Preface: The S15 season has officially started, and the majority of players have been paying attention to the recent battles. The World Championship is fiercely competitive. With the first knockout round finished, four teams have made it to the semifinals: T1, TES, Gen.G, and KT. This marks another occasion where three teams are ganging up on the LPL region. The biggest disappointment for fans is probably the AL team, who definitely had a chance to reach the semifinals but encountered serious problems in games four and five, especially their AD player Hope, who gathered the team's economy but hesitated to output in teamfights. In a post-match interview, he openly admitted, "It was all five of us not doing well enough."

Hope: If only we had performed a bit better

Most players are still quite focused on the AL team. As the dark horse of the LPL region this season, they have shown outstanding performance since the first split and won the LPL championship in the second split. Although they didn't secure any honors on the world stage, they gained a lot of recognition from fans. With the World Championship underway, AL became the first LPL team to qualify for the playoffs and even defeated the first and second seeds from LCK consecutively. Many fans pinned their hopes on them. However, in the first playoff round, after a full-length series against T1, they still couldn't overcome that mountain.

Honestly, the most regrettable part of the match was the fifth game. AL had great early game management and even built a significant advantage. AD player Hope secured many kills, and the whole team funneled resources to him to accelerate his item progression. Despite T1 securing the Dragon Soul, AL still held over 4000 gold lead. The bottom lane teamfight was baffling to many viewers. After Saint's Aatrox was caught, AL's team managed to disengage well but couldn't break through T1's frontline. In that 3v4 skirmish at the bot lane, jungler Tarzan and top laner Saint were creating space for Hope to output.

The final outcome showed a timid AD player who not only failed to contribute damage after engaging but also absorbed all the enemy's abilities. Had he followed Saint and Tarzan aggressively, that teamfight might have turned the tide drastically. Instead, he chose to attack only after two teammates had fallen. This encapsulated all the poor decisions in one moment. While the teammates pushed forward, he pulled further back. That teamfight collapse led to AL's rapid downfall, allowing T1, with three dragons, to close the game in one decisive push.

In the post-match interview, Hope responded to the game but seemed not fully self-aware. He expressed regret and disappointment, saying that if they had performed slightly better and secured more resources in the final game, they might have won. To many viewers, it was clear that he should have played better—choosing a hyper-carry AD champion but failing to output despite having the advantage. Another party blamed was the coaching staff for letting such an AD player pick a hyper-carry hero. He can't carry the team like Uzi or JKL; he lacks the fearless mentality to make bold plays.

Farewell thoughts

The AL team members have basically done their utmost. Saint and other players made some mistakes, but nothing fatal. Hope is indeed not a strong AD player; in every game, he gets pressured and out-farmed regardless of advantage or disadvantage, always trailing behind XiaoLübu in CS. Is it really worth placing so much trust in an AD player who gets dismantled like this? During the transfer window, AL needs to make better choices so as not to hold back Kael.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?