The 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational is only ten days away from starting. Recently, international media launched a championship prediction poll. 32% of fans think HLE will take the title, and BLG from our region has 29%—just 1% higher than T1. These three squads are the consensus favorites overseas, while others have much lower support; G2 only got 7%, 21% behind T1.

Interestingly, 5% of viewers believe TES will win the MSI championship. Wow, some people still trust Brother Tops in international competitions? Could it be that those voting are just fans who want to hear their theme song? This might sound a bit harsh on TES, but their performance in past global tournaments has indeed been lackluster. However, when everyone doubts them, TES often surprises—hopefully it's the same this MSI.

Knight Interview: Discussing the "Cowardice" Label in Games

After BLG secured the top seed and qualified as LPL's first representative for the Mid-Season Invitational, a media outlet released a video of Knight's post-championship interview. The reporter asked: "What do you think is the biggest misunderstanding about Knight from the outside world?" Knight immediately replied: "A lot of people say I play too passively in games, but I've never felt that way."

Knight being labeled as "soft" in crucial matches has always been a notable trait. When the team needs him to step up and carry, his item builds and playstyle tend to be more conservative than usual, which is why many perceive him as timid. Even Faker, during his review of the S14 finals, specifically called out Knight's Ahri. Faker remarked: "When I saw the Ahri build Zhonya's Hourglass, I knew we would win. That Ahri shouldn't have built Zhonya's."

LNG's Mid, Jungle, and Support Removed from the Roster

The LPL's second split transfer window is now in full swing. LNG, which topped the Nirvana group but lost to WE in the playoffs, has made a major move. The LPL official roster shows that their mid laner, jungler, and support are no longer listed—meaning Croco (jungle), Bulldog (mid), and Missing (support) have all left. In the next split, LNG will build a new team around 1xn and Xiaohai Ge, aiming for a playoff push.

According to various leakers, the jungle position will be either Weiwei or Re0, the mid lane will be Nia or Saber, and the support could be Hang, though Missing still has a chance to stay. Just looking at these player IDs, it's clear what LNG's strength will be in the third split. No matter how they assemble the roster, the new lineup can't be stronger than before. Blaming the Korean imports for losing to WE is a bit unfair—after all, WE is the third-place team in the league.

Blank Criticizes the LPL League Environment

Blank, a former T1 player and World Champion, recently criticized the LPL's environment during an LCK talk show. "The conditions were terrible back then," Blank said. "They promised a lot of money, but secretly the first three months were a probation period with very little pay, or they would tie you down with a three-year contract. This kind of situation was very common." There's no need to guess which team Blank was referring to—it's RNG.

When Blank transferred to the LPL, he played for RNG's second team, Royal Club. This team's reputation needs no further explanation. Recently, there have been rumors online that RNG might make a comeback. The Delta Force division replied to fans: "We'll be back next year" (now deleted). Content creator Yijiang also leaked that RNG will return next year, but their investment level will be on par with OMG's. Whether they truly come back is still uncertain, but personally, I'd suggest they don't bother.

Conclusion:

In the finals review, Faker pointed out that by the 22-minute mark, the two teams were only a few hundred gold apart. Knight had taken all three kills for his team, and he was supposed to be the carry. If he had built damage items instead of Zhonya's, his chances of winning might have been higher. But since T1 won, Faker's comments naturally hold weight—though that doesn't mean building Zhonya's to play safe was necessarily wrong.

So, do you think Knight is "cowardly"?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!