The Four Kings of LPL teams have been established!

Following AL’s dominant win over JDG in the regular season to claim the fourth direct playoff berth, numerous LPL commentators and viewers have dubbed TES, IG, BLG, and AL as the Four Kings of LPL, expecting these four squads to represent the region at Worlds. After all, other LPL teams have significant weaknesses: JDG struggles with mid and support roles, while WBG’s AD carry “Denghuang” is underperforming. Hence, many fans believe WBG and JDG might still turn things around in the future.

With the roster of LPL’s Four Kings announced, well-known LPL caster Crystal joked during his stream that nowadays, only matches involving the Four Kings are worth watching; games with other LPL teams are not exciting at all. If all the players from these Four Kings retire in the future, LPL will truly have no future, and he himself would quit casting the secondary LPL matches. (LPL is really lacking newcomers now; current stars are mostly veterans. If JKL, THESHY, and ROOKIE all retire, LPL’s popularity might drop by half.)

Faker’s “Summer Curse” has arrived as predicted

Unlike the stable hierarchy of LPL’s Four Kings, the LCK this season has been full of upsets, especially with KT team whose performance ceiling is unpredictable. When KT is strong, they can crush HLE, but when struggling, they become T1’s “power bank.” At the start of LCK’s third split, KT was still serving as T1’s “power bank,” but as KT improved, they surprisingly overwhelmed and defeated T1.

It’s important to note that the LCK third split regular season follows an “inheritance system,” meaning T1 must win every remaining game to surpass HLE and claim second place. The main reason T1 lost to KT was mid laner Faker’s poor form. In the first game, playing Orianna, he was repeatedly outplayed by BDD’s Taliyah, falling behind badly in lane. Although Faker’s ultimate usage in teamfights was excellent, T1’s overall form was weaker than KT’s, leading to KT’s 2-0 victory over T1.

After T1’s shocking loss to KT, many T1 fans started worrying if the “Summer Curse” had struck again. In recent years, T1 tends to suffer unexpected losing streaks near the end of the summer split,and Faker’s form and skill become hot topics among viewers. This leads to the classic cycle where fans claim Faker is past his prime, only for Faker to prove the doubters wrong by winning the World Championship later.Although the “Summer Curse” sounds far-fetched, in the crucial match between T1 and KT, T1’s mid, jungle, and support combined for an embarrassing 0/18 in the second game.

Of course, many T1 fans believe this slump is temporary. As long as T1 qualifies for Worlds, they will show their true strength, and Faker will transform into a demon once again. Last year, T1’s form was even worse than now, yet they still won Worlds. (Personally, I think T1’s path to Worlds this year might be easier than last year since DK is no longer a threat this season. T1 just needs to beat HLE or KT to qualify. What do you think about T1’s chances of making Worlds?)

Conclusion

Having watched T1 for many years, it feels like the same story every year: poor summer split performance followed by a Worlds championship. What do you think are T1’s chances of winning Worlds this year? Is there any LPL team capable of defeating T1 head-on? After all, top laner Doran’s ceiling seems much lower than Zeus’s.