With only two BO5 matches remaining in the first stage group phase of the LPL, the regular season will soon end, ushering in the Knight’s Journey. On the last match day, NIP from the Resolute Group shut out TT, securing their fourth win of the season. TT remains the only winless team in the group stage. The top three teams all share a 4-2 record, but EDG’s tiebreaker points fall short of NIP and WE by one, resulting in WE and NIP advancing to the first round of the Knight’s Journey, while EDG proceeds to the second round.

On the same day, another match featured JD Gaming against Top Esports. Before the game, many expected JD, who had double-killed BLG, to easily defeat TES. However, the outcome was reversed: TES swept JD 2-0 in the final match. JD’s depleted roster was heavily beaten. The biggest issues clearly lie with JD’s coach Tabe and jungler JunJia. TES’s support FengYue performed exceptionally well on Poppy, a pick that Tabe willingly allowed.

After securing this key pick, FengYue displayed outstanding teamfight mechanics, severely punishing Tabe. The second game’s draft was also quite unusual. Without Orianna, JD attempted a Nightmare-Rumble ultimate combo, but their dual carries chose Cassiopeia and Orianna—both heroes lacking burst damage and heavily reliant on kiting. Nightmare’s engage could only be effectively supported by Rumble’s ultimate, making quick takedowns impossible. Any dive by Nightmare was essentially a suicide.

JunJia’s Nightmare was also mediocre. Despite setting the early pace, his teamfighting was chaotic, repeatedly diving in and dying, effectively feeding TES’s two carries and preventing them from falling behind. At the 24-minute Baron teamfight, JD’s jungle and support played strangely. Titan tried to initiate but got hooked into the wall. At that moment, the support should have sacrificed themselves to save the team, waiting for the top laner to arrive before engaging. Instead, JunJia recklessly dove in.

While his teammates were retreating, Nightmare alone went 1-for-5, gifting TES the Baron. Before the Baron fight, JD was trailing by less than 2K gold, but after giving up Baron, the deficit expanded to 5K. Losing the final decisive fight, JD was wiped out in one fell swoop. JD’s early game was actually quite solid, but Rumble and Nightmare failed to synchronize their ultimates in teamfights, causing JunJia to repeatedly dive in and give away kills.

JunJia’s questionable plays are not limited to this match. JD’s record has dropped to 5-5, closely tied to his performance. JDG fans are now flooding the official account’s comments, demanding a change of jungler. Rumors suggest JDG contacted Xiaotian, but whether a substitution will happen remains uncertain. JunJia is closely linked with HongQ, so if the jungler is replaced, it’s unclear whether the mid laner will accept the change.

JD has already qualified for the playoffs and can afford to experiment with their lineup, which isn’t a big issue. However, JunJia’s inconsistent performance this stage is problematic. If JDG wants to become a top-tier team, they really need to consider changing their jungler. On the other hand, Gazi’s form this season has also been unstable. Aside from consistently shutting down Viper, Gazi’s overall performance against other AD carries has been mediocre.

After TES’s victory over JDG, the pressure shifts to WBG. In the final match, if WBG gets swept by IG, TES’s tiebreaker points will surpass WBG’s, securing TES a direct playoff spot. WBG still holds the initiative; as long as they beat IG, they will advance to the playoffs. Personally, I think WBG has a good chance. IG played well earlier in the stage but has been declining as it progressed.

In conclusion:

The teams in the LPL Peak Group are truly unpredictable. Strong teams frequently falter, while weaker teams pull off surprising upsets. Except for AL, who has slightly improved, the rest of the teams don’t seem very impressive. Whether this is due to the high concentration of strong teams or just inconsistency, AL and BLG’s final match should be considered the highest quality game of this stage.

So, who do you think will make it to the playoffs between TES and WBG?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!