LPL championship coach leaves team, EDG begins reinforcement plans, Clearlove seeks new home, may join WBG

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After the conclusion of the second stage matches, the LPL has officially entered the transfer period. The top two teams are preparing for MSI, while other teams looking to strengthen have also started their moves.

Among them is EDG, which has advanced to the Summit Group and is about to launch new reinforcement plans.

Championship coach leaves, Clearlove fills the gap

This year, the LPL brought in two Korean championship coaches from the LCK, both of whom had coached GEN, aiming to adopt more mature coaching systems from the LCK. However, both attempts ended in failure. First, Coach Helper coached AL and was dismissed shortly after, then expressed dissatisfaction, joined IG, and the team dropped into the Abyss Group.

As for Kim Jeong-soo, he coached WBG. Their performance in the first stage was decent, but problems emerged in the second stage, failing to defeat teams from the Abyss Group.

After WBG's failure, Coach Kim Jeong-soo quickly confirmed his departure. It is worth noting that Kim Jeong-soo is the LPL's first S-tier world championship coach, having led IG to win the S8 title. However, his coaching record afterward has been unremarkable and often criticized by viewers. Even during his tenure with GEN, fans questioned his draft picks, believing he was overrated.

After this failure, Kim Jeong-soo needs to find a new destination. WBG also needs to find a coach. Surprisingly, it appears that WBG's new coach will be EDG's Clearlove. EDG has just made it to the Summit Group, but Clearlove is reportedly leaving to join WBG.

Reinforcement plans begin, EDG aims for results

Most viewers are not optimistic about Clearlove coaching WBG. Personally, I believe WBG's problems are significant. The team's player roles and positioning are key to achieving results. From various interviews in the second stage, we learned that the team's bot laner, Elk, has significant issues with his playstyle in many games.

Simply put, Elk often ignores the coach's instructions, playing in a self-centered manner with insufficient discipline. Clearlove does not seem like a coach who can control such players, making coaching this team very challenging.

Meanwhile, EDG will also begin reinforcement plans, aiming to seize this opportunity. Since they made it to the Summit Group, they want to hold onto this position and avoid falling back into the Abyss Group. Currently, there are two major transfer rumors about EDG: one is the top lane, likely bringing in Hoya, and the other is the mid lane, possibly introducing Bulldog.

Objectively, these two reinforcements are reasonable. However, trusting Korean players again may draw criticism. EDG has always been this way: after dropping to the Abyss Group, abandoning their players also invites viewer backlash. The key is results—if they perform well, everything will be fine.

The golden era has ended, making a comeback difficult

Personally, I believe EDG's golden generation has completely ended. The club's focus is no longer on League of Legends but more on Valorant. EDG once had a good team system and foundation, with strict management. If they continued investing in the LPL project, their results should not have been too bad.

But EDG did not choose that path. In recent years, they have opted for low-cost lineups, sometimes developing new players. Previously, EDG tried fielding their second team as the main roster, resulting in the classic "five young talents" lineup. The coaching staff also trained talent, letting Clearlove gain experience, but ultimately nothing significant came of it.

Among the five young talents, Monki and Vampire have improved steadily. Leave had some highlights but has become mediocre after relegation.

Editor

If EDG could reunite the young talents and make reinforcements, they might have a chance. However, the LPL currently lacks talent in key positions. "Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice." Currently, EDG's lineup consists of Zdz, Xiaohao, Angel, Siniao, Leave, and Jwei. Changes may occur in the top and mid lanes.

EDG also needs to find a new head coach. Their first step is to stay in the Summit Group, then explore further reinforcement options. However, making a comeback remains very difficult.