In the second stage of the LCK regular season, all ten teams have played four matches. KT, when competing against BRO, once again won 2:0, securing victories in all four matches and continuing to lead the standings. BFX, which faltered after the Pioneer Tournament, finally met a softer opponent. Against DNS, BFX easily swept them to earn their first win. Consequently, all ten LCK teams have started the new stage with a win.

The rankings of LCK teams in this stage have changed significantly, similar to LPL. The domestic powerhouse GEN lost two matches, sharing the same record as DK, NS, and T1. However, because GEN won one more small match, they temporarily rank third. The remaining three teams are tied for fourth place. HLE's performance has also improved this stage, losing only one out of four matches, placing them 3-1 behind KT. The LCK teams for this year's MSI currently seem unpredictable.

Beryl: Does Not Want LCK to Win Championships

After retiring and focusing on streaming, the "Genshin Impact guy" recently discussed the current state of League tournaments during a live broadcast. Beryl stated: As someone working in this industry, I do not wish to see one region continuously winning world championships. Sometimes, when other regions win, the situation becomes very interesting. Upsets make matches more exciting. For this year's World Championship, I look forward to other regions claiming the world title.

The "Genshin Impact guy's" perspective is absolutely correct. LCK's consecutive championship wins over recent years have dampened the morale of other regions. Before the Pioneer Tournament began, the popularity of LPL and LEC plummeted to freezing points. However, after G2 defeated two LCK teams and BLG won the championship, the popularity of both regions has been steadily recovering. If LCK continues to win championships, within a couple of years, they might only be entertaining themselves.

GimGoon Criticizes Official Commentators

GimGoon, who played in LPL, recently participated in a media interview. During the conversation, he discussed his LPL journey. When talking about the S9 championship win, GimGoon directly criticized the official commentators: LWX was nervous and didn't perform well at that time. A commentator's remark, "What is the ADC doing?" led to LWX being severely criticized. The influence of commentators is actually significant. In the eyes of viewers, if a commentator says "He played poorly," everyone will think he truly performed badly.

However, LWX maintained a good mindset; even after being criticized, he could still smile. GimGoon's statement is indeed valid. Commentators have a tremendous impact on players' reputations. For example, when a team fight is already unwinnable and someone chooses to cover the retreat, if the commentator says "protecting teammates' retreat," viewers will praise it as heroic. But if the commentator changes the wording, saying "shouldn't turn back at this moment," the player will immediately face intense criticism from the audience.

Qingtian Repeatedly Solo Killed Nuguri During Tryouts

After retiring, Karsa also focused on streaming. Recently, while commentating on a match, he talked about former teammate Qingtian. Karsa revealed: Qingtian was very impressive during tryouts; when facing FPX, he repeatedly solo killed Nuguri. Whichever team he tried for, the opposing top laner would be crushed. However, Qingtian's skills were too specialized; he only played heavy-duty fighters like Renekton, Darius, and Aatrox. He completely avoided the "Three Sisters" of top lane.

To encourage Qingtian to practice Camille, Karsa even bought him a skin. Qingtian verbally agreed but never actually played it. If not so specialized, Qingtian truly had the potential to be a top-tier top laner. His reason for not practicing heroes was quite abstract. As Da Huang mentioned during a stream: Qingtian said Rumble is so strong that it would definitely be heavily nerfed, so practicing it would be pointless. Yet, until Qingtian retired, the designers never nerfed Rumble.

Conclusion:

The overall strength of LCK teams this year has declined quite significantly. If this trend continues, LPL might genuinely have a chance to win the championship. BLG's current strength is far ahead in LPL. If the version does not undergo major changes and remains until the World Championship, this could indeed be the most hopeful year. However, Riot Games suddenly making drastic changes is also a common occurrence.

So, what do you think about LCK's strength this year?

Feel free to leave comments and discuss!