Introduction: The S16 season matches have officially started, and most players have been closely following the recent confrontations. The competition in the LPL region has been quite intense. Just two weeks of battles have revealed the current form of some players, particularly in the AD role. After IG’s roster changes, the newly introduced player Xiaop’s performance has been very poor, arguably the worst AD in the LPL during this period. Impatient and eager to show off in matches, he repeatedly made many mistakes. In the game against TES, he was repeatedly solo-killed by the substitute AD player, though fortunately Wei carried the team overall.

The worst AD player of the new LPL season.

Most players are quite familiar with the IG team. As a veteran powerhouse in the LPL, their overall popularity and hype have been very high over recent years. In the S16 season, they went through some roster reshuffling, retaining only mid laner Rookie and jungler Wei. Core players TheShy and Gala left, which significantly weakened the team’s overall strength. Although they won the Demacia Cup, after the first stage started, many problems became apparent. Without strong support from mid and jungle, the team might not have won a single match.

The match against TES attracted a lot of attention. Known as the "Ninja World War," even without AD player AShui, fans’ expectations were high. In the end, IG made a comeback to win 2-1 against TES, but their AD player Photic became the main target of online criticism. Many know him as "Xiao P," a nickname with a three-year joke attached. His mechanical skills have always been mid-tier in LPL, with few standout moments. After joining IG this season, he seemed eager to prove himself but ended up making mistake after mistake on the stage.

In the TES match, he was completely exposed as a weak point. First, in the bottom lane duo fight, he aggressively rushed at TES’s AD Kai'Sa but was dodged by a flash, then counter-killed, even dragging down his own support. Then in a solo fight, playing Corki, he charged directly at TES’s Jhin in lane, tanking minion damage, but the opponent used agile movement to retreat under the turret without even using Barrier. TES then turned to snipe with ultimate, while Photic was stingy with his skills and didn’t flash, resulting in a solo kill against him.

After the game, Photic quickly became the center of criticism. It wasn’t just this match; he had made many mistakes in previous games against other teams as well. For example, in one Kaisa game, during a mid-river team fight, he could have safely dealt damage from behind but instead used his ultimate into a wall, isolating himself. Had he stayed back to output damage, that fight might have been won. Many fans started to miss Gala, who was once a savior for IG. Photic’s impatience only made his performance look worse and worse.

Farewell thoughts

Honestly, the commentary by TheShy and AShui was very entertaining. Their contrasting expressions after the 2-1 comeback were viral — one looked worried, the other joyful. Each of the three games was intense and nerve-wracking. The first stage has been underway for some time now, and it seems the LPL region still lacks real competitiveness this season. Ultimately, it will depend on how the BLG team performs.

What do you all think about this situation?