Original | Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina)
Author | CryptoLeo (@LeoAndCrypto)
Professional League of Legends players are flooding into the stock market.
MLXG and yagao are considered two representatives among LOL players who openly invest in stocks, one suffers a huge loss while the other makes a nice profit.
Former LPL professional jungler and current game streamer MLXG (real name Liu Shiyu) has recently attracted attention due to legal issues and debt problems. When he first got into stocks, he revealed during a live stream that investing in stocks was quite profitable, “I make a month’s salary in just one day, streaming is a side job, trading stocks is my main job,” but after some time, his tone in the stream changed to: “Oh dear, how could a layperson like me handle this stuff, I even lost my underwear.”
Professional player yagao (real name Zeng Qi), who primarily competes in the LPL region, was reported to have heavily invested in Nvidia during 2021-2022 before retiring to “live a normal person’s life,” but in reality, Nvidia was “making a fortune.” Data shows that if one had invested in Nvidia from 2021-2022 until now, the return on investment would be approximately 500%-1400%.
Compared to yagao, this LOL champion revealed yesterday truly deserves the title of “making a fortune quietly.” He retired relatively early, does not draw much attention in daily life, but quietly turned the tables on another battlefield. He is the former S4 World Champion imp, known as the “Mouse King” for his pentakills in the Summoner's Rift.
Imp, who used to loudly celebrate in his streams last year, has not been live for nearly three months now, and even did not show up on his birthday, June 7. In the past, imp would usually stream to interact and celebrate with fans on his birthdays.
Former professional player Doinb joked during a live stream: “Imp has achieved financial freedom through investing in Korean and American stocks, not even streaming on his birthday.” Doinb mentioned that this information came from Samsung Blue coach BanBazi Choi Myeong-won.
Whether it's true freedom or not, imp has not personally responded. Looking back at imp's journey since debut, it resembles a script that frequently shifts between uplifting tales and tragic narratives.
Debut at the Peak: World Champion at 19
Imp's real name is Gu Shengbin, born in 1995, who along with Faker, born in 1996, helped create the golden age of Korean esports.
In 2012, 17-year-old imp debuted with the ID “4seasons” in MVP Ozone, taking on the ADC position.
In 2013, MVP Ozone was acquired by Samsung Electronics and split into Samsung White and Samsung Blue. The ten players from both teams were dubbed “Samsung's Ten Sons,” considered the top ten players in Korea around 2014, combining Korean tactics and individual skills to the extreme, winning almost all major competitions in Korea, frequently engaging in “Samsung civil wars,” regarded by many old players as one of the strongest groups in LOL history.
By the time of the 2014 S Championship, both Samsung White and Samsung Blue represented Korea. Although Samsung White never won the domestic LCK championship, they were almost invincible in international tournaments. During the S4 World Championship, Samsung White crushed their opponents, losing only two matches throughout, ultimately defeating EDward Gaming 3-1 to claim the championship. At that time, EDG's ADC was the well-known Uzi.
Imp's performance in the S4 finals was outstanding; during the match, imp secured crucial plays with the champion “Mouse” (including double pentakills and key team fights), which is the origin of his title “Mouse King.” The bot lane duo of imp and Mata was considered one of the strongest combinations in the world at the time.
At 19 years old, imp won the League of Legends S4 World Championship, while Faker had not yet reached the World Championship.
Competing in LPL to Retirement: The Powerlessness of a Genius and the Betrayal of a Former Wife
Shortly after the S4 Championship in 2014, the LPL saw an influx of Korean players, with many teams spending money to acquire them, and imp also left Samsung White to join LGD, becoming one of the earliest successful Korean ADCs and starting a five-year career in the LPL.
However, for a player who quickly won an S title, imp's performance in the LPL was not remarkable; during his time in China, he only achieved the LPL championship and runner-up, with his best performance being during LGD, where they reached the S5 World Championship.
At that time, LGD was considered by Chinese fans to be the most likely team to win the World Championship, LPL's number one seed. However, due to various reasons, LGD failed to advance in the S5 World Championship, stopping at the top 16. After that, imp transferred to WE and JDG, ultimately announcing his retirement on November 19, 2019, ending an eight-year professional career. This AD genius, who debuted at the peak, never achieved a second championship in his career.
Disappointment in his career was offset by success in love; part of the reason he decided to retire was that imp experienced progress in his romantic life, yearning for marriage and a stable life.
Transitioning to the streaming field, imp's annual salary was not low, and he put all his savings and streaming income into his wife's hands. Unfortunately, this marriage lasted for only a year, with both parties revealing infidelity and scandals involving other people, leading to their divorce. Imp's savings ultimately remained in his ex-wife's hands. Yearning for married life, imp ended up losing both money and affection.
Long-term relationship and property disputes led imp to start drinking heavily, and at his worst, he was diagnosed with severe depression in 2022 and was exempted from South Korean military service due to a level four mental illness.
The Retired Arrow: Imp's Second Finals in Life in the Stock Market
After his divorce, imp continued to stream on Douyu but his erratic streaming style kept his popularity lukewarm.
At this time, imp began to learn about stocks; having come from Samsung, he naturally felt a connection to semiconductors. However, his usually erratic personality led fans to not take his “leaked secrets” seriously.
Imp has shared his investment insights multiple times during live streams, stating that he invests in both Korean and American stocks, with a focus on semiconductor and tech stocks; he also mentioned that he bought Nvidia before the AI boom.
“Damn, if I had been a normal person yesterday, I could have easily made a million or two, and if I made extra, I would have shared it with you, but I didn’t make anything.”
“Now that I'm streaming, I don't care about the streaming salary anymore; the主播 is going to make a fortune tomorrow, I could earn a year's salary in one day, so why should I stream?”
One of the most interesting statements made: “My assets have increased tenfold from March to October this year.... The stock market has its ups and downs; one must accept this reality first.” It was reported that imp mentioned in his fan group about leveraging 5 million RMB with ten times leverage to go long on SK Hynix. The data bragged about in the group chat is often exaggerated, but he indeed has reviewed “heavy investments in semiconductor stocks” multiple times during live streams. By 2026, Hynix briefly surpassed Samsung to become the most valuable company in Korea; perhaps imp truly reaped considerable profits.
The player from Samsung, after experiencing highs and lows, heavily invested in Samsung, Hynix, and other semiconductor stocks. “He left Samsung in 2014, but in 2026 he returned to Samsung through another means,” concluding the arc of the male protagonist's uplifting story.
Today, imp has yet to directly respond to public speculation and may be at his residence, looking at SK Hynix and Nvidia’s K-line charts on his screen, holding a glass in hand, reflecting on his achievements in both the League of Legends arena and the stock market arena.
“The arrow has been shot; a new battlefield awaits. Carry!”
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