Introduction: The S16 season matches have officially begun, and it’s believed most players have been following the recent competitions. The LPL regional finals have concluded, with BLG defeating JDG 3-1 to claim the first stage championship. The gap in strength between the two teams was quite evident. In the post-match interview, BLG’s top-laner Bin once again made bold remarks, showing his familiar confident style. He outright ignored LCK’s second seed BFX, stating he hadn’t studied this team, didn’t know where they came from, and would just look into them later—expecting it to be fairly manageable.

Bin ignores LCK’s second seed that dominated T1.

Most fans are quite focused on BLG, a top-tier powerhouse in the LPL. Over recent years, their offseason investments have been massive, assembling star-studded rosters each season with the sole aim of winning the World Championship. This season, to strengthen their lineup, they even abandoned the “all-Chinese” concept and acquired elite ADC Viper. Early in the season, team coordination wasn’t fully stable, leading to a second-place regular-season finish. However, once playoffs began, their momentum shifted completely—especially in the finals, where they nearly delivered a crushing victory similar to LCK’s style.

In the first match, BLG gained an advantage in the bot lane. Gala’s performance was noticeably poor, failing to use Flash in fights and lacking output. Top-laner Bin created a huge gap through solo laning. Only the mid and jungle seemed competitive; other lanes collapsed. The second game saw BLG playing comfortably: Xun secured steals and excelled in team fights, while JDG faced deficits across all three lanes from the start. The match ended after just 29 minutes. The third game was JDG’s desperate attempt, using a four-protect-one composition. With strong play from Lulu and Kog’Maw, they secured a win, avoiding a 3-0 finals sweep.

The fourth match again featured a massive top-lane disparity. Bin outperformed JDG’s top-laner Xiaoxu across all four games. Jungler Xun understood the team’s rhythm well, constantly making plays in the top lane and treating Xiaoxu like an ATM. Post-match interviews revealed Xiaoxu’s shaken mentality, reminiscent of 369 after facing TheShy. Coach Tabe seemed satisfied, though, as this young team—underestimated initially—had already succeeded by reaching Worlds. Everything remains uncertain; perhaps they’ll improve further through later matches.

In the post-match interview, the familiar confident Bin returned. When asked about preparing for BFX in the upcoming Pioneer Tournament, Bin replied confidently: “I haven’t studied this team; I don’t know where they came from. We’ll look into them later. I think it should be quite manageable.” This statement quickly sparked widespread discussion online. Many joked that this is BFX, the team that crushed T1 and swept DK—even though they were defeated 3-0 by Gen.G in the finals, their overall team strength is still top-tier. Moreover, the intensity of the two leagues differs, making direct comparisons difficult.

Final thoughts:

The Pioneer Tournament matchups are now set: JDG faces Gen.G right away, while BLG has a slightly better draw against BFX. Unless surprises occur, JDG likely drops to the losers’ bracket. Even BLG would struggle against Gen.G, given their overwhelming overall strength and undefeated record this season. Thus, LPL fans shouldn’t set expectations too high.

What do you all think about this situation?