Preface: The S15 season has fully wrapped up, and most players have likely been following the recent offseason closely. During these days, the LPL's overall event schedule has been quite packed, especially with an entertainment-style esports festival that drew widespread attention online. This was mainly because they invited the top LCK team Gen.G and even arranged for a Chinese player to join them, marking the first time an LCK team featured a Chinese-supported mid laner. However, it seems Gen.G's official side didn't take this entertainment event seriously—they appeared to be there just for the money. Cryin even played without wearing a team jersey. After the match, Guozi also directly said playing with them was really fun, though he couldn’t understand what they were saying. Ruler also gave a sharp evaluation of the mid lane, saying both Chovy and Cryin are very strong.

Cryin can't understand Gen’s communication

Most players are probably quite familiar with Gen.G. As one of the top teams in the LCK region, Gen.G has maintained relatively stable results over the past few years, usually ranking first. Especially this season, they dominated internal LCK competitions but encountered some issues on the world stage. They lost in the semifinals to KT Rolster and failed to reach the finals, which disappointed many fans. After all, if Gen.G had advanced, their chances of winning the championship would have been very high, given their disciplined lineup against T1.

During this offseason, an LPL entertainment match sparked widespread discussion online. Gen.G’s mid laner Chovy couldn’t participate due to military service obligations. To maximize the event’s hype, the organizers invited Chinese mid laner Cryin to join Gen.G, which significantly boosted the event’s popularity. Although it was just an entertainment match, it attracted a lot of attention. The on-screen moments were quite humorous—while the other four Gen.G players wore their team jerseys neatly, Cryin didn’t even have a team jersey and had to stand in the corner wearing his own clothes.

In the end, the entertainment match concluded with AL team winning the championship, beating Gen.G 3-2 in a BO5 series. Of course, this was a very casual game without much competitiveness. After the match, Cryin gave an interview sharing his feelings about the matches. He said he had a great time playing with the Gen.G players but just couldn’t understand what they were talking about. The funniest part was probably Ruler’s interview, where he mentioned that he cut his hair short reluctantly. Although he doesn’t have to serve in the military, he still needs to train. Regarding Chovy and Cryin, he felt both played extremely well today. Having competed in the LPL, he clearly understands the social nuances perfectly.

Honestly, the LCK region will remain very strong next season. First is T1, who just won the KeSPA Cup. Their lineup is solid—even after changing their AD carry, they can still execute very stable teamfights, and Peyz integrated quickly. Then there’s the veteran powerhouse Gen.G, with no roster changes, surely continuing their dominance from S15. The most watched team might be HLE, who have two FMVPs from T1’s finals. As long as no major problems arise, they’re contenders for the championship again. In contrast, the LPL looks a bit weaker, with only AL and BLG teams seeming competitive.

Goodbye thoughts

Ruler’s high emotional intelligence in interviews really stands out—his years with JDG were definitely not wasted. The new season is about to start, but teams are still making intense adjustments, especially in the LPL. BLG’s mid laner Knight has just returned to the team, and their recent bootcamp should be their final tuning. Let’s see if they can regain form; if it’s like the Demacia Cup, BLG might collapse.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?