Rookie and TheShy lead Invictus Gaming to Worlds for the First Time in Six Years
Powered by the return of the two veteran stars that put the team on the map all the way back in 2018, Invictus Gaming have become the last team to qualify for Worlds 2025. The squad's last minute heroics will see Invictus Gaming attend Worlds for the first time in six years, where they will have Faker and T1 waiting to take them on.
The First Chinese World Champions Return
Back in 2018, Invictus Gaming made Worlds history. Largely thanks to the mechanical strength of their two solo laners, Song "Rookie" Eui-jin and Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok, Invictus Gaming became the first Chinese team to win Worlds, putting a stop to South Korea's reign of terror at the time.
Years after Rookie and TheShy left the team, Invictus Gaming announced that both stars would be returning for the start of the 2025 season. With both players past their primes this deep into their careers, few could have expected the result of this move.
On the eleventh hour, Invictus Gaming delivered the goods as they took down JD Gaming at the 2025 LPL Regional Finals to secure the final spot at Worlds 2025. With the win, the organization will be returning to the biggest tournament in the scene for the first time since 2019.
In true TheShy fashion, the South Korean Top Laner finished the series with 20 deaths in 4 games. But then again, when have deaths ever stopped TheShy...
Rookie's history with Invictus Gaming at Worlds is not over yet. (Credit: LoL Esports)Rookie vs Faker: A Decade in the Making
As the 4th seed from the LPL, Invictus Gaming will have to take on the back-to-back World Champions of T1 (LCK #4 seed) at the Worlds 2025 Play-In Stage on October 14th. This means that, unfortunately, only one of these teams will be able to make it to the Swiss Stage. The other, meanwhile, will return home after playing just one match at Worlds.
For Rookie and Faker, as well as League of Legends fans everywhere, this will mark a special occasion. At 28 and 29 years old, respectively, Rookie and Faker have both been playing at the highest level for more than 12 years now. Despite their lengthy careers, as well as being two of the most historic Mid Laners the game has ever seen, the two players have never faced each other in a Bo5 series (or even Bo3).
More than a decade in the making, Rookie and Faker will finally have the chance to take each other on in an extended series. And what better way to do so than to kick off the action at Worlds 2025.
The final boss awaits Rookie and Invictus Gaming at Worlds 2025. (Credit: Adela Sznajder / Riot Games)Follow Strafe Esports for all the latest League news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.
Featured image credit: David Lee / Riot Games
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