Introduction: The S16 season matches have officially started, and most players have likely been paying close attention to the recent clashes, as the LPL region’s competition is quite fierce. IG, a team familiar to many as the inaugural champions, hasn’t maintained a strong overall form this season. The successive exits of core players have led to major swings in their popularity. Their match against BLG became a hot topic among many netizens, especially with Theshy’s live stream drawing massive attention, even surpassing the official broadcast in popularity. In the match, Rookie was repeatedly solo killed by Knight, clearly showing the skill gap. Additionally, Theshy revealed that AShui’s comeback is expected in the second split.

Theshy’s commentary popularity surpasses the official broadcast.

Most players are quite familiar with the IG team, a veteran powerhouse in the LPL region. This season, they failed to retain many top-tier players, with star top laner Theshy and AD carry Gala both choosing to leave. This has caused IG’s performance to decline sharply this season, basically eliminating their chance to compete for a Worlds spot. The match against BLG was largely one-sided, but no one expected such a huge gap between the teams. BLG swept the series 2-0, especially dominating mid and top lanes where Rookie was repeatedly solo killed, leading many fans to joke that Knight was too ruthless.

In the first game, just two minutes in, Wei’s vision control allowed him to successfully secure first blood on Orianna. It was hoped that mid lane would be easier, but by five minutes, LeftHand’s Orianna was fully oppressive, and without an ultimate, he dove under tower to solo kill Rookie’s Yone. On the top lane, Bin’s Quasanti landed precise skills and solo killed Rumble twice. The first game ended quickly at 33 minutes without much resistance. In the second game, IG secured some early dragons but failed to extend their lead. The critical moment came just after 20 minutes with several solo kills; Knight’s Akali was too strong, easily diving towers to kill Rookie and even solo killing YaHeng in the same spot. The second game ended at 30 minutes.

In this match, IG’s veteran player Theshy also started a live commentary stream, and it turned out his stream’s popularity was even higher than the official broadcast. At the same time, the official stream had 4.66 million viewers, while Theshy’s reached 5.23 million. He was even a bit late to start the stream, apologizing to fans explaining that traffic during rush hour caused the delay. It must be said that this top-tier player still draws huge attention; even just commentating the game attracts a large audience. If he were to stream alongside Uzi, the effect would be unimaginable.

It feels like BLG has already reached a different level compared to other LPL teams. No wonder Bin openly stated in an interview that the current LPL competition intensity is too low and that the World Championship is needed to prove themselves. Truly a star-studded lineup built with huge investment, they seem to be using the Demacia Cup as a training ground. Hopefully, this team won’t disappoint the fans, as this is the LPL’s last chance. If they still can’t compete with the LCK this season, probably half the teams in LPL will give up competing.

Farewell thoughts.

As expected from a top professional player, winning the title of most popular LPL player for many years is well deserved. Even before the stream started, the chat was already buzzing. Currently, the LPL region really can only rely on retired players to carry the scene. Uzi has yet to give a definitive response to fans; perhaps he truly wants to return to a normal life. Honestly, his commentary shows good entertainment value too — it’s like a big dog’s garden, probably attracting even more viewers.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?