Reigning LCS champions LYON have announced the signing of toplaner Cho ‘Castle’ Hyeon-seong from Disguised midway through the LCS Spring Split.
The Korean pro will compete for the starting top lane position with LYON’s veteran toplaner Niship ‘Dhokla’ Doshi.
Meanwhile, former LYON toplaner Jett ‘Srtty’ Joye has joined LCS guest-slot team Disguised for the remainder of the year.
Dhokla vs Castle
Castle has been competing in North America for quite some time now, having signed for Immortals back in 2024.
While never finding much success in the league, Castle has always stood out and impressed while playing on struggling teams.
LYON were able to sign Castle and field a third Korean pro now that botlaner Kim ‘Berserker’ Min-cheol has his green card and has freed up an import slot for the organisation.
Meanwhile, Dhokla has had a rollercoaster six months.
After going on a surprising run to qualify for LoL Worlds with 100 Thieves and recording a huge upset over Bilibili Gaming, Dhokla was then surprisingly without a team for 2026.
However, he then got the chance to join Lyon after promising Canadian rookie Frankie ‘Zamudo’ Lin was blocked from playing due to visa issues.
And though that Dhokla earned his first LCS title after helping LYON win the LCS Lock In and qualify for First Stand.
Why LYON Are Fielding Two Toplaners
LYON COO and founder Carlos ‘Biblos’ Gibran gave context to the decision on social media, stating:
“After First Stand in Brazil, we feel the team’s level has been slipping. It’s not only on the top lane… As individuals and as a team, everyone has dropped in performance.”
While LYON are currently sitting third in the LCS with a 4-1 record, the team had a surprising early exit from the North American Esports World Cup Qualifiers after losses to both FlyQuest and Team Liquid.
Biblos confirmed that this factored into the team’s decision, adding: “We’re doing this because we firmly believe we can compete for the championship.”
According to the founder, Castle and Dhokla will both compete in scrims, and then the best-performing player will compete on stage each week.
What do you make of this signing for LYON, and will it make the team stronger? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
LYON will now have to win the LCS Spring Split to join Sentinels at the Esports World Cup.
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