The LCK Mid-Season Championship qualifiers are about to start with the lower bracket's third round. LCK streamers recently convened to forecast the MSI lineup. Wolf and company predict T1 and GEN, whereas former WBG coach Nofe expects T1 and HLE to go. His amusing justification is that TES is already in MSI, and there's a grudge between Xiaocream and Hongmi; Nofe wants them to compete for supremacy.

If the two teams meet and TES beats HLE, then Xiaocream can say: "Hongmi is wrong." Conversely, if HLE wins, Hongmi can say: "You don't understand my picks and bans at all." Not bad, Nofe's idea does have some entertainment value. However, whether HLE can make it to MSI remains unknown. Personally, I think HLE has a second chance (resurrection armor), and the possibility of them losing two consecutive BO5s and handing out two tickets is not very high.

Brother Xu invited to make a surprise appearance at the LPL finals

The LPL second stage finals kick off on the 14th. The organizers recently revealed the surprise guests and player guests for the finals. The old duo Liu Qingsong and Lin Weixiang will share the stage again after many years. "Big Smart" (Lin Weixiang) has already faded out of the esports scene, so it's impressive that the officials managed to bring him back. Additionally, NBA legend Weems (who collaborated on a skin with a mobile game) has also received an invitation. However, the most anticipated is DK's midlaner, Brother Xu.

After being reverse swept by KT (letting two then losing three) and missing the playoffs, he immediately came to LPL to oversee the finals. Truly, besides "Old Li" (Faker), he is the most popular LCK player. Brother Xu is indeed great. Additionally, WE's legends such as Ruofeng and Caomei will also appear at WE's match venue. The tickets for this final are probably going to be hard to get. If BLG defeats WE, it will be a clash between two top-tier teams, which already has high appeal.

Angel reportedly terminates contract with EDG

Teams that have been eliminated but still qualify for the third stage of the LPL are currently trying to strengthen their rosters. It's confirmed that Liu Qingsong will return to the stage. He revealed in a live stream that news will come after the 15th. According to online rumors, "Crisp" is returning to Weibo (WBG). This possibility is not low. The Summit and Nirvana groups lack depth, so he can only choose between IG and WBG. However, IG already has Meiko, so they won't approach him.

Furthermore, EDG's lineup also sees changes. Angel, who has been with the team for multiple stages, is reported to have terminated his contract with EDG. EDG's new midlaner is the Korean version of Zz1tai, named Bulldog. Both Lianlianhongcha and Beichuan's agent have posted about it, so the leak is likely true. After being cut, Angel can focus on his food blogging (exploring restaurants). He's getting older and his form isn't great, so doing restaurant review videos seems like a decent career move—he actually makes good content.

Rookie unfollowed Xiaoyu in the middle of the night

After IG fell into the Nirvana group and missed the playoffs, their roster is expected to change for the next stage. With both midlaners underperforming, Rookie might be called back. Since his current girlfriend spread rumors about Xiaoyu, and Rookie issued a public apology, he has been silent. Recently, netizens noticed that Rookie logged into Weibo late at night, and after logging out, Xiaoyu was removed from his following list—clearly unfollowed.

Logging in late at night just to unfollow—Rookie is truly something else. Doing this makes it seem very unlikely he'll return to the LPL. His reputation is already ruined, and his career is nearing its end. It's probable he doesn't plan to continue competing. After spending some time with his new girlfriend and then completing his military service, he'll likely fade out of esports entirely. However, he still has a contract with IG, so nothing is certain yet.

Conclusion:

This EDG lineup won't improve much just by swapping midlaners. It's probably management seeing the team made it to the Summit group and wanting to make minor reinforcements. If Liu Qingsong goes to Weibo, that could actually work. Even though he's older and his mechanics are a bit rusty, at least he can shot-call. And even at his worst, he couldn't play more bizarrely than Hang.

So, do you think Rookie will still come back?

Feel free to leave comments and discuss!