For League of Legends Season 16, the Chinese version has been refreshed. The introduction of lane-specific missions in top, mid, and bottom lanes means that lane swapping will likely be phased out. Accepting a task locks the player into that lane, as switching lanes would stop the task from completing. These tasks provide considerable bonuses—for instance, top laners can exceed the normal level 18 limit and hit level 20, significantly enhancing their stats.

The 600 experience points rewarded upon task completion also accelerate leveling. Teleport spells paired with shields are more effective, while those without TP often receive it for free. Bringing Ignite to the top lane increases the value of early skirmishes. The new season promises frequent intense 1v1 duels. Given the task restrictions, lane swapping would be a major disadvantage, so this strategy is expected to end in Season 16, and competitive play will likely return to focusing on lane matchups.

Riot previews the third Hall of Fame inductee

Riot recently announced that the Season 16 Hall of Fame event will return before the World Championship. This means the induction ceremony for the third player will take place in September. Riot previewed the inductee as a legendary figure who significantly transformed the League of Legends competitive scene—someone who changed the ecosystem on stage.

If we talk about impactful changes, Zhuo is undoubtedly the pioneer—he brought the lane swap strategy from ranked play into the pro scene, which has troubled Riot for several seasons. Objectively, Zhuo likely won't qualify for induction. The third inductee is most probably TheShy, since there's a famous LPL caster saying: "Without TheShy, the top lane in LPL would be an eternal dark night."

RNG officially announces its disbandment

In the new LPL season, two teams have withdrawn from the league. FPX has already made an announcement, while RNG remained silent due to heavy debts they cannot resolve at the moment. Previously, insider LianLianHongCha revealed that RNG’s core company is under forced execution for 160 million yuan and is involved in over a dozen lawsuits. Given this situation, even if the league wanted to support RNG’s dignity, it seems impossible.

RNG’s withdrawal from the league has been confirmed without any official statement, but recently their Twitter account updated with a message: "What else can I say? RNG bows out here." Once a fully Chinese roster representing LPL’s top strength, they now face widespread criticism. However, their exit might be beneficial for LPL, as it prevents many players from being stuck with problematic contracts.

Feather publicly issues an apology

During a recent stream, Faker collided with TT team’s support player Feather. Although both start with ‘F’ and end with ‘r’, their gaming attitudes are vastly different. Feather’s tendency to AFK during ranked games angered Faker, who was streaming live and reported him immediately. Faker’s fans also flooded TT’s official account, demanding disciplinary action against Feather.

Following public outcry, TT released a disciplinary statement: Feather received internal criticism and had his monthly performance bonus deducted. Feather himself apologized publicly: "I did not maintain a proper mindset in the game, causing a negative impact on everyone and the league. It won’t happen again. Everyone gets frustrated sometimes, but AFKing is unacceptable. Even if you feel you can’t win, you must not play passively. I hope this serves as a lesson."

Conclusion:

The third Hall of Fame inductee is most likely TheShy, who recently announced his gradual retirement from esports. Riot probably wants to seize this moment for a big celebration. Riot’s selection criteria focus less on honor and more on fanbase size, as it helps skin sales. However, it could still be someone else—we’ll just have to wait for the official announcement.

So, who do you think the third inductee will be?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!