The first round of the 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational has concluded. LYON swept RUA 3:0 in their match to advance to the second round. Meanwhile, BLG faced T1 in a five-game thriller, ultimately securing victory and joining LYON. After over six months, Bin once again goes head-to-head with Dhokla. This match should be Bin's chance to successfully avenge his previous loss in the World Championship "Traveling Bin" disgrace.

BLG played exceptionally well in this BO5 series. The mid-jungle duo completely dominated their counterparts in every single match. If not for a few subpar performances from the top laner, support, and ADC, the score would not have been this close. Despite the win, ON's discipline will need to be addressed during the review; he gave away too many opportunities. However, there's no need for excessive criticism, as BLG won the match. Even Keria lost his composure several times during the high-pressure games.

Following this match, the issue of BLG's strategic BP being leaked immediately sparked heated discussions. Many viewers noticed that the tournament's directing team repeatedly and intentionally focused their cameras on Coach Daeny holding his BP notes during the drafting phase. Even in the waiting room, Daeny's notes were captured on camera. Although the BP details are blurred, professional coaching staff could likely deduce the team's priority picks.

After numerous viewers filed complaints, both BLG and the LPL authorities proactively pressured Riot Games. The tournament director eventually issued an apology, stating: "This error originated from my team, not from any specific region or broadcast signal (the global broadcast is identical)." The director then emphasized:"There is a large camera set up at the venue. All teams are fully aware that this camera is operational throughout the entire event.".

Wow, this follow-up statement essentially shifts the blame onto the teams whose BP was leaked, suggesting they should have been more careful. As an official director, making such a remark while apologizing is quite audacious. They could have simply switched the camera angle during the BP phase. When this matter escalated, viewers discovered that BLG wasn't the only team affected; BP plans for TOP Esports and G2 from previous matches were also leaked.

BLG's tactical notes were somewhat blurred, but during the G2 versus Top Esports match, the director gave a close-up shot, featuring clear images of both teams' tactical notes. Meanwhile, LCK teams did not experience such issues, which is the most controversial point. T1 and HLE's BP were never captured, and even their waiting room coaching staff received minimal camera coverage. It is difficult not to suspect targeted bias.

Subsequently, viewers investigated the director's social media account and discovered that the director is a fan of Doran. Before the start of MSI, the director posted: "I want to stand next to Doran so I can learn to say 'You’re far from it, baby' in Korean." Coinciding all these factors together makes it hard not to be suspicious. If T1 and HLE, the two Korean teams, had also been filmed, the controversy wouldn't be this significant.

Delving deeper, this might touch upon sportsmanship. We won't stir that kind of controversy, but since this BLG match, the issue has escalated. No matter how outrageous the director is, he cannot continue showing various teams' BP notes going forward. Fortunately, this was caught early. BLG has high visibility, and fans of G2 and Top Esports had also previously reported the issue, but with no response. Riot is truly questionable.

Conclusion:

The issue of the director leaking BP must be taken seriously. This problem could have been avoided simply by switching camera angles, but the director chose to cause trouble. If the director can't handle basic matters like this, it might be time for a replacement. What is this? An international tournament like the Mid-Season Invitational still has such repeated elementary mistakes. The director's true intentions are truly puzzling.

So, do you think the director did this intentionally?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!