Introduction: The S15 season matches have officially begun, and it’s believed that the vast majority of players have been watching the recent fierce battles. After the second round of group draws, the entire community erupted in discussion. Indeed, the LPL’s AL team has had very poor luck, facing the LCK runner-up HLE in the first round and then the tournament favorite GEN in the second round. Such a tough schedule puts immense pressure on any team. PSG faces the same predicament, with identical opponents in both rounds. If AL can endure this challenge, they might truly rise anew at Worlds. Meanwhile, BLG has started rotating their junglers as part of their honeymoon strategy to adjust their form.

AL’s draw has completely exploded

Most players have been paying attention to this World Championship. The first round of the Swiss system is over, with 16 teams split into two groups: the winners' group includes TES, AL, KT, T1, 100T, GEN, TSW, and CFO; the losers' group has BLG, FNC, MKOI, G2, PSG, HLE, FLY, and VKS. As the guest for the second round draw, jungler Jiejie had a funny moment when he couldn’t open the first pick and had to call the referee to assist.

With several top teams emerging, fans have started worrying about the LPL’s prospects. First, BLG is under the spotlight. After losing to a European/North American team in the first round, they drew FNC from the same region again in the second round. Both teams rank near the bottom in their region, making BLG’s situation very precarious. Another loss could mean missing playoffs entirely. At this crucial stage, BLG unveiled their reliable jungler honeymoon rotation tactic. According to the announced starting lineup, Beichuan is benched and Shadou takes the stage.

Next up is TES in the winners' group, facing a relatively weaker opponent, 100T, who just defeated BLG. TES is expected to come down hard and show what a true LPL team looks like, sending a strong message after a win. PSG’s situation looks rough—they barely made it to Worlds, faced GEN, the LCK champions, in the first round, and now must face the strongest HLE in the losers' bracket. They are likely to end up 0-2. It’s a bit sad for Karsa, who even joked after the draw that he’s made two new enemies: Xiaoming and Jiejie.

AL from the LPL also faces a tough challenge. In the first round, they dominated HLE in 40 minutes, with mid laner Shanks seemingly fully charged and jungler Tarzan playing near perfectly. They definitely have a shot against LCK champions GEN in round two. It seems Tabe will bring his full strength this time, as AL has been a standout team this season. The key will be the bot lane—Hope is considered AL’s weaker link, while GEN’s Ruler is their strong point.

Farewell thoughts

I guess no one expected the draw results for both rounds to be so dramatic. TES should comfortably advance 2-0 in the winners' group. BLG, barring major issues, will likely end up 1-1 in their group. The main question is AL’s form—this season they’ve already faced GEN, and the gap between them isn’t large. With steady play, they still have a chance to win.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?