NIP’s crushing victory over GEN ignites debate.

The third stage of LPL is drawing to a close, with several teams having locked in their playoff berths. In the Phoenix group, LGD, EDG, and NIP are notably stronger than the others. EDG managed a flawless five-match winning streak in the first round, not dropping any small games, which earned them the nickname "Phoenix King" among fans. Many even believed EDG could easily defeat struggling LPL teams like WE and FPX.

However, as the second round of the LPL cycle began, EDG’s weakness in the bottom lane gradually surfaced. In every match, EDG’s ADC, Xiao An, inexplicably died before team fights started. This flaw caused EDG to lose late-game team fights against bottom lane-strong opponents like LGD and NIP. After consecutive losses to NIP and LGD, EDG could only advance as the third seed in the Phoenix group, while NIP and LGD took first and second place respectively.

After NIP secured first place in the Phoenix group, DOINB’s friend Hacker revealed a major secret during a live stream: NIP had once decisively beaten GEN, currently first in the LCK standings, in a scrim. This surprised many LPL fans since NIP’s in-competition performance hadn’t been very strong, leaving people puzzled about how NIP managed to win. Some speculated that GEN was just messing around in scrims, as NIP’s chances of making Worlds were almost zero, and GEN was likely experimenting with lineups.

IG cleanses LPL's shameful record!

Besides the three Phoenix group teams securing playoff spots, the Summit group also has three teams advancing early: TES in first place, BLG second, and IG third. IG was only recently officially announced as a playoff team, largely due to their own mistakes. In the Summit group, all other teams have been dominating FPX, who currently sit last in the LPL standings and have only won one big match this season—against IG.

Because IG lost to FPX earlier, many LPL fans doubted IG’s potential ceiling. However, after their recent key match against FPX, IG decisively defeated them, wiping away their “shameful record.” In this game, TheShy and ROOKIE performed exceptionally well. Many fans remarked that when IG previously lost to FPX, it was due to poor jungle and support play; despite TheShy and ROOKIE leading by over 10,000 gold combined across two games, they still couldn’t secure the win.

Following IG’s victory, the entire team participated in a post-match media interview. During the interview, IG’s coach admitted that the team is still exploring the new LPL patch and may try more lineups to adapt. Many IG fans expressed that while IG can experiment with lineups against any opponent in the future, they should not do so against BLG, given the intense rivalry. ELK had even publicly mocked BLG, so fans hope IG can secure a double victory over BLG.

Conclusion

With EDG confirmed as the third seed advancing to the LPL Knights’ Path, many fans are looking forward to a showdown between JDG and EDG in that bracket. JDG has been on a losing streak in the Summit group and currently sits just above WE and FPX by a few points. Unless JDG unexpectedly improves, they will likely face EDG in the Knights’ Path. Personally, I’m really excited to see Scout face off against EDG.