Korean toplaner Kim "Zest" Dong-min has reached a verbal agreement with Natus Vincere to join the team for the 2027 LEC season on a one-year contract. The player will join the Ukrainian organization as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Brazilian side LØS. In addition to NAVI, American team FlyQuest also showed interest in the player.
Last year with LØS proved historic for Zest. After losing the CBLOL Split 1 final to FURIA, the team exacted revenge in Split 2 (3:2) to secure a spot at Worlds 2026. At the World Championship, the roster set a record for the Brazilian region by reaching the final round of the Swiss Stage (with a 2-3 record). Along the way, LØS eliminated Team Secret Whales and Team Liquid Alienware before falling to LYON. The team also competed at the Esports World Cup, where they defeated LYON and were eliminated by JD Gaming.
The roster's strong results sparked widespread interest from other clubs: midlaner Jeong "Feisty" Seong-hoon is returning to GIANTX, while support Gabriel Agustin "Ackerman" Aparicio held talks with Team Liquid and LYON.
For NAVI, signing Zest is a major win in their roster overhaul under head coach Vasilis "TheRock" Voltis. Earlier, the club faced rejections in the toplane—Sergen "BrokenBlade" Çelik chose Movistar KOI, while Alex "Myrwn" Villarejo moved to GIANTX. Zest will replace Ukrainian toplaner Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin, whose contract with NAVI expires in a few days.
The team's core for 2027 is now largely finalized:
- Toplaner: Kim "Zest" Dong-min
- Jungler: Enes "Rhilech" Uçan (LEC 2026 Rookie of the Year)
- AD Carry: David "Supa" Martínez García
- Support: Polat "Parus" Çiçek
The midlane position remains the only vacancy in NAVI's new roster.
As a reminder, NAVI signs Supa as AD Carry for the 2027 LEC season