Team Liquid to field a 6-man roster with Yuuji sharing jungle spot with UmTi

Team Liquid to field a 6-man roster with Yuuji sharing jungle spot with UmTi

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

28 Apr, 2025, 15:12

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Last updated: 28 Apr, 2025, 15:21

Ever since the conclusion of First Stand 2025, Team Liquid's form has been on a steady decline. Now, the team appears ready to correct course as they bring in rookie jungler Ganbat "Yuuji" Ulziidelger into the squad.

According to a report by Sander "LCS Eevee" Hove, Team Liquid will be moving into a 6-man roster, with Yuuji sharing the starting spot with the team's long-standing jungler Eom "UmTi" Seong-hyeon in the LTA North.

NACL star Yuuji is ready to join Team Liquid in the LTA North
Yuuji has made a name for himself in the NACL. Is he ready for the next step? (Credit: Christian Betancourt/Riot Games)

Yuuji: Team Liquid secure an MVP

In Yuuji, Team Liquid have found one of the biggest up-and-coming talents in the North American Tier-2 scene. The Mongolian jungler has played for notorious teams, like FlyQuest Academy or Maryville University.

Though his jump to Tier-1 has been a long time coming, it was at Dragonsteel where Yuuji truly began turning heads. With the team, Yuuji became the reigning NACL Champion, while also securing back-to-back MVP awards over the course of the Spring and Summer 2024 seasons.

Now, Yuuji will have the tall task of competing for a starting spot in the LTA with one of the most experienced junglers in the league. After starting his career in the LCK all the way back in 2017, UmTi has been competing at the highest level for eight years running now.

Over the course of his two years playing for Team Liquid, the South Korean jungler's level of play has been plagued with inconsistencies, pushing the team to bring in Yuuji to fill in the gaps.

Team Liquid falters in Split 2

After winning the inaugural split of the LTA, Team Liquid became the sole American hope at First Stand 2025. The international tournament, however, came as a wake up call to the squad as TL failed to make it past the Group Stage.

At the LTA North Split 2, the reigning champions finished in fourth place during the Positioning Phase with a 4-3 record, failing to live up to expectations. With an aging roster now showing signs of decline, Team Liquid will be hoping the addition of Yuuji is able to breathe new life into the squad as they look to return to the top of the region once more.

It is not often we get to see 6-man rosters be put to the test in competitive League of Legends. Whether this experiment is set to work out for Team Liquid remains to be seen. For now, though, all eyes will be on Yuuji the minute his debut hits the stage in the LTA North.

Team Liquid win LTA North Split 1 2025
After winning Split 1 of the LTA North, can Team Liquid find a way to turn the ship around and do it all again in Split 2? (Credit: Bruno Alvares/Riot Games)

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Feature image credit: Adela Sznajder/Riot Games


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