The "Clown Manager" of the LPL emerges, with BLG leading the charge, while IG faces ridicule: being eliminated is shameful

Hello to all LPL fans and League of Legends summoners, welcome to Tianxia Game Review.

The LPL recently wrapped up its yearly finals, with BLG defeating TES 3-2 to win the championship, which also earned AL a spot at the World Championship.

After the match ended, AL manager Aixiang’s comments once again stirred heated discussions among the audience.

The LPL’s clown manager is born, with BLG taking the lead in the confrontation

After the AL vs TES losers' bracket final, a press conference for the grand finals was held on-site, where players and managers from both teams exchanged trash talk, with BLG’s head of training leading the charge and directly mocking AL’s manager during this segment.

This was because AL manager Aixiang had a habit earlier in the season of boasting wildly after wins but would lock down his Weibo comments after losses, which triggered a peak moment during this confrontation.

Following the grand finals, a screenshot from AL manager’s social media sparked further controversy.

In a chat group, a netizen expressed the opinion that AL is the only LPL team among the three splits that never dropped out of the top three, and the only LPL team this year to have won both small and large matches against LCK teams in international tournaments.

Someone else added: AL is also the only LPL team going to Worlds that hasn't lost to any European or American teams.

Finally, Aixiang responded by adding that AL is the only LPL team that hasn’t changed any players this split, which was basically a counterattack on many other LPL teams and a reply to BLG’s head of training’s provocation.

IG faces mockery: being knocked out is humiliating

This screenshot caused quite a stir, with many people questioning if AL’s manager is being overly dramatic. This confrontation wasn’t just aimed at BLG but also TES and IG. Many LPL teams changed their rosters this year, and honestly, swapping players for better results shouldn’t be criticized. It just seems AL’s manager got a bit defensive when targeted.

Afterwards, AL’s manager made another round of responses, which only made him look more foolish.

First, he claimed the screenshot was taken by himself, then he argued with netizens, saying: What does “face” mean? Don’t be childish. Isn’t it more embarrassing not to qualify for Worlds? What’s wrong with posting a screenshot after qualifying? Is it unforgivable?

This reply also took a jab at IG and TES, since neither team has qualified for Worlds yet, while AL already has. Just this fact alone was used to mock the teams that didn’t make it. Netizens were speechless, saying AL can roast others even after losing, and winning must feel like flying high.

This situation also shows that AL’s manager is not very well-liked within the LPL management circle. While assembling such a team is an achievement, his repeated off-field antics have definitely tarnished the team’s reputation.

Top-tier strength in the LPL, AL must avoid damaging their reputation

In my opinion, AL can indeed be considered one of the LPL’s top forces this year. As the second seed, AL is undoubtedly one of the core teams representing the LPL against Korean teams. Under coach Tabe, the team has fully realized its potential, with impressive performances including a victory over T1 at the World Championship.

However, it must be said that AL did experience some decline in the third split, especially with issues in the two carry positions, which affected their overall results.

In this context, the off-field behavior of AL’s manager is inappropriate. If a team’s raw power consistently outclasses others, then off-field actions might be forgiven or understood. But when a team’s performance is unstable and losses are frequent, such off-field drama actually harms the players.

Because criticisms directed at AL’s manager inevitably affect the players too — the saying “love the house and its contents” applies here. Many people dislike the entire AL team because of the manager’s conduct.