As August arrives, the third phase of the LOL schedule across various regions has already passed the halfway mark. The TLN team in the LCP region has undergone personnel changes during the transfer period, with FoFo leaving and Mapel returning to partner with Karsa and Betty. In the new phase, TLN has played three matches without winning a single one (all lost 0:2), placing them at the bottom of their group. If they lose to Sofm's VKE next, TLN will be heading to the relegation group.

The old mid-jungle duo from the old Flash Wolves can't even beat GAM now, clearly indicating they have really declined. If they continue playing like this, it's likely we won't see Karsa at this year's World Championship. After Mapel's return, to be honest, his performance is even worse than FoFo's. If they don't change their mid-laner during the transfer period, TLN's strength won't have dropped this severely. It can only be said that the management's choices now seem to be wrong.

Riot responds to the Shanks incident.

The incident of LPL players participating in a debate has stirred public opinion. Recently, a player called out to Riot, reporting AL's mid-laner Shanks. Riot responded to the matter: We are aware of Shanks' recent behavior and are closely monitoring the situation in conjunction with the LPL. We will take further action if necessary. It seems Shanks cannot avoid punishment from the officials.

This "drinking incident" honestly has problems on the other side as well. The female debater who engaged in a public spat with Icon and incited public opinion has now deleted her posts and videos and disappeared. The LPL viewer who reported Shanks is really being a bit unfair; our league officials haven't even announced any penalties yet, and they directly went to Riot to complain. How much do you have to hate AL to do something like this?

The Hall of Fame won't favor Europe or North America.

In addition to responding to the Shanks incident, Riot also discussed the nomination of the third Hall of Fame player recently. The person in charge clearly stated: The nominations for the 2026 class will not favor Europe, North America, or any region. The review committee will select deserving candidates solely based on player performance. The meaning of this statement is quite clear: the European and North American regions have no chance, and the third Hall of Fame player will most likely still be from the LPL.

If they don't select based on regions, Riot will definitely look for players who are popular and have good skin sales. If nothing unexpected happens, TheShy should be the third inductee. Uzi's skin sales have already shown Riot the spending power of LPL fans. As the most popular player in the league, TheShy's fans are also willing to spend money. Previously, his collaboration with Zeiss for glasses sold out entirely, with only him from IG.

JDG signs new support Zhuo.

After JDG's last match, where they were swept by IG, their chances of making it to the playoffs have become very slim. The management is currently looking for ways to strengthen the roster. Recently, insider blogger Lianlian Hongcha revealed that LNG's support player Zhuo will be leaving to join JDG. Zhuo is already on the official player roster, and it's expected that in the next match against FPX, Zhuo will replace Wink as the starting support.

The player acquisition judgment from Blue Lotus really leaves much to be desired. LNG has been on a losing streak in the third phase, and only managed to secure their first win after demoting Zhuo. Yet JDG turned around and bought him. Although Wink has indeed been underperforming, Zhuo is not much better either. He was benched in the relegation group, and JDG still dared to buy him. It seems they are a bit desperate; if it doesn't work out, they might as well bring back Misha.

Conclusion:

JDG's current issue is definitely not something that can be resolved by just switching out one support player. Scout's performance in the mid-lane has been poor; he can't win against anyone in lane, disappears in disadvantageous situations, and gives opportunities in advantageous ones. Without changing the mid-laner, relying solely on Peyz, this team won't be able to win matches. They can look good against weaker teams, but once they face strong opponents, they collectively underperform.

So what do you think? Will TheShy make it into the Hall of Fame?

Feel free to leave your comments for discussion!