TheShy's rest revealed

Regular followers of IG transfer news are aware that at the beginning of the LPL transfer period, numerous insiders leaked that TheShy took a break in the first split and then resumed starting in the second split. The LOL champion mid laner Doinb even verified on his stream that IG’s owner Zhang personally disclosed this information. (Doinb is good friends with IG shareholder Zhang, and they interact frequently; news about IG renewing contracts with TheShy and Rookie was first shared by Doinb)

However, after the LPL transfer window closed, it became clear to many fans that TheShy neither renewed with IG nor participated in the LPL auction, meaning TheShy would be officially banned from playing for two splits. Many TheShy fans flooded Doinb’s livestream asking why TheShy failed to renew with IG. During the stream, Doinb revealed the inside story of TheShy's rest and defended IG’s management, stating that they tried their best but TheShy personally did not want to renew.

IG’s transfer dealings are outrageous

Doinb said that initially TheShy did rest during the first split and returned to play in the second split, but mid-transfer TheShy unexpectedly changed his mind and ultimately decided not to play next year at all. Some fans speculated that IG lacked funds to renew TheShy’s contract, causing the failure, but Doinb denied this, believing that IG’s entire popularity now centers on TheShy, so even if IG didn’t renew others, they would prioritize renewing TheShy.

Many fans also think the reason TheShy gave up renewing with IG is simple: IG’s management is incompetent. If IG had signed some strong players during the transfer window, TheShy would have had motivation to continue competing. However, IG’s new season roster mostly consists of “leftover” players; except for mid laner Rookie and jungler Wei, the rest are rejects from other teams. Such a lineup surely can’t attract TheShy to stay. (Do you think TheShy’s refusal to renew is related to IG’s weak roster this season?)

ShowMaker’s two consecutive days of sadness

ShowMaker performed poorly in this year’s LCK matches, leading many fans to believe he had declined. But as the K Cup progressed, many were surprised to see ShowMaker’s skills rebound, especially when he solo killed champion mids Zeka and Faker in matches. Fans hoped ShowMaker could create an upset in the playoffs, but DK supporters were disappointed as DK’s support player was too weak, causing DK to lose 3-2 to T1 in the losers’ final. (After losing to HLE, ShowMaker played support all night)

After defeating DK, T1 advanced smoothly to the K Cup finals. Many believe T1 has the strength to win the championship, as they excel in BO5 series and have an intimidating hero pool. Additionally, HLE’s jungler Kanavi is naturally very strong, so many fans think that if T1 targets Kanavi, he will lose his composure and drag the whole HLE team down with him. (Who do you think will win the championship, T1 or HLE?)