The first stage of the LPL group matches has been underway for three days. On the last match day, Nirvana and Tenacity groups each had an internal battle. EDG went against WE and were crushed 2-0. Even with the Coach's guidance and solid picks, EDG players appeared unprepared, lacking teamwork in fights and poor macro play later on. Both games started with them ahead, but somehow they gave up their leads unexpectedly.

In the second game, EDG had a significant lead, ahead by 4K gold at 15 minutes, and everyone thought it was secure. Suddenly, they gave away a crucial team fight. In contrast, WE’s duo lane, although mediocre in laning, showed real skill in team fights. After Leave returned to his old team last year, he seemed a bit “humanized,” frequently making mistakes and dying often. In this weak matchup, the only good thing left was the entertainment.

Another match on the same day was OMG versus LNG. These two teams had previously played a full BO5 during the German Cup, showing very close strength. It was expected to go the distance in a BO3, but surprisingly, OMG was swept 0-2. LNG’s Korean jungler Lee Ning dominated the matchup, winning MVP in both games. The total duration was only 52 minutes, with OMG completely outplayed and treated like bots by Lee Ning.

This match attracted little attention and had very low hype. However, LNG’s top laner Sheer created a memorable moment that added a lot of fun. In the second game, Kid played Excavator against Hery’s Sion. At 4 minutes, Sheer tried to disrupt Sion’s minion farming but accidentally used his E to dive under the enemy tower. After taking tower shots, Sheer flashed to escape but was immediately caught by the jungler upon reaching the jungle.

This scene will feel familiar to those who have watched the Worlds. When BLG faced 100T in the Swiss round, Bin famously used Excavator to create the “Traveling Bin” highlight. Surprisingly, early in the new season, someone has already paid tribute to Bin. Interestingly, the caster for that BLG match was also Wang Duoduo. Regarding “Red Stone” moments, caster Duoduo is truly unmatched, always encountering these embarrassing plays.

The funniest part was after Sheer dove under the tower and died, he couldn’t hold back and covered his eyes on the spot. When Bin made his famous play, the silly Dou watching the game during a break also covered his eyes live, and the director even gave a close-up shot. Two different matches, yet so many identical elements appeared. It just shows how classic Bin’s “Traveling” moment was—Sheer’s attempt couldn’t surpass it.

Bin’s funniest moment was running back and forth between towers, tanking shots twice, then trying to retreat while tower aggro was still on him, circling around before finally getting solo killed by his lane opponent. Two players have made similar plays—could it really be an Excavator issue? Sheer clearly intended to push Sion away in front of the tower to wear him down, but mistimed his E and ended up diving into the enemy tower instead.

Maybe this is the legacy of LPL top laners: they don’t learn the good stuff but sure know how to entertain the audience. Luckily, it was against OMG with few viewers. If it had been against BLG, pulling off such a move would have been hard to endure. LNG’s new jungler is quite strong, and this team seems to have potential as a dark horse this year. However, to face top-tier teams, they must first advance from the Tenacity group and reach the playoffs.

In conclusion:

Bin is probably speechless now. The momentum of “Traveling Bin” had finally faded, but Sheer’s play brought Bin back into the spotlight for jokes. After all, Bin’s move ranks high among the most iconic plays in the “Sugar Man” series. Kid’s play was funny too but still somewhat inferior compared to Bin’s.

So, who do you think had the funnier Excavator play?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!