Preface: The S15 season matches have officially started. Most players have been paying attention to the recent offseason period, where all top teams have been in their final boot camps preparing for the World Championship. The overall state of the LPL region recently hasn't been very strong, especially during the Nirvana World Championship clashes. Both LPL and LCK sent their 5th, 6th, and 7th place teams, and we were completely crushed, unable to even beat their 7th place team. Judging from recent training sessions involving World Championship participants, it feels like LPL’s chance to win this time is extremely slim, especially for the TES team. 369 started competing in the Peak of the Canyon ranked queue but only won 2 out of 10 games; there are too many boosters on the Chinese server.

369’s win rate at the Peak of the Canyon stands at 20%.

Most players still pay close attention to the LPL region. This World Championship will be hosted on LPL’s home turf, marking the second time since Season 7 that Worlds is held in China. Many fans hope that China’s local teams can reclaim their dominance on home soil, especially after the huge disappointment in Season 7 when two LCK teams faced off in the Bird’s Nest final. As the tournament approaches, all teams have begun their regular training. Several TES players have started ranked games at the Peak of the Canyon, with their top laner 369 becoming the center of online discussions.

Recently, 369 played a total of ten ranked games at the Peak of the Canyon, winning only two of them. One of those wins on Sion was largely due to the excellent performance of teammate JKL. His overall ranked performance has been very unstable. As the third seed from the LPL region, there were high expectations placed on them. It’s not just 369; other players are also showing inconsistent form. Watching their ranked streams, it’s clear that boosters on the Chinese server are very active. Many players encounter intentional throwing or smurf accounts during training, with many participants not even trying to win but just gathering footage.

The last time Worlds was held in the LPL region, boosters went completely rampant, with prices reaching over a thousand yuan per game. It’s likely the situation is similar this time. It’s baffling what the Chinese server staff are doing — they want to create a server comparable to Korea’s but ignore the boosters. On the Korean server, the crackdown is very strict; they even cut off your IP. Back then, to stop LPL boosters, Korea banned all LPL accounts, including pro players. That’s the kind of enforcement the LCK has. It’s unclear why we can’t do the same. This hypocrisy leaves all players very dissatisfied.

After the Nirvana World Championship ended, many LPL fans have lost faith. Both LPL and LCK sent their 5th, 6th, and 7th place teams, but LCK swept the top three spots. This means LPL’s 5th place team couldn’t even beat LCK’s 7th place team. If we extrapolate this, does it mean the LPL champion can’t beat their runner-up or third place? The LPL region seems to have seriously declined. Industry insiders have revealed that many teams want to quit the LPL, but the officials do not approve. Last year, only RA managed to leave successfully.

Goodbye thoughts

Boosters have plagued the Chinese server for more than a year or two. Servers like Ionia are notorious, and compared to the Korean Peak of the Canyon, the Chinese server has become a hotspot for boosters. It’s expected that many players will again use Korean smurf accounts during this World Championship. The LPL training environment has completely deteriorated, making normal ranked play nearly impossible.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?