Announced as the biggest ERL transfer of last offseason, MISA Esports' Korean bot lane dominated the TCL Winter Split and are now set to take on the EMEA Masters Winter. Where do they come from, and are they truly the next absolute threat in European tier two — to the point of being LEC-ready?
Over the years, long before the league became an ERL in early 2023, the TCL has always had a reputation as a landing spot for Korean players. Whether young talents unable to secure a place in the Korean elite or experienced players seeking new horizons, the Turkish ERL has seen its fair share of Korean imports.
A duo destined for the top?
But heading into 2026, the arrival of two names that many expected to land directly in the LEC rather than go through ERLs generated plenty of buzz: Byeon "Hype" Jeong-hyeon & Han "Way" Gil.
Why so much hype? First, because the duo know each other inside out, having spent nearly two years together sharing the bot lane of KT Challengers in 2023 and 2024. More importantly, that team became the terror of the LCK CL in 2024, winning both splits as well as the ASCI — Asia's equivalent of EMEA Masters — dropping just a single game across 14 played.
In short, Hype & Way formed the bot lane of what was by far the most promising team in the global academy system in 2024. Both players eventually got their shot, this time separately, in the world's greatest league where the best players on the planet compete: the LCK.
For Hype, the step up was even crowned with a KeSPA Cup title alongside OK Brion, but the rest of his year was far from glorious, as the team hovered between mid-table and the bottom of the standings. For Way, it was worse: handed the opportunity to join the storied KT Rolster, his stint lasted only a few weeks, marked by underwhelming performances during the LCK Cup that earned him a swift return to the academy roster.
An accumulation of disappointments that was enough to motivate both players to seek a new challenge. And while some fans already envisioned them heading to the LEC, it was through the smaller door of the ERLs that Hype & Way reunited their duo, this time with MISA Esports.
Finding their way back through the TCL
In Turkey, surrounded by a roster built to win everything — SlowQ, the most recent EMEA Masters champion, 113, winner of the Spring 2022 edition, and Ragner, a multiple-time French champion — the Korean bot lane wasted no time showing their potential. From the very first week, they faced a significant challenge: their own jungler 113 finished his Vi game 1/8, which did not stop from destroying his opponents on Jhin, ending with a DPM of 1,417.
Lck players vs 30 year old turkish dads