With only two days left until the LPL Loser's Bracket Final, IG has already stormed into the league's top three, securing a place in the Regional Finals after a four-game win streak. The majority of LPL fans now have elevated expectations for this team, with many thinking IG could make it to the finals and go head-to-head with BLG. Based on their recent performances, IG looks incredibly strong, and AL might struggle to hold their ground in the upcoming match.

AL's biggest concerns are their top laner and ADC. Breathe and Hope performed quite poorly against BLG. If they can't adjust in the next few days, both the top and bottom lanes could become weak points. Jiaqi is really strong right now, and it seems Hope may not be able to withstand the pressure. Unfortunately, even if IG reaches the finals, only a championship will grant them a direct ticket to Worlds, while AL's spot remains relatively secure.

Wayward questions match-fixing, causes major trouble

The IG vs LGD match ended two days ago, but the discussion around this BO5 remains intense online. The reason is TES legend Wayward, during his co-stream commentary, made remarks like "Temujin match, shouldn't be match-fixing, such a real game." His reckless comments were seen by viewers as questioning the fairness of the match. Consequently, many viewers reported Wayward to the officials for stirring up match-fixing controversy.

Although many videos clipping Wayward's remarks have been taken down, there are too many re-uploads for him to stop. The controversy is huge, and the officials will definitely take action. Wayward will likely face heavy punishment. As an officially recognized co-streamer, stirring up match-fixing rumors is indeed outrageous. Additionally, Wayward set a flag: if IG wins the championship, he will kneel down and shave off all his hair except his eyebrows.

LPL cancels Nirvana group next year

Before League of Legends Season 16 has even ended, rumors about LPL format changes for Season 17 have emerged online. A former RA team manager recently posted a leak: there will be no Nirvana group next year, the number of annual matches will be reduced, and the schedule won't be as tight as this year. If the Nirvana group is indeed canceled, Jiejie will be thrilled—his four-time Nirvana turnaround would be unprecedented and never to be repeated, becoming a unique record in the league.

The specific adjustments to the format are still unknown. Guessing blindly, it might revert to the previous model with a 14-team free-for-all, or it could follow LCK's approach by dividing teams into Group A and B based on performance for intra-group matches. However, these are just speculations. Additionally, the secondary league will be restarted next year because Valorant requires teams to have an LDL or LPL team. As a result, there may be more rookies in the future.

AL owner discusses plans for next year

The owner of AL, Feifei, recently started a live stream. Many fans of the LoL division came to the stream demanding a change of ADC and asking about AL's plans for next year. The owner responded: don't talk about changing players because it's impossible now. Next year's plans will depend on AL's performance at this year's Worlds. If they perform well, they will likely spend money to keep the jungle and support; if not, there might be a rebuild.

During the live stream, the AL owner also stated that they will never block player contracts. The club's tradition has always been that even if a player is under contract, if they want to leave, the club will let them go as long as the proper procedures are followed. This specifically refers to the jungle and support: Tarzan and Kael both signed two-year contracts, while the others signed one-year deals. If AL doesn't achieve results this year, the jungle-support duo will likely not stay with the team.

Conclusion:

Since Wayward started streaming, he has become truly reckless with his words. He has been punished several times but never learns his lesson. It's one thing for viewers to casually stir up match-fixing rumors, but as an officially recognized co-streamer, he actually dared to question the fairness of the match during his stream. Although Wayward didn't directly say it was match-fixing, his subtle insinuations are hard to clean up.

So what do you think? Will the jungle and support stay with AL if they don't achieve results?

Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!