Kanavi’s return to the LCK has been anything but straightforward. After years of establishing himself as one of the world’s premier junglers in the LPL, expectations were sky high when he joined Hanwha Life Esports. Instead, the team stumbled to a shocking 10th-place finish at the LCK Cup, prompting criticism of both the roster and Kanavi’s trademark aggressive jungle style.
A few months later, the narrative looks completely different.
Hanwha Life Esports rebounded to dominate the LCK regular season, claimed the league’s first seed for MSI 2026, and entered the international tournament looking like one of the favorites. Speaking to Dot Esports at MSI 2026, Kanavi reflected on the team’s dramatic turnaround, adapting to the LCK after seven years in China, ignoring outside criticism, and the international junglers he’s eager to face.
Hanwha Life’s turnaround came from individual improvement and stronger team synergy
When asked how HLE transformed from the worst-performing team in the LCK Cup to the region’s top seed for MSI, Kanavi pointed to steady improvement rather than one defining moment. Instead of a single team meeting or breakthrough conversation, he believes every player gradually elevated their individual level while developing a much clearer understanding of each other’s expectations.
“As compared to the early stages of the year, I think we individually have improved in terms of our individual skill, each and every one of our teammates,” Kanavi said.
He explained that the roster also became much more aligned in how they approached the game, allowing the team’s coordination to naturally improve over time. “Over time, I think we have a better understanding of what we want from each other. And just having that better understanding, it also improved our team synergy in the end that actually made us click better.”
That improved synergy has become one of Hanwha Life’s biggest strengths heading into MSI, with the team looking significantly more coordinated than it did at the beginning of the season.
Kanavi says his LPL instincts are now working in the LCK
Kanavi After spending seven years competing in the LPL, Kanavi returned to Korea with a distinctly different style from many traditional LCK junglers.
Known for his proactive pathing and high-tempo decision making, he admitted that adjusting to the LCK initially took time. However, rather than abandoning the aggressive identity he developed in China, he believes it has now become one of his biggest advantages.
“From my perspective, I think it actually took me some time for me to get a better understanding of the LCK,” he said.
“My personal game style, because I have spent so much time in the LPL, I feel like that’s why I end up using and reverting back to that old style. And I think lately, it’s actually been more effective in the LCK.”
Success, not criticism, ultimately validates a player’s style
Early in the season, Kanavi’s aggressive approach drew heavy criticism as HLE struggled to produce results. Rather than viewing the criticism as unfair, the veteran jungler accepted it as part of being a professional player.
“I think professional gamer as a job, I think you can’t really avoid… criticism if you don’t perform well,” he said. Because Hanwha Life finished last in the LCK Cup earlier in the year, he understood why questions were being asked about both his performance and his playstyle.
However, he believes competitive results always change public perception. “Right now, since we got to first place… I think that’s why our fans are looking at us in a positive light. You just have to prove and show with your results in the end.”
Kanavi also credited his previous success in China for giving him the confidence to stick with his identity despite the outside noise. “Because I already knew and I had experience being so successful in the LPL with that kind of playstyle, I think I just had to believe in myself.”
As Hanwha Life’s teamwork steadily improved throughout the split, he became increasingly confident that his aggressive style would eventually pay off.
“I knew that it would be able to pay off in the end. So I think I was able to keep myself in the game and just stay in the game with my good mentality.”
Looking ahead to the international stage, Kanavi highlighted four junglers he is particularly excited to face. From the LPL, he singled out Tian and Xun, saying he has been watching many of their recent matches. In the West, two names have caught his attention for a different reason.
Kanavi praised G2 Esports’ SkewMond and FlyQuest’s Inspired for their willingness to bring unconventional champion picks and unique jungle approaches onto the biggest stage.
“They’ve been playing a lot of very unexpected picks and making a lot of very surprising playstyles,” Kanavi said. He added that facing players willing to challenge the established meta would make for an exciting international test, especially given the success they’ve found with those pocket picks.
With HLE arriving at MSI as Korea’s top seed, Kanavi now has the opportunity to prove that the aggressive style that defined his legendary LPL career can also deliver international success in the LCK era.
With T1 already eliminated by G2 Esports, Hanwha Life now carries Korea’s hopes at the MSI 2026 grand finals in South Korea. Standing in their way is a formidable Bilibili Gaming roster chasing the Golden Road, setting up one of the tournament’s biggest tests for Kanavi and company.
