Khi nhà vô địch thế giới Liên Minh Huyền Thoại dùng "thao tác thần sầu" để đầu cơ chứng khoán...

Original｜Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina)

Author｜CryptoLeo (@LeoAndCrypto)

League of Legends pro players are flooding into the stock market en masse.

MLXG and yagao are two notable representatives among LOL players who openly trade stocks, one suffered massive losses, the other made a killing:

Former LPL pro jungler and current streamer MLXG (real name Liu Shiyu) has recently been in the spotlight due to lawsuits and debt issues. When he first started trading stocks, he revealed on stream that he was making great profits from the Chinese A-share market, saying, "I earn a month's salary in one day. Streaming is just a side gig; stock trading is my main job." However, after a while, his tone shifted to: "Ah, what am I, an amateur, doing messing with this? I've lost everything, even my underwear."

LPL pro player yagao (real name Zeng Qi) was reportedly heavily invested in Nvidia from 2021-2022, then stepped away from the scene, claiming he "wanted a normal life," all while Nvidia had "made him a fortune." Data shows that if you bought Nvidia between 2021-2022 and held until now, the return on investment would be about 500%-1400%.

Compared to yagao, the LOL champion exposed yesterday truly deserves the title of "making a fortune in silence." He retired early and usually keeps a low profile, but quietly turned the tables on another battlefield. This is imp, the S4 World Champion known as the "Rat King," famous for his pentakill with Ashe in Summoner's Rift.

Last year, imp was often yelling on stream, but he hasn't broadcast for nearly 3 months now. He didn't even show up on his birthday, June 7th. In the past, imp usually streamed his birthday celebrations to interact with fans.

Former pro player Doinb joked on stream: "Imp has achieved financial freedom trading Korean and US stocks; he won't even stream on his birthday." Doinb said his source was Samsung Blue coach BanBazi, Choi Myung-won.

Whether he's truly financially free, imp hasn't personally responded. Looking back at imp's career from debut to now, it's a life script that constantly switches between a power fantasy and a tragedy.

Peak from Debut: World Champion at 19

Imp, real name Gu Seung-bin, born in 1995, along with Faker (born 1996), created the golden era of Korean esports.

In 2012, 17-year-old imp debuted with the ID "4seasons" for MVP Ozone, playing the ADC role.

In 2013, MVP Ozone was acquired by Samsung Electronics and split into two teams: Samsung White and Samsung Blue. These two teams, with ten players known as the "Samsung Ten," were the top 10 Korean LOL players around 2014. The two teams combined Korean-style macro play with individual skill to the extreme, sweeping almost all major Korean championship titles and runner-up spots, often clashing in "Samsung Civil Wars." Many veteran players consider them the strongest group of players in LOL history.

By the 2014 World Championship, both Samsung White and Samsung Blue represented Korea. Although Samsung White never won a domestic LCK title, they were nearly invincible internationally. During S4 Worlds, Samsung White dominated, losing only 2 matches in total, and ultimately defeated Royal Club 3-1 to win the championship. Royal Club's ADC at the time was the well-known Uzi.

Imp performed exceptionally well in the S4 finals, securing crucial plays with the champion Twitch (including double pentakills or key teamfights), which earned him the "Rat King" nickname. The bot lane duo of imp and Mata was considered one of the strongest combinations in the world at the time.

At 19, imp won the League of Legends S4 World Championship, while Faker hadn't even made it to Worlds that year.

From LPL Campaigns to Retirement: The Prodigy's Helplessness and Ex-Wife's Betrayal

Shortly after S4 in 2014, the LPL entered the era of Korean imports. Many teams bought Korean esports players. Imp also left Samsung White and joined LGD Gaming, becoming one of the earliest and most successful Korean import ADCs, beginning a 5-year LPL career.

However, for a player who won a World Championship shortly after debuting, imp's LPL record wasn't particularly dazzling. In China, he only won LPL league titles and runner-up spots. His best achievement was reaching the S5 World Finals with LGD.

Back then, LGD was considered by Chinese fans as the team with the best chance to win the World Championship, being the LPL's first seed. But for various reasons, LGD failed to advance past the group stage at S5 Worlds, finishing 16th. After that, imp transferred to WE and JDG, finally officially retiring on November 19, 2019, with JDG, ending an 8-year career. This ADC prodigy, who peaked right from his debut, never won a second career championship title.

Unsuccessful at work, but lucky in love, part of the reason for his retirement was progress in his romantic life; he looked forward to marriage and a stable life.

Transitioning to streaming, imp earned a decent annual salary and entrusted all his savings and streaming income to his wife. Unfortunately, the marriage lasted only a short year. Imp and his wife publicly accused each other of infidelity and ambiguous relationships, eventually divorcing. Imp's savings ultimately remained with his ex-wife. Imp, who retired hoping for married life, ended up losing both his wife and his money.

Prolonged emotional and financial disputes led imp to heavy drinking and mental health issues, culminating in a diagnosis of severe depression in 2022, which granted him an exemption from mandatory military service in Korea due to a Level 4 mental disorder.

The Arrow of Retreat: Imp's Second Grand Final is in the Stock Market

After the divorce, imp continued streaming on Douyu. His eccentric streaming style didn't generate much hype.

It was then that imp started learning about stocks. Having come from Samsung, he felt a natural affinity for semiconductors. But his usual quirky personality meant fans didn't take his "leaked strategies" seriously.

Imp often shared his investment insights on stream, revealing that he invested in both Korean and US stocks, focusing heavily on semiconductor and tech stocks. He also claimed to have bought Nvidia well before the AI boom.

"Aish, if I were a normal person yesterday, I could easily make one or two million. If I made a lot yesterday, I would have shared it with you guys, but I didn't."

"Now when I stream, I don't care about the streaming salary anymore. The streamer is going to get rich again tomorrow. I can make over a year's salary in one day tomorrow, so why should I stream?"

Perhaps the most interesting quote: "My assets have increased tenfold from March to October this year... Stocks have their ups and downs; you have to accept that reality first." Some claimed imp said in his fan group that he went long on SK Hynix with 5 million RMB using 10x leverage. While stats shared in group chats are often exaggerated, he did repeatedly recount "heavy bets on semiconductor stocks" on stream. In 2026, SK Hynix briefly surpassed Samsung to become the most valuable company in Korea by market cap. Maybe imp really did profit handsomely.

Imp, a Samsung alumnus, experienced both highs and lows before heavily investing in semiconductor stocks like Samsung and SK Hynix. "He left Samsung in 2014, but found his way back to Samsung in another form in 2026," closing the loop on a power fantasy storyline.

Today, still not directly responding to public speculation, imp might be at his place, wine glass in hand, watching the K-lines of SK Hynix and Nvidia on his screen, reminiscing about his achievements on the League of Legends rift and the stock market battlefield.

"The arrow has been shot. New battlefield, Carry!"