Preface: The S16 season matches have officially started, and most players have been paying close attention to the recent battles, as the LPL region's games are fiercely competitive. On this crucial day of the beginning of spring, many are still focused on the WBG team, especially since they have the "Spring Tiger Emperor" Xiaohu. However, in the match against AL team, his overall form and performance were very poor, seemingly unable to return to his peak. Instead, the AD carry ELK showed significant improvement, delivering an impressive 17-kill Kaisa performance. Unfortunately, a critical mistake in the final game prevented them from closing out the match despite leading by 7000 gold, resulting in a comeback victory for AL.

Spring ELK successfully trends on social media

Most players remain quite focused on the WBG team. As this season's ultimate all-Chinese roster, their overall results have not been particularly outstanding. Since the Demacia Cup, their form has been very unstable. As the matches progressed, they failed to regain their rhythm, especially mid laner Xiaohu, who seems to be past his prime, frequently making mistakes that greatly troubled his teammates. The match against AL became a hot topic among many netizens, and ultimately, they were overturned by AL despite a 7000 gold advantage, suffering a painful defeat.

In the first game, WBG performed steadily. At nine minutes, the mid-jungle-bottom four-man gank killed AL’s duo, securing first blood. By 15 minutes, ELK’s Kaisa dived into the backline with her ultimate, killing two enemies, leading WBG to a decisive 2-for-5 team fight victory. The highlight was the 33-minute dragon fight, where Kaisa entered the late-game skirmish, killing AL’s support and jungler, then single-handedly wiping out the entire AL team. With a final score of 17-4-5, Kaisa earned MVP honors, and Spring ELK quickly trended online. Surprisingly, his form improved so rapidly in spring.

It was expected that WBG would maintain momentum, but problems arose in the second game. The early game was completely dominated by AL on the bottom lane, and WBG failed to establish good lane control. ELK’s Rell was even solo killed by Hope’s Aphelios after warding. The second game ended quickly at 35 minutes, with AL tying the series. The third game was the most painful, as both teams started experimenting. Zika played top Varus, while Saint used Renekton. Early mistakes happened on both sides, but at eight minutes, Varus secured a triple kill with burst damage, gaining a significant early gold lead. A crucial team fight at 24 minutes caused WBG to collapse, as AL, despite trailing by 7000 gold, executed a perfect 2-for-5 team wipe, completing their comeback by 30 minutes.

Throughout the match, ELK was the most dedicated player, gaining a large number of fans’ support. On the other hand, mid laner Xiaohu became the target of criticism, delivering the worst Akali and Galio performances in a BO3. This kind of play from him shows he has lost the skill he once had. Even with spring here, he hasn’t regained his form. It is likely that next season Xiaohu will need to reconsider his future; if he continues like this, his reputation might collapse entirely. It would be better for him to leave early while still in the spotlight this season.

Farewell thoughts

Who would have thought that by spring, WBG’s strongest player would be AD carry ELK? Before the match, everyone expected them to be the ultimate all-Chinese team. As the BO3 series nears its end, they still haven’t secured a spot in the playoffs. Expectations for them were simply too high. Currently, the LPL region really lacks a decent team, and even the consistently winning AL squad has many issues.

Dear viewers, what are your thoughts on this matter?