The biggest dark horse in LPL has appeared!

During the third segment of the LPL season, aside from two matches delayed by special weather, all games have finished. Among these, We undoubtedly surprised many LPL fans. We ranks second to last this season with only three wins in major matches, yet their point differential is an extreme -8. To put this in perspective, FPX, last in the Dengfeng group, has a -20 point differential. Many LPL fans jokingly call We the only team in LPL to "lose all full-length matches." Currently, in the LPL league, only IG has managed to sweep We; other teams must go the full distance to beat them, including the regular season powerhouse TES.

Because We almost always plays full-length matches, many fans believe We has a high potential ceiling and that their true strength can’t be judged solely by match results. In their final showdown with AL, We finally showcased their full potential by decisively sweeping the LPL-recognized "full-length champions." Many LPL fans have started calling We the biggest dark horse team, and numerous We supporters are now eagerly anticipating their performance in the playoffs, especially since We pulled off an upset by eliminating the regular season leader TES in the second segment playoffs.

Shanks has completely become the team’s weak link.

After AL lost, some AL fans tried to justify the defeat by saying AL was experimenting with lineups, deliberately choosing unfamiliar compositions. However, in a rare outburst during a post-match interview, AL coach Tabe stated that the loss to We was not due to bad draft or BP but because AL players were in poor form. Shanks himself took responsibility during the interview, admitting he died too many times in the BO3 series, dragging the whole team down. (In the first game between AL and We, AL chose their highest win-rate lineup this season but were still heavily defeated by We.)

Because Shanks publicly accepted blame, many AL fans flooded AL’s official social media to criticize him. Several fans called on AL management to fire Shanks, with some viewers openly stating that AL would never win a world championship unless they replace their mid laner Shanks. In this BO3 series, Shanks was clearly the team’s only weak point—playing Katarina off-team leading to isolated deaths, and getting repeatedly solo-killed on Taliyah. Many LPL fans are also curious why Shanks, once hailed as the "National No.1 Mid," has experienced such a drastic decline in form.

The marketing tactics behind the "National No.1 Mid" have been exposed.

Since Shanks was heavily dominated by Chovy during the Oil Cup, his performance has been off. Now that all third segment matches for AL have ended, Shanks hasn’t earned a single MVP award. Due to his poor performance, many viewers began debating whether "late bloomers" even exist in LOL esports. When Shanks won the LPL second segment championship, AL’s organization and fans marketed him as a "late bloomer," and Shanks himself admitted in interviews that he didn’t want to become a player like "Xiaohu."

Personally, I believe there are no late bloomers in LOL, only players who achieve fame early. Faker and JKL won world championships at 17 years old. Even the silver-ranked player’s "white moonlight" AD carry, Guihuang, was only 21 when he won his title. In contrast, Shanks is already 24 and still hasn’t claimed any world championship honors. Meanwhile, Xiaohu, whom Shanks once looked down on, was already a three-time MSI champion at 24. (The only notable event in Shanks’ youth was leading his team to a 0/16 record.)

Conclusion

What do you think—are there any late bloomers in LOL esports? Should Shanks take responsibility for AL’s current slump? With the LPL season finale approaching, who do you think will win the key battle between IG and BLG?