The first stage of the LPL group matches is more than halfway through. On the previous matchday, three games were held in the Resolute and Phoenix groups. LGD and UP fought through three intense games, with LGD emerging victorious. LNG took on OMG, with Li Ning completing a straightforward 2-0 win. Finally, EDG and NIP played a full three-game series, with EDG coming out on top. These results have clarified the points situation in both groups.

LNG, undefeated at 4-0 in the Phoenix group, has already advanced to the second round of the Knights’ Road. LGD currently leads OMG and UP by one point; as long as they maintain steady performance, advancing through the Knights’ Road should be manageable. If UP and OMG don’t improve soon, they’ll need to prepare for the second stage. In the Resolute group, WE has qualified, leaving one spot to be decided between EDG and NIP. TT started 0-4 and has no hope for the first round, already set for the second.

Hoya takes MVP with top lane Varus

Although the EDG vs. NIP match wasn’t of the highest quality, it was still entertaining. In the first game, NIP surprised everyone by first picking Varus to confuse their opponents. After EDG locked in Jhin, their bottom lane immediately chose Yuumi, forcing Varus to the top lane. Playing veteran Varus on top isn’t too challenging, but the lack of mobility is a big drawback. Early on, Varus was caught once, but after building new items, his damage output became extremely high.

Hoya’s combination of Dusk and Dawn with Nashor’s Tooth made EDG’s three frontline players unable to withstand the pressure. The match ended at 31 minutes, with Varus dealing the highest damage on the field—3.45K damage, nearly 10,000 more than their own AD carry. It seems top lane Varus isn’t as weak as people thought. Could TheShy have been right? Hoya’s build indeed deals more damage than the standard Steelplate and Blade of the Ruined King setup. From this perspective, TheShy might have suffered from the meta shift.

BLG shares a documentary about their losses

BLG has completed six matches so far, holding a 4-2 record, tied with AL and JDG. Due to head-to-head results and tiebreaker points, BLG currently ranks third on the leaderboard. From being undefeated to getting swept by JDG, BLG’s two losses exposed several issues. Their discipline remains the same; they tend to play recklessly when ahead and try to show off, which often hands opportunities to the opponent. Against JDG, they lost a 7K gold lead.

After consecutive defeats, BLG recently released a documentary about their double loss to JDG. The content mainly involved reviewing mistakes. During the review, Xun kept laughing, showing a laid-back attitude. The coach, known for his calm temperament, was helpless and resorted to a mix of calm and stern methods to push the players. Daeny pointed out a key problem within BLG: their communication is poor, and if they don’t throw advantages away, they could win.

XuGe tops the lane gold difference leaderboard

The LCK group stage has entered its super week. Recently, foreign media shared data on 15-minute lane gold differences from the first two weeks. Expectedly, the top spot should belong to Daehyun, but early in the season, XuGe leads with an average 659 gold advantage, ranking first. Daehyun is second, trailing XuGe by 51 gold on average. Among the top five, two other players come from the T1 team.

Peyz holds third place with an average 598 gold lead, followed by Doran in fourth. The last spot belongs to BFX’s mid laner Vicla. Previously, the meta was said to disadvantage T1’s top and bottom lanes, but it now appears to be a boost. XuGe’s top ranking is somewhat surprising. However, whether he truly excels will depend on his performance in the next best-of-five against Faker. If he can hold his own, XuGe will be considered outstanding.

Conclusion:

BLG’s two losses to JDG followed a similar pattern: when ahead, they failed to play cautiously and always tried to break through in one push, which backfired by giving the opponents chances. Since Viper joined, it doesn’t seem like an upgrade because his playstyle conflicts with BLG’s aggressive approach. BLG tends to dive forward recklessly in teamfights, leaving no one to protect Viper’s damage output.

So, what other problems do you think BLG has?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and discuss!