seems that he is now making a big move to become the first pro player to play in both the LEC and LPL.
The rumors started on the Chinese site Weibo, saying that an official announcement from LGD was expected soon. The Chinese organization is one of the biggest in League of Legends and has a long track record in the LPL. The last time LGD won an LPL title was back in 2015, with names such as Lee “Flame” Ho-jong and Gu “Imp” Seung-bin on the team.
Since then, LGD has had some shaky performances but has continued trying to reach the top of the LPL. The 2021 LPL Spring Split resulted in a horrible 4-12 record for LGD, placing the team far away from playoff contention. With the summer split coming right up, it’s no surprise that the team is looking to bring in new firepower.
What happened to Shad0w?
Shad0w took a break after a poor performance at the 2020 World Championship, and it’s hard to predict how well Shad0w will be playing now. In the LEC with MAD Lions, he was performing well and looked like one of the best rookies. Unfortunately, his performance at Worlds wasn’t as impressive and this led to him leaving the team.
In the LEC, Shad0w was a jungler who took initiative in the early game and showcased great performances on mechanical junglers such as Lee Sin and Nidalee. This will likely be valuable for LGD, as the LPL revolves a lot around aggressive play and early-game advantages. In the right light, Shad0w could be the guy to enable the rest of the LGD roster.
While nothing is official yet, it’s expected that Shad0w will be announced as the LGD jungler soon. The 2021 LPL Summer Split kicks off in June.
Read Also
Esports Betting
League of Legends Classic will be back in 2026, here’s what we know
Wasif Ahmed
Riot has announced that League Classic will come out in Season 3 of 2026, as a game mode. League Classic is “old League of Legends”, the ability to play the game on a specific patch from over a decade ago. How much information do we have? What is League Classic, when will League Classic release, and what patch will it be for? Ever wanted to rediscover the old version of ...
League of Legends
Karmine Corp vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
While both Karmine Corp and Team Liquid lost one series each, both teams will have another chance to continue in the 2026 MSI play-in stage to potentially qualify for the bracket stage. Both participating teams got swept by T1 in this MSI stage, bringing them to the third round. Team Liquid’s performance against Deep Cross Gaming was impressive, but does that really mean that it has what it takes to ...
Esports Betting
T1 exposes Karmine Corp with 3-0 win at League of Legends MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
T1 just beat Karmine Corp 3-0 in the play-in stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. More importantly, T1 turned KC’s strengths into weaknesses. The bot lane and teamfight prowess that shone in the LEC were no match this time. The match started with Karmine Corp picking a disrespectful draft, blind picking three immobile squishies. Right off the bat, a botched invade put their jungle and bot lane at a disadvantage. ...
Esports Betting
The top 12 best players at MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
The 2026 Mid-Season Invitational is mere days away, and it will see the best players in the world face off. The reward is a prize pool of $2,000,000 and extra slots at the upcoming World Championship. So, who are the top 12 best players at MSI 2026? As the most decorated player in recent NA history, Inspired is LYON’s star player. In one word, this jungler is smart. Inspired’s signature ...
League of Legends
KeSPA Cup returns in July 2026 exclusively on Disney+
Hannan Mundia
The KeSPA Cup is slated to return sooner than most expected, though its date and exclusive Disney+ partnership raises some questions. The KeSPA Cup is an annual tournament organized directly by the Korea e-Sports Association. While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Riot-organized leagues and events, LCK powerhouses still participate in it. 2025’s KeSPA Cup is still fairly fresh since it took place in December. This year’s tournament ...
Esports Betting
Best betting odds and picks for T1 vs Karmine Corp at MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
This year’s MSI is still ongoing, and the next match in the play-in stage is slated to pit T1 against the LEC’s Karmine Corp. Both participating teams absolutely destroyed their respective opponents in this stage’s first round. With two 3-0 scores, both Karmine Corp and T1 have established themselves as powerhouses. However, the level of opposition was clearly different, and that fact may show its face in this match. Tournament: ...
Esports Betting
T1 vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026 will kick off with T1 facing off against Team Liquid, but will the match really be as one-sided as the betting odds make it out to be? While some didn’t think that the reigning world champions, T1 would make it to this year’s MSI, the team proved many wrong once again. It barely made it to the play-in stage, where Team Liquid ...
