Luckin Coffee Signs League of Legends World Championship Champion EDG Team?!!

Today, Luckin Coffee announced on its official Weibo that it would reveal a new "influencer" on April 25th—and according to the poster, the new signing would be a world championship team.

Other brands maintain real suspense; Luckin's "suspense" seems designed to make sure everyone already knows. Much like its collaboration with Yeshu Coconut, Luckin expected netizens to dig up the secret early, so the post even begged: "Please don't spoil this in advance!" Netizens gleefully played along:

"This is obviously the Chinese men's football team."

"The photo editing needs work. No matter how I look, I can't tell who this is!"

"So hard to guess! Who could it be? @EDG Club"

(Some netizens helpfully restored the original, unedited image.)

Luckin never said outright who the new influencer was, but the "needs improvement" photo editing had already told everyone: yes, it's EDG! EDG is coming to be our influencer! Come see! Come look!

Still, unlike the pixelated Yeshu Coconut collaboration that was guessed instantly, Luckin kept a little mystery this time. Following its usual pattern, a new partnership usually comes with a new product. For the EDG collaboration, a previous best-seller is returning. The small blue cup on the poster offered no hints, and no one on the major social platforms has leaked what the returning drink will be—though plenty of netizens are openly hoping for the comeback of Grape Ice Brew.

On product secrecy, Luckin seems determined that no one finds out early. So it remains unclear whether the EDG collaboration will include merchandise; fans are waiting to see if EDG-branded cup sleeves and paper bags will appear.

According to reports, at last year's League of Legends World Championship, EDG—China's LPL—was the only LPL team left in the semifinals, facing former champions from Korea's LCK. In the finals they defeated the defending LCK champions DK and took the title. Netizens described the run as more than an esports match or a contest between teams: it became a vessel for shared pride, with EDG carrying the youth of a generation.

Once you know EDG's story, the resemblance to Luckin is easy to see. Both broke through expectations in their own fields. Just as EDG wasn't taken seriously by most League of Legends players before the championship, many thought Luckin could never recover after its scandal—yet both persevered through change and persistence and pulled off comebacks that changed how people see them.

Looking back at Luckin's roster of influencers, recommenders, spokespeople, and brand collaborations, "influence," "freshness," and "identity" have always been the messages it sends to market—precisely what today's young people chase. Signing EDG strengthens the brand's standing among them, and lets international audiences discover Luckin Coffee through EDG's reach.

Image source: Internet, Weibo

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