In the initial stage group matches of the LPL, 14 teams competed. Except for TT and NIP, all teams have debuted. On the last match day, the giants BLG and AL clashed in a tight three-game series. BLG overturned the deficit to win 2-1, securing the league king title. Saint showed a slightly off form during this BO3, consistently dominated by Bin in lane and repeatedly broken through in the final game.

BLG’s Xun was also underperforming, getting completely outplayed by Tarzan in the first two games, only waking up in the final match. Either team winning was acceptable since AL retained their original roster and BLG swapped in Viper, making their strength quite similar. Daeny’s understanding of players was clearly better than Helper’s, as he assigned ON the initiation-heavy support role in all three games.

AL relies heavily on jungle-support synergy. With Tarzan silent and Karl unable to initiate fights, winning becomes very difficult. In a post-match interview, Left Hand openly praised Daeny: his coaching style is completely different, his personal rank is quite high, and his game understanding is unique. Left Hand’s public commendation shows BLG made the right choice hiring Daeny, who has brought significant improvements to the team.

Another match featured JDG versus IG, two teams with a strong rivalry. Despite numerous roster changes, JDG has been unable to overcome IG since last year’s second stage group matches. Including the Demacia Cup, this marks their ninth consecutive loss. Although IG’s current lineup is somewhat weaker on paper, JDG still got swept 2-0. Coach Tabe looked visibly upset during the post-match interview.

When asked about the loss, Tabe directly blamed the jungle-support duo: "Our play lacked aggression, and jungle-support coordination was poor. With such an important meta for the bot lane, players didn’t know how to expand their lead. JunJia, a world top-eight jungler, hasn’t performed as expected since returning to LPL. Meanwhile, HongQ often delivers impressive plays, making JunJia a pure liability."

Choosing a passive Mundo against a tank like Malphite was a questionable decision, almost reckless. If JDG continues like this, they might have to consider replacing their jungler since even Tabe has publicly criticized him. Interestingly, after losing this mid-jungle duo, CFO also lost their dominance in the LCP league. On the same day, CFO faced GAM, where rookie jungler from Vietnam completely outperformed CFO’s rookie.

Last year, CFO dominated GAM thoroughly. This year, after Levi retired and a rookie was recruited for jungle, CFO was swept 0-2. The rookie jungler took MVP in the matchup against CFO’s rookie, which is quite embarrassing. Last season, when playing for BLG, CFO was an LPL champion. After transferring this season, even competing effectively in the weaker LCP has become a struggle, which is quite surprising.

The matches between these two teams were quite interesting. In game two, CFO fell behind by 8K gold but clawed back through team fights. Just as a comeback seemed possible, GAM executed a base race to end the game. CFO’s rookie repeatedly missed skill shots with Rengar and Jayce, mirroring JunJia’s poor performance in the new team. If both continue playing like this, they might lose their positions in upcoming stages.

Conclusion:

JDG has invested heavily this season, including expensive coaching staff, but their jungler’s ceiling is average, making results hard to achieve. It remains to be seen if Tabe can improve the situation. JDG’s urgent need is a smart in-game leader, as recent matches showed many flawed decisions. Without changing the shot-caller, losses may continue.

So, what do you think about JunJia’s performance?

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