Following the Spring Festival holiday, the LPL playoffs are now considerably behind other regions. Next door in the LCK, only two BO5 matches remain, and all VCS teams have been determined. The European region is also nearing completion with just three matches left. Despite multiple setbacks in the regular season, G2 has won three straight playoff games, advancing first to the finals. Winning this last BO5 will guarantee G2 a place in the VCS.

The North American region is progressing similarly to the LEC, with three BO5 matches remaining. C9 has swept their last two matches 3-0, becoming the first to reach the finals. One more win will secure their VCS spot. The LCS is slightly behind but has already determined its top four. TSW, coached by Warhorse, has reached the winner’s bracket final; if they win two consecutive matches, TSW will claim a VCS berth. Our region has just resumed play, so the VCS spots are still unclear.

Bin Misses Out on the Regular Season First Team

Before the LPL playoffs began, the official regular season best lineup was announced. After voting, the MVP went to Tarzan, recognized as the top active jungler in the LPL. His consistent performance this year made the MVP well-deserved. Tarzan was also a clear choice for the first team. His teammates Karl and Saint also made the first team. In the mid lane, Left Hand received the highest votes, and ELK was selected as the AD carry.

Even after leaving BLG, ELK managed to secure a first team spot in the first split, proving himself. BLG had only one first team member, which seems a bit odd. The voters showed poor judgment by placing Bin in the second team, showing little respect for the world’s best top laner. Although BLG had few first team members, the second team nearly covered all positions—top, jungle, support, and AD—with four players joining Shanks on the list. As for the third team, there’s not much to say.

Oner’s Agency Issues a Statement

After T1 lost to DK and exited in the semifinals, Peyz was supposed to face the most criticism. However, in recent days, both Korean and international communities have targeted Oner with more negative comments than Peyz. Oner’s agency recently released a statement announcing legal action against slander, defamation, and other malicious behaviors. After comments were disabled due to the backlash, the agency is now pursuing legal procedures, highlighting how severely Oner has been cyberbullied beyond expectations.

When Zeus and Eggy were still on the team, they bore most of the criticism. Now that Peyz has joined, criticizing him or Little K would be like endorsing Eggy. The same applies to Doran. Mid lane Lee Sin is off-limits for criticism, leaving Oner as the convenient scapegoat. It’s unclear what T1 fans are thinking—losing a match shouldn’t mean singling out one player to blame. With Eggy and Zeus already driven away by criticism, could Oner be next?

Esports National Cup Announces Tournament Format

This year’s League of Legends international events include six tiers: Riot’s VCS, Mid-Season Invitational, and World Championship, plus the Oil Cup, Asian Games, and National Cup. The National Cup (ENC) is scheduled after Worlds. The ENC organizers recently revealed the detailed format and schedule. A total of 32 teams participate, with 16 in the main event. Among these, eight teams receive direct invitations from the organizers.

The eight directly invited teams are determined by ENC rankings. The organizers assign points based on each team’s placement in official Riot events. The top eight teams by points qualify directly for the ENC group stage. The remaining teams compete in qualifiers and playoffs to fill the other eight group stage spots. The group stage divides 16 teams into eight groups, with the top two advancing to the knockout rounds. Except for the grand final, all matches are best-of-three.

Conclusion:

The National Cup will be held from November 21 to 29. Although the event’s duration isn’t long, having international competitions after Worlds is still a good opportunity for fans. Oner was heavily criticized for just one poorly played BO5 match, which shows how harsh T1 fans were on Eggy before. If this trend continues, Oner might also be driven away by the backlash.

So, do you think Oner should take the blame?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!