The third stage of the LPL group matches, second round robin, is almost over. In their last match, Nirvana Group’s NIP faced LNG. Leave scored a pentakill with Senna, helping NIP win 2:0. With a 9-1 record, NIP’s tiebreaker points are only slightly ahead of EDG’s 6-1. If EDG wins all their upcoming matches, they could surpass NIP for first place in the group.

Group rankings have a major impact on the path to the championship. If Nirvana Group takes first, they’ll most likely face FPX; if they finish second, they’ll go against WE. These two bottom teams in the Peak Group differ quite a bit in strength. NIP and EDG would have an easier time against FPX than WE. Even though WE is sitting at 2-9, they’ve managed to go the distance against top Peak Group teams, so they’re not to be underestimated.

Another match that day saw Peak Group’s AL take on TES. AL had just crushed IG in their previous game, so everyone thought they were back in form and could at least take TES to a full BO3. Instead, AL proved their comeback was an illusion—the series ended in just two games, with TES sweeping AL 2:0 to secure their tenth win of the stage and a solid lead at the top of the Peak Group standings, now two points ahead of BLG.

In this BO3, TES support Hang truly shined. His Alistar in game one had outstanding participation and crowd control, helping his team build a big early lead. In teamfights, Hang was constantly initiating and shutting down the enemy carries. In game two, although his lane partner was solo killed during the laning phase, Hang’s Rell managed a 1v2 kill on Hope to turn things around. He kept diving the enemy carries in teamfights, leaving Hope completely disoriented.

Thanks to his stellar play in both games, Hang earned back-to-back MVP awards. So far in the third stage, very few LPL supports have managed to get two MVPs in a single BO3. It seems Guo Hao’s judgment was spot on—Hang is a great fit for his new team. Previously, when TES fans heard the team would be swapping supports with WBG, they criticized Guo Hao for picking up “trash.” But this time, it turns out he really found a gem.

The better Hang performs, the more awkward it becomes for Light, who partnered with him in the second stage. While playing for Weibo, their bot lane was constantly under pressure, and management thought Hang was the problem, even promoting the academy support Erha to the starting lineup. There was some improvement for a while, but issues soon resurfaced. Now in the third stage, paired with Liu Qingsong, Light has become almost invisible—he’s barely making an impact at all.

Previously, when WBG played AL, Light once used Kai’Sa and ended up dealing less damage than his support in a single game, with a damage conversion rate below 100. Facing Hope in lane, he was completely outclassed. The gap between the ADs is clear. Even if they brought back the now-unemployed Asum, it probably wouldn’t be this bad. Not only is Light’s performance lacking, but his playstyle is also overly cautious—he hardly dares to make plays anymore.

Judging by AD performance alone, even JiaQi, who’s at the bottom of the Peak Group, is outshining Light. It’s hard to understand WBG management’s thinking—after all these years, they still treat Light as the cornerstone of the team. Can they really not see any problems? When Hang was on Weibo, he couldn’t even get a starting spot. After leaving Light and partnering with his current teammate, Hang now has a real shot at competing with ON and Meiko for a spot on the All-Pro support team this stage.

In conclusion:

TES has already secured a playoff spot. Their last two matches are against WE and FPX, and barring surprises, first place should be locked in. Of the three remaining direct playoff berths, BLG and IG are likely to take two, but the last spot is hotly contested. AL, WBG, and JDG all have a chance, with only a two-point gap separating them, so it’s very possible for any of them to catch up and overtake the others.

So, are you sure WBG’s problem is really Light?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!