The League of Legends 2026 Global Vanguard Cup is now in its countdown phase. Riot Games recently announced the specific competition schedule and format. Regarding the timing, it's not particularly favorable for viewers in the Asian region. The start times for the group stage, playoffs, and finals are all set for 9 PM. To balance the schedules for the LPL, LCK, and LCP major regions, at least one LPL team is guaranteed to play matches in the early morning hours.

For this Vanguard Cup, without staying up late, viewers might only catch one LPL team's match. Regarding the format, the group stage employs a double-elimination system. Eight teams are divided into two groups to play BO5 matches; losing two consecutive matches results in immediate elimination. The last two remaining teams from each group advance to the playoffs. The subsequent playoff format is single-elimination BO5, where a loss sends a team home, and the winner advances to the finals. The two teams reaching the finals can secure one MSI slot for their respective region.

Indian God King Advances to Vanguard Cup

Currently, the playoffs for all regions except the LPL have concluded. On the last match day, the LCS region held its finals. LYON and C9 only needed four games for LYON to claim the North American league championship. The LYON team will represent the LCS region in this Global Vanguard Cup. Such a relatively weaker region typically doesn't attract much attention, but LYON's current top laner is player Dhokla from India.

Mentioning his ID might not ring a bell for everyone, but bringing up "Lü Dongbin" instantly reveals who he is. That's right, Dhokla was the top laner for 100 Thieves at last year's World Championship. During the group stage, he famously solo-killed Bin's Rek'Sai with Sion. That iconic moment became a dark mark on Bin's record and also introduced LPL viewers to this "Indian God King." BLG is already in the winners' bracket finals, so it feels like these two might meet again.

October Addresses Rumored Relationship with ELK

Prior to WBG's third playoff match, bot laner ELK was exposed by netizens for an alleged relationship. The爆料人 claimed ELK's girlfriend is the official host October. During the Weibo vs. Top Esports match, when ELK made a mistake, October reportedly spammed the official live stream chat. Many even blamed ELK's inconsistent performance on October, similar to how Rookie is often joked about by viewers for being "drained" by Xiaoyu.

This sudden wave of gossip left both parties feeling awkward. After the match, October went live on stream to debunk the relationship rumors: "I think a real relationship should be where both parties log on just to spend time with each other. Their match history should only show each other. That's what I'd call a relationship. As for the kind where sometimes you play with many people, and sometimes just the two of you team up, that's more like a gaming buddy."

Tian Discusses the Current State of LPL Junglers

During the match between Top Esports and Weibo Gaming, jungler Tian, who has played for both clubs, was spectating on a secondary stream. Right at the start of the first game, Tian commented: "The intensity in the LPL jungle has dropped." He believes the main reasons are that he himself isn't playing, and Kanavi has left. When Tian said this in December, everyone found it amusing, but looking at it now, it seems there might be some truth to it.

Although Kanavi is now in the LCK, during his time in the LPL, his aggressive jungle style indeed pressured many junglers. The same goes for Tian; even if his late-game damage output isn't high, his early-game tempo is truly exceptional. After the departure of the "F6 Sage" and the "Toad General," the strategic depth in the LPL jungle doesn't feel as strong anymore. Everyone seems to follow a routine: farm the jungle, look for gank opportunities, and if none are found, return to farming.

Conclusion:

The dating rumors about ELK and October were also debunked by Breathe during his stream. Breathe stated: "That thing about ELK is impossible. It's just someone with an agenda stirring up public opinion." Besides debunking it on stream, October also posted a video containing the line: "Hello, relationships are not allowed here." It seems the romantic gossip was indeed fabricated.

So, do you think Tian's assessment is correct?

Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!