Current status of the first day of LPL matches: Bin has become a clown, Shanks shines under pressure, and 369's Aatrox ascends to legend.

Hello to all LPL fans and League of Legends summoners, this is Tianxia Game Report.

The first day of the S15 World Championship Swiss stage is underway. After IG's elimination, three major LPL teams are competing in this round, all with matches scheduled today.

Editor

In the end, the three teams achieved a combined record of 2 wins and 1 loss, bringing joy to some and disappointment to others.

First day match update: Bin reduced to a clown

After yesterday’s Swiss stage draw, BLG was widely considered to have the best draw among LPL teams, facing North America's third seed 100 Thieves. Pre-match predictions showed a significant skill gap, possibly even wider than IG versus T1.

Moreover, BLG brought out several signature champions, with bottom lane Ezreal and Zyra being standout picks previously, and top lane selecting a surprise Rek'Sai.

However, the result was shocking. Except for Elk, most BLG players performed poorly. Bin’s Rek'Sai was especially ugly, with baffling top lane plays that embarrassed the team internationally. Sion was forced into a solo kill, leaving viewers puzzled about what Bin was doing on the world stage.

After losing a mid-game team fight, BLG fell into a classic meltdown, with several players growing increasingly frantic. Notably, jungler Beichuan threw the game repeatedly, mirroring Bin’s confusion, which infuriated LPL fans. Seeing a former champion team perform like this at Worlds, combined with IG’s prior failure, has left the audience feeling utterly crushed.

Shanks shines in adversity, 369’s Aatrox reaches legendary status

Following BLG's defeat, the next LPL team to appear was AL, facing Korea’s HLE. After BLG’s loss, fans were quite pessimistic, but surprisingly AL secured a win in a match full of twists, with both sides taking turns leading.

In the crucial team fight, Shanks’ Cassiopeia exploded spectacularly, killing one enemy solo in a 1v2 before joining the main group to flash-R and help AL win the fight, enabling a pivotal counterattack.

However, HLE quickly countered by stealing Baron Nashor. After AL fell into disadvantage again, they turned the tide with a decisive team fight victory at 32 minutes, securing Baron and thwarting the enemy AD’s solo Elder Dragon steal attempt by taking the Elder themselves, locking in the win.

This victory gave LPL a significant morale boost ahead of TES’s match against G2.

Considered a very evenly matched contest, 369’s Aatrox delivered a legendary performance. Early on, TES punished G2’s tower dive attempt with a 1-for-4 counterattack to gain the lead. Kanavi then carried aggressively, setting the team’s pace. In a team fight, 369’s Aatrox, surrounded and pressured, outplayed opponents solo and coordinated with teammates to kill the ADC, cementing a legendary moment.

Swiss stage unpredictability and BLG’s need to regain form

Ultimately, TES crushed G2, and the LPL region finished day one with a combined 2-1 record. While the overall results are satisfactory, BLG’s performance was quite disappointing, costing LPL a perfect 3-0 start.

BO1 matches in the Swiss stage are prone to upsets, but BLG’s loss was still unforgivable. The five players performed so poorly they deserved criticism. This team has long struggled with mentality issues, often relaxing too much against seemingly weaker opponents.

This relaxation leads to losing control of the game, which then causes mental breakdowns, making them play more recklessly and ultimately lose.

BLG performs best when playing as underdogs against stronger teams or when in good form during key matches. I believe this recurring problem is hard to fix, and only a wake-up call from losses can snap them out of it.

Although the Swiss stage appears forgiving due to its format, it can quickly become unforgiving when special situations arise, pushing teams to the brink.

For example, last year BLG struggled significantly in the Swiss stage. Many teams losing today are strong opponents, including TES and AL who defeated G2 and HLE respectively. If BLG faces strong teams and falls to 0-2, they will be forced into the elimination round immediately.