The 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational is just one BO5 away from ending. On the last match day, EU's KC and NA's TL faced off. Pre-match predictions favored KC, but TL suddenly turned it on, sweeping KC 3-0 to reach the finals. Caliste, the so-called European AD prodigy, was exposed in that series, unable to win even a single round. Based on the play-in, one can honestly say: NA > EU.

So far in the play-in stage, there hasn't been a single close match. All four completed series have been 3-0 sweeps. Barring any surprises, the final match between T1 and TL will also be a clean sweep. This outcome is truly unexpected. Riot intended to stretch the schedule to give viewers a better experience, but every game has been a one-sided stomp, torturing the fans. Fortunately, the play-in only has one round before the knockout stage begins.

G2 top laner: TES is a stepping stone

G2, placed in the same first-seed pool as BLG, will face our region's TES in their first knockout match. G2's top laner BrokenBlade was recently asked in a Korean media interview: "What do you think of the strength of LCK and LPL teams?" BrokenBlade replied: "HLE's players have extremely strong individual skills. When facing them, I can't help but wonder, 'Can we hold our own in lane?' Meanwhile, T1 has excellent team coordination."

When discussing the LPL, BrokenBlade said BLG is very strong and the team we need to take most seriously. As for TES, he commented: "I'm not sure how they'll perform, but what they could do before, they can still do now. TES is a good stepping stone for us." Clearly, everyone looks down on TES, but the less they are favored, the more likely they are to achieve good results.

WBG rumored to be in contact with Beichuan

The LPL second split transfer window is still over half a month away. WBG, which fell into the Nirvana group, recently received new news. Leaker Hongcha revealed: "At the recommendation of team members, Weibo had a chat with Beichuan, but Beichuan's transfer fee is not low, so whether it will work out is still unknown. If they can sign him, Jiejie will likely leave the team, as he is the type of player who doesn't want to be a substitute."

In addition, Clearlove has already confirmed his joining. For the support position, Zhuo is more inclined to stay. WBG's support for the third split will likely be Jwei. If Beichuan and Jwei are the final choices, then WBG's new lineup would be: Zika, Beichuan, Xiaohu, Xianggong, and Jwei. This lineup is hard to evaluate. It has a high ceiling, but its floor is also very low, depending on the players' synergy.

LOL streamer sued by a viewer

An interesting incident recently occurred in the League community. Liubai, a Camille one-trick pony, was sued by a viewer for insulting the chat during his stream. The reason: during a recent stream, Liubai was playing top lane Varus. He pushed the wave at level one, which led to the enemy jungler ganking him multiple times. After several deaths, a viewer commented: "You shouldn't push the wave at level one; dying to ganks is a playstyle issue." Liubai got heated on the spot and angrily called the viewer a "casual."

The two argued for over ten minutes, with Liubai hurling a few insults. The offended viewer then directly filed a lawsuit in court. After receiving the complaint, Liubai rushed to the court. The judge suggested they mediate in court. Instead, Liubai and the viewer ended up debating whether you should push the wave at level one, completely forgetting about the defamation dispute. In the end, neither convinced the other, and they have to wait for the court's verdict. This is truly hilarious.

Conclusion:

When playing top lane Varus against Trundle, with the enemy jungler being Elise, pushing the wave is definitely the right move. Because a squishy champion without mobility will inevitably be dove under tower if the wave crashes. By pushing the wave forward, you can at least get some farm. If you don't push, you'll just wait to be dove and then get nothing. Anyone with a higher rank would never say something like "if you don't push, you won't get ganked."

So, do you think TES can beat G2?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!