In the LPL's third phase of the group stage, the schedule for the Nirvana group is already halfway through. After changing their support, EDG has achieved an impressive five consecutive wins, with each of these matches ending in a 2:0 sweep against their opponents. The title of Nirvana group king is well-deserved; with just one more win, EDG can secure their path to the Knights. After NIP changed their top, jungle, and support players, their strength has also improved, achieving a 2:1 victory over TT, bringing NIP's record to 5-1.

The two teams that have each earned 5 points are now guaranteed to advance, while the competition for the remaining two spots in the Knights' path remains fierce. LGD, currently in third place, and LNG in sixth place, are separated by only 2 points. If Lao Gan Die continues to lose, LNG and UP might catch up. However, based on the current standings, LGD with 3 points and TT with 2 points have a higher chance of advancing.

LNG's third phase has been quite unfortunate. In the first round of the group stage, they didn't win a single match, even losing to UP, who are of equal strength. Before facing LGD, it was widely assumed that LNG would be eliminated from the group stage. Unexpectedly, after changing players, LNG managed to sweep LGD. Before this BO3 match, LNG announced: Zhuo was demoted to the bench, and second team support OvO was promoted to the first team as the starter.

Before changing the support, LNG believed that their poor performance was due to issues with the jungle and AD roles, which led to signing LP and Photic. However, none of them could shoulder the output responsibility. Later, they promoted Fishone from the second team, and similarly, they cycled through junglers from Weiwei to 5τ5 and Xiaofang. Aside from the top, jungle, and support roles, the other two positions have already seen three or four changes. It was only after recently changing the support that they identified the problem.

Once Zhuo was out, LNG achieved a 2:0 victory, revealing that the mole they had searched for so long was Zhuo. However, it’s not too late; LNG still has four matches left. If they can win all of them, there’s still a chance to advance to the Knights' path. Honestly, this team is quite abstract; their player roster includes 10 individuals, yet the management struggled to find a winning combination.

Among the teams in the Nirvana group, LNG has made the highest investment. Weiwei has a long-term big contract, and Haichao is also quite valuable. Unfortunately, this year, they have purely spent money to take hits. This time, Zuo Wu has learned a hard lesson; they won't casually sign players who haven't been tested in major competitions in the future. Otherwise, if they sign high-value players like Haichao and Weiwei again next year, who perform poorly, their old club might be reluctant to continue investing.

Interestingly, on the same match day, the neighboring team with the title "Nirvana Zone," DNF, which had only won one match this entire season, also achieved their second victory. DNF defeated DRX with a score of 2:1, securing their first win in the third phase. While LNG still has a chance to advance, DNF is completely buried now, with a record of 2-21, making them a unique presence at the bottom of the LCK.

Both bottom teams from the two leagues secured their first victories simultaneously, which could be called "Nirvana Day." LNG has four matches left, and to advance to the Knights' path, they need to win at least 3 of them. Currently, TT is ranked fourth with a record of 2-4, and they will face EDG next, which can be considered a guaranteed loss. If LNG wins against TT in their final match, they could either tie or surpass them in points. Of course, winning all matches would increase their chances of advancing.

Conclusion:

LNG's total investment this season is significantly higher than AL's, yet their performance places them at the bottom of the Nirvana group, which is quite difficult to accept. However, based on Scout's current condition, even if they had signed both Korean star players during last winter's transfer, LNG would likely only make it to the Summit group. With JD's current record of 2-4, it feels risky even to consider playoffs, let alone the World Championship.

So, do you think LNG's struggles are due to Zhuo?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!