The S16 season has officially kicked off. Most players are closely watching the fierce competition across regions. The LPL and LCK have entered the playoffs, while Europe is still finishing its regular season. Initially, there wasn't much attention on this region, as the teams qualifying for Worlds are always the top ones. However, this year saw a major upset: Fnatic, after nine consecutive years of qualifying for Worlds, lost to GX and missed both the playoffs and the S16 World Championship. The second round of LCK playoffs has also been set: Gen.G vs. KT, and HLE vs. T1.

LOL's biggest global upset: The first-ever World Champion misses S16.

Most players are familiar with Fnatic. As the Season 1 World Champion, they were one of the original top teams, with championship skins, and were once the dominant force in the European league. They are the only team to have achieved all possible placements in the World Championship: champion in S1, runner-up in S8, semifinals in S3, quarterfinals in S7, and top 16 in S4. Compared to last season's IG, they are slightly behind, as they never finished 17th. However, the team doesn't get much attention because the overall performance of the European region is not outstanding.

This year, Fnatic faced serious problems. In the spring split, they had a 3-6 record in series, finishing seventh in the league and missing the playoffs—a bad start. In the summer regular season, after losing 1-2 to GX, they were confirmed at the bottom of the league and missed the playoffs again. This means they also missed the S16 World Championship, with no chance through points or ranking, ending their streak of nine consecutive years qualifying for Worlds. The last time they failed to qualify was in Season 6, which is already ten years ago.

The LCK playoffs have been intense these days. In the match between DK and KT, everyone expected DK to win easily, but KT swept them perfectly. In the first game, DK had a good early advantage, but BDD's Syndra got a triple kill, allowing KT to win a 4v5 fight with zero deaths and four kills. After taking the Elder Dragon, they completely turned the game around.

The second game was another incredible reversal. DK had a solid early lead, even building a 14,000 gold advantage by 31 minutes. However, when they pushed the high ground, KT wiped them in a 0-for-4 exchange. DK was overturned again.

In the final game, DK had no morale left. KT gained a big early advantage. Although DK managed a 0-for-4 counterattack mid-lane, it was too little too late. At 38 minutes, KT swept DK 3-0, sending the beloved ShowMaker to the losers' bracket. After the match, the second-round opponents were set. Gen.G chose KT as their opponent; the winner will directly qualify for the S16 World Championship. HLE will face T1; if T1 wins, they will directly secure a spot at S16.

In conclusion,

The LCK region is highly competitive, while the European region has seen many fluctuations. Honestly, this result has disappointed many fans. Fnatic's performance has been declining severely in both League of Legends and other divisions over the past two years, almost as if they are considering withdrawing. The competition for World Championship spots in the LCK is also fierce. Gen.G, T1, and HLE have high chances; it remains to be seen whether the last spot will go to DK or KT.

What do you, the audience, think about this situation?