Preface: The S15 season matches have officially kicked off, and the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent competitions. After IG was eliminated by T1, TES was placed in the third seed pool, meaning they will face a team from the first seed pool. Overall, the draw has been very favorable for the LPL region. Both BLG and TES drew relatively weaker opponents, while only AL ended up facing LCK’s HLE. Following the group draw, LCK teams immediately stopped their scrims.

S15 Swiss Round Brings a Top Seed for LPL

It’s clear that players are highly invested in this tournament. LPL’s IG team ultimately fell to T1, finishing at 17th place—the only time in their World Championship history. Though expected, it was still disappointing. With the tournament on home soil, hopes now rest on BLG, AL, and TES. Honestly, whether it’s JDG or WBG, they might not perform as well as IG did on the world stage. After the matches, the intense and thrilling group draw sparked widespread debate online. Ming, acting as the draw guest, helped LPL land an excellent seed.

Let’s review the matchups: BLG vs. 100T, TES vs. G2, AL vs. HLE, GEN vs. PSG, T1 vs. FLY, KT vs. MKOI, FNC vs. CFO, and TSW vs. VKS. For LPL, BLG and TES drew opponents who aren’t especially strong, particularly TES avoiding GEN, which is a huge advantage. Facing G2 in the first round, TES still has a solid chance to reach the winners' bracket. AL, however, faces a tough challenge right away against LCK’s HLE, making it a top-tier clash from the start.

The LCK draw was also favorable, with GEN, T1, and KT having high chances to win. This likely means these three will enter the winners' bracket, which is good news for LPL teams since the same-region avoidance rule no longer applies there. This could lead to two LCK teams facing each other. Ming’s remarkable draw move has seriously disadvantaged the European and North American regions. Unless something unexpected happens, the winners' bracket might not feature any Western teams, with LPL, LCK, and Vietnam likely dominating.

After the group draw, LCK teams immediately halted scrims. KT and MKOI had already entered the game lobby ready to start when they realized they were placed in the same group. Bdd expressed his frustration with a long "shittttttt" in-game, and the teams exchanged friendly farewells. Indeed, once matched in the same group, scrims between those teams become impossible to avoid revealing strategies and weaknesses. Although IG is out, the competition must go on. Based on previous Worlds and play-in matches, it seems LPL is poised to make a deep run again this season.

Farewell Thoughts

Ming’s group draw was quite favorable for LPL’s first round, especially with the same-region avoidance rule in effect. Only AL and HLE from LPL and LCK will meet early. Now, all hopes rest on the remaining three LPL teams. If LPL fails to reclaim the championship on home turf, the region’s popularity could take a major hit. Even if IG renews their roster for another year, it won’t be enough to compensate.

What do you all think about this situation, dear viewers?