New revelations about the LPL national team: The Clearlove has already signed up, Tabe’s coaching role is uncertain, and BLG players are currently leading.

Greetings to all LPL fans and League of Legends summoners, welcome to Tianxia Game Report.

Today, the LPL officially launched the playoff phase. Prior to the start, the official best regular season roster was revealed, and simultaneously, fresh leaks about the LPL national team selection emerged.

Editor

This best lineup can provide a straightforward reference for forming the national team, with the coaching role being particularly important.

LPL national team update: Clearlove has already registered

Insider Hanyi recently revealed that for the Asian Games national team coaching selection, EDG’s Clearlove has signed up. Meanwhile, the widely respected domestic coach Tabe seems unwilling to take the coaching position for the national team, which surprised many viewers.

Rewinding four years, back when Zhu Kai was still with EDG, he led the then-selected national team to only a bronze medal. After the tournament, Zhu Kai faced severe public criticism, and EDG immediately severed ties with him. He then transitioned to streaming and did not coach any other teams.

Now, the LPL needs a new coach. Looking across the entire LPL, it seems only Tabe is qualified. His coaching skills are widely recognized and impressive. However, with this new revelation that Tabe refuses to coach, LPL truly lacks a strong candidate. Even Clearlove has signed up. If he ends up leading the team, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he might face a similar fate as Zhu Kai.

One possible reason is that they believe the LPL-formed national team has little chance of winning, and coaching the national team would distract from their club coaching duties.

LPL best lineup announced, BLG currently in the lead

Next is the LPL best lineup. The final first-team consists of top laner Smlz, jungler Tarzan, mid laner Knight, bot laner Elk, and support Kael. Two Korean players are included in the first team. If we select the initial national team roster based on the best lineup, choices would need to be made from the second team.

The second team includes Bin, Xun, Shanks, Viper, and On.

Replacing the first team’s jungle and support with Xun and On creates an all-domestic player lineup. BLG has three players selected. Notably, Elk, who made the first team, also played for BLG last year.

The top lane spot remains contested. Bin and Smlz are currently the most likely to be chosen for the national team. Among other candidates, only Xiaoxu has some chance, but to be selected, Xiaoxu must perform well enough in the playoffs, at least reaching the preliminary rounds, to replace Bin or Smlz.

In other words, BLG players currently hold a significant advantage in the national team roster, but that doesn’t guarantee BLG’s success; they still need strong results.

Huge skill gap makes gold medal hopes slim

In my opinion, without a good coach, the national team will likely be crushed by the Korean team. Having a strong coach and good team synergy during training can slightly improve the winning chances, but compared to the LCK, the situation is still overwhelmingly unfavorable.

As for the LCK’s current situation, Kiin and Chovy seem certain to be selected, with jungler Canyon having a high chance. The bottom lane might be Ruler and Keria, though Diable also has some possibility.

Because T1 only reached the semifinals, several players may not be picked. The jungle and support duo Oner and Keria have relatively higher chances, but the key depends on which substitute position the national team wants to fill.

Overall, no matter which six players LCK sends to the Asian Games, their chances of winning gold are very high. LPL might even face Korea early, just like four years ago, when Korea defeated them prematurely, and the team only managed a bronze medal — which was a very narrow outcome.

This inevitably reminds viewers of the Jakarta Asian Games, where the national team pulled off a surprise victory and led LPL into its peak era. In comparison, the current LPL situation offers little hope.