Since TheShy announced his return, many LPL viewers have been eager to see him qualify for Worlds, given that his previous match against Faker set a viewership record for the play-in stage. There is also widespread anticipation for another showdown between TheShy and Faker. However, many industry insiders have recently dismissed these hopes, claiming that TheShy cannot make it to Worlds. For example, Zhu Kai stated during a livestream that if TheShy were to qualify, it would reflect a problem with the overall LPL environment.

Zhu Kai pointed out that TheShy has had no formal training or matches for six months, making it difficult to determine whether he can even perform at a top LPL level. Additionally, IG only has 10 championship points in the LPL, meaning that to qualify for Worlds, they must finish high in the Rebirth Group, then defeat a Summit Group team on the Knight's Path to earn a playoff spot. After that, they need to at least reach the semifinals in the playoffs to secure a spot in the Regional Qualifier. Of course, if IG wins the playoffs outright, TheShy could still qualify for Worlds.

Despite widespread skepticism about TheShy, his former teammate JackeyLove publicly supported him in an official video. JackeyLove believes that with IG's current lineup, failing to make it to Worlds would be a huge regret, so he thinks TheShy has a strong chance of qualifying in the third split. (IG's current roster includes top laner TheShy, jungler Wei, mid laner Rookie, bot laner Jiaqi, and support Meiko. Except for the AD carry Jiaqi, all other players are world champions.)

Many viewers have also analyzed IG's chances of qualifying. They believe that with their roster, IG will dominate the Rebirth Group. Furthermore, the LPL Summit Group includes "false strong teams" such as LGD and TT. As long as IG performs well in the Rebirth Group, they are likely to advance to the Knight's Path. There, if they avoid facing BLG early on, IG's "paper strength" should allow them to beat most other LPL teams. (Unless BLG suffers an upset loss to WE in the first round of the playoffs, as happened in the second split.)

Wayward summoned by LPL officials for a talk

Wayward, a well-known co-streamer for LOL, recently stated during a livestream that CS competitions are the best esports events to watch, with LOL coming second. This led many viewers to call him an "ungrateful person," as he built his fame by co-streaming LOL matches. When confronted with the backlash, Wayward stubbornly refused to apologize, calling the chat "narrow-minded." Angered by his attitude, many viewers reported his livestream and left comments on LPL's official social media, demanding that the authorities address the issue.

As the pressure from reports intensified, Wayward publicly apologized to LOL viewers during a livestream and changed his stream title to "LOL is the world's best game." His co-streamer Qingtian revealed during the stream that Wayward apologized because the LPL officials had summoned and punished him. Many viewers speculated that if Wayward had continued to be stubborn, the LPL officials would have revoked his co-streaming rights.

Conclusion

After TheShy's comeback, do you think IG can qualify for Worlds? In my opinion, if IG secures a better coach, they still have a chance. Their current coaching staff does have significant issues. Personally, I don't understand why Wayward would claim that CS is better than LOL, given that LOL dominates CS in both popularity and viewership. Of course, some viewers joke that Wayward is imitating Xuan Shen, thinking this kind of trolling can attract more traffic.