With just 9 days remaining before the LPL winter transfer window shuts, IG’s lineup for the new season is still uncertain. Regardless of the composition, IG’s competitive power appears weak since there are no elite AD players left in the market. If the mid and jungle players rest, IG might fail to reach the playoffs in the first split. We have to wait for IG’s official statement to know the final roster.

Before the new season’s roster is finalized, IG recently released a 49-minute long documentary for the S15 season, covering all events from the first split to the World Championship. IG’s performance in the first split was underwhelming, losing to NIP and getting heavily defeated by TES in the playoffs. Team issues gradually surfaced, and after a match, Jiejie openly criticized TheShy’s playstyle as not being team-oriented during the review session.

This kind of seemingly confrontational review is actually normal, because without openly addressing problems, it’s hard for the team to improve. Gazi’s expression during the review was quite telling—constantly scratching his head, almost wearing a mask of frustration. In the second split, after identifying issues in the review, IG’s strength gradually improved, but they still lost to BLG in the playoffs. Shortly after, jungler Jiejie left and Wei officially joined the team.

The footage of Wei just arriving at IG is really heartwarming; the whole team took care of him. TheShy praised Wei’s lively personality and said he is emotionally softer than expected. Everyone knew Wei had history with BLG, so they were eager to help him win during matches. TheShy even mentioned that Wei’s former team was BLG, and that the public opinion motivated him to play more attentively than before.

During the third split, IG experienced ups and downs but eventually secured the fourth seed in the play-in stage to qualify for Worlds. When the final battle arrived, IG broke T1’s fast dragon strategy, but their mid-to-late game team fights still lagged behind T1’s. They lost the match 1-3. Afterward, TheShy said: “I believe we could have won Worlds; everyone was in great form, but we were unlucky. In the first game, there were some equipment problems.”

TheShy felt that if they had beaten T1, IG could have gone far at Worlds. He personally thought they could reach the finals. The equipment issue wasn’t unique to TheShy; Doran also complained during an interview that in the fifth game against AL, his computer suddenly shut down. So TheShy isn’t making excuses — the organizers really did a poor job, especially since they were the home team and couldn’t even manage their equipment properly.

Looking back at IG’s year, their results actually exceeded expectations. In the first split, many thought management built the team just for hype, doubting their actual strength. Despite many challenges, IG still made it to Worlds. Though they only ranked 17th, their match against T1 was not bad at all. The top-four team Top Esports was swept by T1, and IG even managed to win a small game against them.

Moreover, IG had several games where they held early advantages but faltered in team fights. TheShy plans to take a break next year, and it’s still uncertain whether the top and jungle will play. The first split looks unpromising; all eyes will be on the second split to see if the top lane returns. Matches in Incheon are becoming fewer and fewer. Hopefully, TheShy won’t rest too long, or else the league’s popularity might suffer.

Conclusion:

This season, IG brought fans many surprises but also disappointments. Overall, their performance was decent. As the number one seed, they never faced T1 until the knockout stage and only reached the round of 16. Although Top Esports made the semifinals, they were powerless against T1. It’s safe to say luck was not on IG’s side. If they had faced DK in the play-in, IG might have advanced to the quarterfinals.

So, what do you think about IG’s performance this year?

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