Following the conclusion of the third losers' bracket match in the LPL playoffs, AL's team manager Aixiao is up to his old tricks. He changed his Weibo comment settings to "followers only." It's quite something—AL boasts aggressively after victories but disappears after defeats. Truly fitting for Aixiao. He's likely to activate comment protection soon, since he's been talking big lately and will surely get criticized by fans.

Honestly, AL's reputation has really been tarnished by him alone. When the team first formed and performed well, everyone praised the players. Now after a loss, many are blaming the team manager's actions on the players. For a team manager to be this high-profile is quite absurd. However, for this year's Pioneer Tournament, we won't have to watch Panda for international matches. Aixiao will probably stay under the radar until the start of the second stage.

Riot Announces Draw Rules

The S16 Global Pioneer Tournament kicks off in just 10 days. Riot Games recently officially announced the draw rules for the group stage. The eight participating teams are divided into three tiers based on strength. Tier 1 consists of GEN and the LPL first seed. Tier 2 is the weakest overall, including: G2, TSW, Lyon, and Loud. Tier 3 comprises BFX and the LPL second seed. The specific draw rule is Tier 1 vs. Tier 3.

Following the principle of avoiding same-region matchups, the first and second seeds of LPL and LCK will face each other. This means the first round will feature two China vs. Korea matches. The LPL seed order isn't finalized yet and needs further observation. Two teams from Tier 2 will be randomly placed into each group. Riot's setup seems to somewhat favor Western regions, as they all avoid Chinese and Korean teams in the first round.

Caster Mage Reveals Relationship

Former LPL official female caster Mage recently revealed her relationship during a live stream. She is dating Sask, the top LCK co-stream commentator. Over the past few years, Sask gained popularity by heavily praising T1 during LCK broadcasts. During key LCK matches, his viewership often exceeds 100,000, making him the most popular LCK co-streamer. Surprisingly, he's now in a relationship with Mage.

During a live stream, Sask accidentally switched to a chat window where the pinned contact's nickname was "Puppy." Viewers quickly noticed the profile picture belonged to caster Mage. This slip-up forced them to reveal their relationship. They had often played games together during the off-season, suggesting they've been together for a while but kept it private. Originally, they planned to announce it only upon marriage, but the accident changed that.

Warhorse Transforms into "Motivational Coach"

Former FPX championship coach Warhorse, after moving to Vietnam, successfully led his team to the Global Pioneer Tournament. TSW recently released a documentary. In it, Warhorse heavily motivates his players with pep talks: "Don't think we are just LCP. Losing internationally is common. We must strive to win internationally. That's why we need to train even harder." He also used CFO as an example for the players.

Last year, CFO performed exceptionally well—they won in the Pioneer Tournament, at MSI, and at Worlds. We should try to play like that. Honestly, this motivation is useful. LCP is different from LPL. Teams from the Vietnam region have long been underestimated. Although GAM made history, other teams have struggled to break through. Players feel pressure in international competitions.

Conclusion:

If the LPL second seed faces GEN, it feels like an initial loss is likely. This isn't about underestimating our own teams, but mainly because GEN is too strong. BLG has evolved and will most likely be the first seed. Facing BFX also brings significant pressure. If JDG or WBG are the second seed, it's hard to see how they could beat GEN.

So, who do you think can defeat GEN: BLG, JDG, or WBG?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!