Weibo Gaming announce 2026 roster featuring mindfreak and coach meow
The former Paper Rex veteran and ex-BOOM Esports coach headline Weibo Gaming’s new-look squad for China’s 2026 tier-two season.
CHINA – Weibo Gaming have unveiled their roster for the 2026 season, headlined by former Paper Rex player Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart and former BOOM Esports and Team Secret coach Ji “meow” Dong-jun.
The team are set to compete in the China National Competition, the secondary circuit under VCT CN that offers teams a route toward bigger opportunities later in the year, including a pathway that ultimately leads to VALORANT Champions Shanghai.
The biggest name in the lineup is without question mindfreak, whose signing gives WBG immediate star power and one of the most accomplished players to enter China’s tier-two level this year. Best known for his long spell with Paper Rex, the Indonesian veteran built a résumé that few players from the APAC region can match.
During his time with the Pacific powerhouse, mindfreak made six international appearances as a player and helped the team reach two major international finals, first at Masters Copenhagen in 2022 and later at Champions Los Angeles in 2023. He was also part of the Paper Rex squad that won the VCT Pacific title in 2023, during a period in which the team established itself as one of the strongest representatives from the region.
Beyond those headline achievements, mindfreak was also part of Paper Rex’s rise during the earlier years of VALORANT, when the roster dominated large stretches of the APAC circuit throughout 2022 and 2023. Even after stepping away from the active lineup in early 2023, he remained involved with the team and capped off his time there with an international title at VALORANT Masters Toronto, contributing from the coaching booth as part of the staff.
It remains unclear, however, whether mindfreak will start right away. According to reports from 无畏契约球探 and Tanmay of Sheep Esports, China’s tier-two circuit allows only one import on the starting lineup, meaning Weibo Gaming may have to choose between mindfreak and one of their other import signings from Korea. According to 无畏契约球探, mindfreak will begin as the team’s substitute.
Outside of mindfreak, one of the more intriguing names on the roster is Fei “Satoshi” Zhixian. The Chinese duelist made a strong impression during his rise with Rare Atom, particularly during the Ascension run where the team finished as runners-up. At the time, he was seen as one of the more exciting prospects to emerge from the Chinese tier-two scene.
That promise, however, has not yet translated into a stable rise at the highest domestic level. Satoshi later joined Wolves Esports during the OFF//SEASON, but his stint there proved short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful.
Underwhelming displays led to him being benched before he was able to secure a meaningful role in Wolves’ VCT CN plans for this season. Since then, his competitive appearances have been limited, with the CN Evolution Series standing as his only other notable outing.
Another duelist joining the roster is Du "chenze" Zechen, who previously represented Zhu Chao Gaming during VCT Ascension CN last year. His team finished in 5th-6th place, but the new Weibo Gaming lineup gives him another opportunity to establish himself on a more ambitious project. His arrival also comes with some pre-existing chemistry, as he is reunited with former ZCG teammate Cha “AcMe” Il-hwan.
AcMe adds another import element to the roster and brings experience from time spent with CNJ Esports and FN Pocheon from Challengers Korea. The sentinel player may not be the most high-profile name in the lineup, but his background suggests a player who has spent time in structured team environments and under notable coaching. During one of his earlier stints, he was coached by Goo “TK9” Tae-kyun, who is now known as the coach of VARREL (ex-SLT Seongnam).
WBG have also added Zhang “XiaoFei” Yi, who is set to take up controller responsibilities. XiaoFei is one of the more difficult players on the roster to neatly define, largely because his competitive history has come in scattered appearances across several lineups. He first began appearing on the radar in 2021, including a stint with Totoro Gaming where he shared the server with players such as Ho “heybay” Shun-hei. He later also featured on Tales of Eastern, where he played alongside BLG’s Wang “whzy” Haozhe.
His most recent appearance came three years ago in 2023 with Night Wings Gaming during the team’s run toward Ascension and the wider VCT CN ecosystem. There, he found himself alongside players such as Deng “happywei” Min-wei and Savva “Kr1stal” Fedorov.
Hsu “Yoyo” Yuh-siang is another name that rounds out the roster, returning to tier-two play after spending time with TYLOO. Although he was on TYLOO last year, his opportunities on stage were limited, with his only official playtime coming during VCT CN Stage 2. In contrast, there is still relatively little information publicly available about player Liu "Panda" Jinyuan", who is expected to serve as a substitute, and assistant coach Yu “Veolante” Hanchen.
Overseeing the team will be head coach meow, whose arrival arguably carries just as much significance as any player signing. The Korean coach returns to China for the first time in six years, with his most recent stint in the country dating back to his Counter-Strike: Global Offensive days with Team Aster. Even so, his reputation today is far more tied to his work in VALORANT, particularly with BOOM Esports.
During his time with BOOM, meow helped guide the Indonesian team through four seasons and oversaw one of the region’s more respected long-term projects. Under his leadership, BOOM reached VALORANT Champions Istanbul, made two Ascension runs that both ended in top-four finishes, and collected multiple domestic Challengers Indonesia trophies.
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