NRG return to League of Legends led by Spica on a new role

NRG return to League of Legends led by Spica on a new role

After a year away from the game, NRG is making its return to the North American League of Legends scene. The team will be led by a veteran of the LCS in Spica, although with a twist.

NRG Are Back

At the end of the 2024 season, the LCS decided to rebrand entirely and merge with the South American leagues to create the LTA. At the time, this reestructuring meant that not all LCS teams would remain in the league. Ultimately, NRG was one of those teams that didn't make the cut into the LTA, putting an end to their League of Legends journey. 

Their time away did not last, however. At the very end of 2025, the American esports organization DarkZero bought NRG, and it only took two months before the new roster was officially revealed for the start of the 2026 NACL season (the North American tier-2 league).

Leading the project is none other than Mingyi "Spica" Lu, a former LCS Champion and LCS MVP. Despite being a staple of the Jungle for several years, however, Spica will actually be returning as a Support for NRG.

NRG 2026 roster:

  • Chris "Horder" Feng (Top)
  • James "Kisno" Woo (Jungle)
  • Kolby "PhyMini" Ashby (Mid)
  • Edward "Siroinai" Song (Mid)
  • Jeremy "Sushee" Roussy (ADC)
  • Mingyi "Spica" Lu (Supp)
  • Răzvan-Andrei "Razvan" Nistor (Coach)
  • Joseph "Joey" Haslemann (Coach)

NRG's official debut will come in the 2026 NACL Spring Season, which is set to kick off on March 26. If everything goes well for the team, we may even see the return of NRG to the LCS.

Seeing as the best-performing teams from the NACL will get to play for a chance to be promoted to the LCS at the end of the year, it will be interesting to follow NRG's journey through the tier-2 scene as they look to get back to the top.

Follow Strafe Esports for the latest League of Legends news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe's channel on YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured image credit: NRG


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