Joining Xi Lai Gaming will see Lysoar become the team’s most experienced player.
CHINA – Xi Lai Gaming have officially acquired Liang “Lysoar” Youhao from Wolves Esports ahead of the 2026 VCT season. It remains unclear whether this move completes XLG’s roster or if further changes are planned, including the future of head coach Aleksandr “hvoya” Eremin, whose status for next season has yet to be determined.
Lysoar makes the switch after a notable 2025 with Wolves Esports, where he reached the highest point of his VALORANT career by helping the team secure a remarkable third-place finish at VALORANT Masters Toronto. It marked one of the strongest international showings for everyone in Wolves Esports to date. However, the latter half of the year proved more difficult. The team were unable to carry their momentum into Stage 2, finishing at the bottom of the standings and missing out on VALORANT Champions Paris, ending their season earlier than expected.
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Before joining Wolves, Lysoar competed with FunPlus Phoenix for two seasons, attending four international events in Los Angeles, Madrid, Shanghai, and Seoul.
Results at those events were mixed, with FPX often ending near the bottom, though regionally the team remained strong and consistently finished second behind EDward Gaming throughout 2024.
Joining Xi Lai Gaming places Lysoar in a new leadership-adjacent role. He now becomes the team’s most experienced player. His regional performances have been solid, but the key narrative going forward will be proving he can start to translate that level to the international stage.
Xi Lai Gaming themselves had an impressive year for an Ascension team. They won VCT CN Stage 1, becoming the first team outside of EDward Gaming to lift a VCT CN trophy. They then qualified for Masters Toronto and the Esports World Cup, though they were unable to secure a win internationally. Domestically, they closed the season with a fourth-place finish in Stage 2.
At VALORANT Champions Paris, their crucial victory over North American powerhouse Sentinels secured their spot in VCT CN for another year, edging out fellow Ascension team Dragon Ranger Gaming.
Xi Lai Gaming now have:
- Arthur “Rarga” Churyumov
- Teng “happywei” Min-wei
- Colin “coconut” Chung
- James “NoMan” Man
- Liang “Lysoar” Youhao
- Aleksandr “hvoya” Eremin (Coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games
