The last few years have been a revolving door of organizations entering and exiting the league, and 2026 brings another major shift. Sentinels have officially taken over the old 100 Thieves guest slot, stepping into the LCS with the kind of ambition you expect from a brand of their size. Rather than ease their way in, they’ve built a roster designed to compete with the league’s top teams from the very first day. With a mix of proven veterans, rising domestic talent, and carefully selected imports, Sentinels aren’t treating this debut as a warmup. So long as their veteran talent can return to form, this will be a dominant split from Sentinels.
Subscribe to our mailing list for a chance to win a $15 RP gift card!
Top Lane: Impact
Last year I, along with plenty of fans, was not the strongest believer in Impact. When Team Liquid collapsed after the first split, he looked like the player hit the hardest by that downfall. His lane phase felt unstable, and it was clear the situation around him was dragging him down. This season feels like a reset. With a refreshed roster and a much healthier environment, there is a real chance for Impact to bounce back and show that the struggles of last year were only a temporary setback.
Being a former world champion and the long standing GOAT NA top laner puts a spotlight on you every time you walk onto the stage. There is always pressure, always noise, and always someone aiming for your spot. Even with all of that, Impact continues to bring the same thing he has brought to every roster he has joined. Stability, leadership, and a champion pool flexible enough to let his team play through any identity they choose. If he finds his comfort again, especially on picks like Rumble or Ksante, Sentinels will have a reliable and experienced rock on the top side.
Some fans questioned the decision to sign Impact instead of other domestic options like Dhokla or Srrty, but I believe Sentinels made the correct call. Impact did not finish 2025 in the strongest form, but he still played the full year and delivered at First Stand in a way that showed his ceiling remains higher than the alternatives. For this roster to reach its potential, Impact will need to tap back into that level and remind everyone exactly why he earned the reputation of being the greatest top laner North America has ever had.
Jungle: HamBak
There has been some joking around about HamBak joining Sentinels, but I genuinely believe he brings a level of play that the team would not reach without him. Coming over from BRO in the LCK, HamBak consistently showed he was more than just a serviceable jungler. He delivered strong performances in both LCK Challengers and the LCK itself, proving he can operate at a much higher pace than what we often see in the LCS jungle pool. With a deep champion pool and standout showings on staples like Sejuani and Vi, HamBak has the potential to immediately raise the floor and the ceiling of this roster.
His most recent split in LCK Challengers was not his most impressive stretch, but when you look past that small sample and evaluate his full career it paints a better picture. In the LCK he was one of the most reliable pieces for his roster, showing sharp early pathing, strong objective control, and the ability to play both front line and carry jungle styles. If Sentinels can give him the structure he needs, there is a pretty good reason to believe he can return to that high impact form and become one of the more influential junglers in the league.
This Sentinels lineup is stepping into the LCS with big expectations, and they will need to prove right away that they deserve the support and attention they are already receiving. HamBak is one of the players who can bridge that gap. His baseline gameplay was already respected in the LCK, and bringing that level of consistency into the LCS gives Sentinels a foundation they can build real success on. If he settles in quickly, this roster goes from interesting to legitimately dangerous.
Mid Lane: DARKWINGS
DARKWINGS enters the 2026 LCS season as one of the newest faces in the league, but he has already shown that he belongs here. After being promoted from the NACL in Split 3, he immediately proved he could compete at a Tier 1 level. His debut featured dominant wins over Dignitas and a full five game battle against Cloud9, which put his name on the radar fast. He followed that performance by tearing through the Tier 2 challengers in the relegation tournament, dropping only two games the entire run and establishing himself as one of the strongest mid prospects in North America.
He is exactly the type of player you want in the center of the map for a roster like this. While some of the veterans around him will be looking to rebound and return to form, DARKWINGS is already performing at the level Sentinels need. He is comfortable on both melee skirmishers and control mages, giving the team a draft flexibility that a lot of younger mids cannot offer. He may not come in with the same hype or name recognition as APA or Quid, but the hunger and raw ability are clearly there. DARKWINGS is still unproven on the big stage, but he is absolutely the kind of rookie who can challenge the league’s established mid laners.
For this roster to reach its potential, DARKWINGS needs to maintain the assertive style he showed in both his NACL promotion run and his early LCS appearances. He was aggressive, confident, and willing to take risks because he trusted his reads on the game. That mindset is exactly what Sentinels need. A mid laner who plays forward, dictates tempo, and refuses to back down is the kind of presence that can push a talented roster like this to go toe to toe with the legacy organizations in the league.
Check out these other LCS rosters!
Shopify Rebellion Roster 2026 LCS
ADC: Rahel
Rahel comes into this season as a long time, well known ADC with real experience at the highest levels of play. He has already proven himself across both the LEC and LCK Challengers, and his brief time in the LCS with DSG alongside DARKWINGS showed exactly why he has been viewed as a top import for several years. From the moment he debuted, he delivered strong performances, taking down Dignitas and pushing Cloud9 to a tight game five. In the promotion series that followed, he and DARKWINGS clearly outclassed the Tier 2 challengers, showing a level of coordination that made DSG look like a Tier 1 playoff roster. On Sentinels, Rahel is the player I expect to be the primary carry and the main point of the team’s resources.
His background speaks for itself. Playing in LCK Challengers alongside current Cloud9 top laner Thanatos, Rahel was part of one of the most dominant academy teams Korea produced in recent years. That run included four championship titles and six top three finishes, which is the type of consistency most ADC’s dream of. When he moved into the LEC with SK Gaming, he continued that level of play, helping secure first place in the LEC Summer. The roster eventually crumbled in playoffs and struggled afterward, leading to Rahel’s departure early this year, but none of that took away from the fact that he performed at a level Western teams rarely find in an ADC.
For Sentinels to make a successful entry into the LCS, they will need Rahel to play at that same standard he reached in LCK Challengers and at the height of his time in the LEC. His Jinx and Aphelios performances are among the strongest you will find from any Western ADC, but those picks demand pristine coordination and consistent team attention. If Sentinels can commit the right resources to bot side, communicate clearly, and give Rahel the space he needs to scale and control fights this roster has the potential to surprise people. With the right setup, Rahel can absolutely be the piece that pushes Sentinels from an exciting new team to a legitimate playoff threat.
Support: Huhi
Huhi is a name every LCS fan knows, and it should not come as a surprise that teams continue to look his way even after more than ten years of competitive play. He has played on some of the most influential rosters in LCS history, playing for CLG with an almost first place finish at MSI 2016. As part of the poached DSG roster, he played a major role in their resurgence during Split 3, helping pull the team out of last place and then dominating the promotion series with the experience and stability he has built his career on.
Few supports in North America bring the veteran presence Huhi does. With six international tournaments under his belt, he stands on the same level of experience as Impact, giving Sentinels a core of players who have competed at the absolute highest stage. His time after leaving Golden Guardians was not his strongest stretch, often stuck on underperforming rosters and unable to showcase the creativity and aggression that defined his earlier years. Even so, his baseline level has remained consistent, and he is far from a weak link.
With a fresh environment and a roster built around strong carries, there is a clear path for Huhi to regain the form that once made him one of the most respected supports in the region. His pairing with Rahel and HamBak has the potential to unlock a lot of the bot side’s pressure, allowing Rahel to play fights on his terms while HamBak pushes tempo through early skirmishes. For Sentinels to make a real impact in their first LCS split, they will need Huhi to elevate back to that prior level. If he reaches it, this roster suddenly has the experience and synergy needed to make a push toward the international stage for both him and Impact.
Sentinels enter their first LCS split with a roster that already carries more identity, structure, and potential than most new organizations manage in their debut. What stands out most is how naturally this team blends proven experience with rising talent, creating a foundation that can actually contend. The question is not whether this roster has the pieces to succeed, but whether they can come together quickly enough to challenge the league’s established giants. If the synergy forms and players can bounce back, Sentinels have a real chance to make their arrival in the LCS something more than a headline. They can turn it into a statement.
