Foreword: The S16 season has officially begun, and it's safe to say that the majority of players are closely following the recent matches. The MSI competition is extremely intense. As multiple teams are gradually eliminated, the tournament has entered its middle stage. In the LCK, HLE and T1 remain strong, while in the LPL, only BLG is left struggling to hold on. Of course, based on recent match performances, BLG definitely has the opportunity to contend for the championship. Just recently, BLG's support player ON and AD carry Viper actually played Arena mode with the entire T1 team, suggesting that their off-stage relationships are quite stable.

ON and Viper Play Arena Mode for Fun with the Entire T1 Team

Most players are quite familiar with BLG. As a top-tier team in the LPL, BLG has maintained a stable overall popularity and heat over the past few years, with outstanding results. They have essentially participated in international tournaments every year. In the second split of this season, they easily secured the LPL's first seed. In the first round of MSI, they went to five games against T1 and ultimately crushed Faker to advance to the next round of the winners' bracket. All their confidence stems from their actual strength; given the current momentum, every bold statement BLG made earlier has been substantiated.

The matches over the past two days have brought both joy and sorrow to many LPL fans. The joy comes from BLG's stable performance, while the sorrow comes from TES's complete collapse—the two teams are at opposite extremes. During these two days, BLG has been training quite a lot, but some observant fans noticed that BLG's bot lane duo played Arena mode with T1's players. It seems everyone has a pretty good relationship off the stage. Moreover, this time the entire T1 team participated, not just the starting five, but also coach Mata and supervisor Tom. It's likely that the two teams also had some scrims after their first encounter.

Now, all the hopes of the LPL rest on BLG's shoulders. In a post-match interview, TES's AD carry JackeyLove publicly cheered for BLG.

I feel quite upset that I can't help everyone. Our training form has been really, really poor recently—we've barely won anything. There seem to be some short-term issues we can't resolve, and since MSI is a very short tournament, those problems have persisted until now. I'm really sorry to everyone who woke up early to watch our matches and saw such poor performances. We'll keep trying. I think BLG's current form and game understanding are very high; they have a great chance to win the championship. I hope they can bring the trophy back to the LPL.

There are only eight BO5 series left before the MSI champion is determined. Barring any surprises, T1 will face G2 in the losers' bracket for a chance to advance, while BLG and HLE will compete for the first finals spot. It remains to be seen whether G2 can create another miracle in the losers' bracket. Back at the First Stand tournament, they helped clear the path for BLG with their perfect plays. This time, G2 still has a chance to pull off such a divine series for us.

Zai Jian believes:

Who would have thought that the relationship between BLG and T1 is so close that players can even play casual games together during the tournament. Although they tease each other verbally, they must have mutual respect off stage. As the last hope of the LPL, BLG must not relax during this period. Every team participating in MSI is world-class—not every opponent is as easy to handle as TES.

What do you, dear viewers, think about this?