Following T1's elimination, the MSI knockout stage semifinalists have been determined. Except for the LCP region, each major league takes one of the four semifinal slots. This situation has never occurred since the MSI format reform. This year, the four major leagues truly feel like a hundred flowers blooming. Importantly, all teams that made it to the semifinals are the number-one seeds from their regions, and they have all justified themselves through their strength.

The upcoming two BO5 matches are also quite interesting. Whoever wins between HLE and BLG will advance to the finals first, securing at least a runner-up finish. In the losers' bracket, G2 takes on LYON, and the losing team will likely face heavy mockery. I'm not sure whether it will be EU > NA or NA > EU this time. Personally, I think G2 is in good form—they even knocked out T1. As long as Caps doesn't throw, G2 should probably beat LYON.

Doran receives a truck protest from T1 fans

After T1's early exit in the top six, top laner Doran's performance has sparked heated discussions across the globe. Comments like "worst champion ever," "perfect crime," and "retire immediately" can be seen on major LOL forums everywhere. T1's extreme fans are furious this time, and the long-missed protest truck has once again appeared at T1's base. The LED screen on the truck clearly reads: "Doran Out," indicating fans want to pressure the team to switch top laners.

As viewers from the LPL region, we certainly don't want Doran to leave. As long as he stays on T1, their chances of winning a championship this year are very low. This indirectly increases LPL's chances of taking the title. However, if T1 really needs to replace the top laner, they do have options. Two young top laners in their second team are both above 2300 LP in the Korean solo queue, ranking in the top 30. They could promote one of them and let Doran sit out for a while.

WBG signs a Korean support

The LPL's third split starts in just over ten days, and the transfer window is likely closing soon. New news about the WBG roster has emerged: according to a former RA team manager, WBG has finalized two supports—besides Jwei, they have also brought in Moham from OMG. Abandoning the all-Chinese lineup to sign a Korean import who can't even perform well in the Demotion League—this move by WBG feels like a desperate attempt.

Zhao (Light) has partnered with five different supports in one year—he's truly blessed. In addition, the LNG team also has two supports. While keeping Missing, LNG signed YCX who left LGD. In the next split, TES might also have a dual-support setup with Zhuo and Fengyue. So it looks like many LPL teams will have two supports in the third split. I wonder whether Zhao and JackeyLove can achieve results with their new supports.

Kanavi talks about TES losing to the Vietnamese team

Kanavi, who has already advanced to the MSI semifinals, was recently asked in an interview: "What do you think caused TES to lose to the Vietnamese team?" Kanavi replied: "They got reverse-swept by G2, which affected their mentality." That really hits the nail on the head. The mid-jungle duo on TES are players with relatively fragile mental states. Xiaocream's temper has even been written into a song, and Tian is even more so.

Last year, TES made history in the First Stand tournament. As the jungler on that team, Kanavi certainly knows his teammates well. If he says their mentality was off, then someone definitely tilted after losing to G2. The top lane and support duo were also playing their first international tournament, so they were under huge pressure and more prone to mental breakdowns. When someone on the team loses their cool and starts misplaying, winning becomes very difficult indeed.

Conclusion:

Doran is truly unbelievable. Even when all he needs to do is hold his lane without feeding and contribute a little in teamfights—while his teammates can carry him to victory—he still can't figure out the game. It's honestly astonishing that last year OFGK managed to carry this guy to a championship. I feel that if T1 doesn't replace their top laner this year, it will be very hard for them to achieve results at Worlds.

So, do you think Kanavi is right?

Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!