Preface: The S16 season matches have officially started, and most players have been paying close attention to the recent clashes. The first stage in the LPL region has been fairly thrilling. After a few days of games, IG finally achieved their first victory of the new season. Having lost back-to-back to two powerful teams, they managed to overcome JDG. This match showcased the resilience of IG’s players, especially their mid laner Rookie, who has been growing more consistent over several games. His Syndra in the first game felt unfamiliar to fans, as he seemed to have returned to his burn-out "chicken rack" form. Stealing Baron with a skill and instantly dodging Renekton’s crowd control clearly shows he is gradually coming back to form.

Rookie returns to the burn-out "chicken rack" style

Most players are quite familiar with the IG team. As a veteran powerhouse in the LPL, IG’s overall performance has fluctuated significantly over recent years. Last season, IG assembled a top-tier "all-star" lineup. Although they secured a spot at Worlds, they faced the defending champions T1 in their opening match and were unfortunately eliminated, becoming the only team in League of Legends history to finish in 17th place. During the transfer window, despite IG having ample funds, they couldn’t retain some players: TheShy chose to take a break, and Gala moved to JDG.

At the start of the new season, IG’s overall form wasn’t very strong. They lost their opening match to WBG and were crushed by AL on the second day. It wasn’t until the third match that they defeated JDG, earning their first win of the S16 season. That first game was arguably IG’s best performance. In the early to mid game, the fights were intense with no large gap between the teams. JDG made a critical Baron mistake, allowing Rookie’s Syndra to secure the objective. In the subsequent mid-lane chase teamfight, Rookie used his ultimate to dodge Renekton’s crowd control, and with the support Nico’s ultimate initiating the fight, IG instantly turned the teamfight around.

Although Rookie was suppressed by Hongq in the second game, his outstanding contributions across the three matches cannot be denied. In the third game, his crucial plays helped IG clinch a 2-1 victory. After the match, Rookie’s burn-out "chicken rack" style quickly trended online. It seems every time the regular season starts, Rookie’s form improves — perhaps he hadn’t fully integrated with the team in the earlier games. Such a dedicated Korean player is rare; if every Korean player worked as hard as he does, LPL’s results would have been much better long ago.

In recent days, LCK jungler Kanavi has completely revealed his attitude. When he was with TES, he might have responded to some discussions from LPL fans, but since returning to LCK, he largely ignores them. Especially during live streams, he doesn’t respond to Chinese comments at all, even paid ones, replying only blandly. In contrast, he shows much more passion when replying to Korean comments. Many netizens joke that if Kanavi played in LCK like he did in LPL with such aggression, he’d be a great player; but if he plays more cautiously, it only annoys LPL fans.

Farewell thoughts

Rookie is definitely one of the few conscientious Korean players who has been loyal to LPL teams for many years. Hopefully, IG can achieve some good results this season. The newly recruited Korean top laner is also worth looking forward to; from the few games played, his mechanics appear very stable, and even if communication isn’t smooth, he still has his own ideas.

What do you all think about this situation?