After the first week of LPL matches, a two-day break was arranged to make room for the EWC selection tournament. Through prior contests, BLG, JDG, WBG, and AL made it to the second round of the EWC selection winners' bracket. WBG and AL, both struggling lately, settled their duel in only two games, with WBG tasting another bitter loss. Counting the Peak Group internal matches, WBG has already suffered a four-game losing streak.

AL's performance in this match was not at the same level as in the group internal games. Perhaps the players felt the match wasn't crucial and played more freely. Saint Gun even picked a hero like VN and achieved a 6-1 record. If they had shown this form earlier against TES and JDG, honestly, they wouldn't have been swept consecutively. For the upcoming group internal matches, AL really needs to consider how to adjust their state.

The other match was JDG versus BLG. Before this BO3 started, most assumed BLG would win, but the result was unexpected. JDG rallied to win two games after losing the first, handing BLG their first defeat. The first game was relatively easy for BLG; their bot lane secured a double kill at 3 minutes, and with advantages across top, mid, and jungle, BLG dominated team fights effortlessly and won simply.

In the second game, issues arose with the jungle and support. Xun forced an invade and gave up first blood, ON wandered lost in the jungle allowing Gazi to get a kill, Bin on top lane was targeted, and JunJia's tempo completely overwhelmed them. In mid-to-late game team fights, JDG mirrored BLG's first-game dominance, crushing opponents unchecked. In the decisive game, JDG again established a huge early advantage; JunJia struck mid then bot, and in two small skirmishes JDG achieved a flawless 0-for-5 exchange.

By 17 minutes, JDG led 8:0 in kills. Then Xiao Xu began to exert influence—while splitting on side lanes, he was caught repeatedly, giving Viper two kills. At 26 minutes, JDG suddenly made a risky call to take Baron with no enemy casualties, resulting in all members except Gazi dying. After BLG claimed the big bounty, their economy gradually overtook JDG. However, at the crucial soul fight, BLG's bot lane suddenly faltered.

Viper faced four opponents and dueled the Corki, but Gazi landed a critical hit, severely damaging "husband," followed by a big missile that eliminated ON. The match situation instantly reversed. With fewer members, BLG's top laner was chased down, and the two carries plus jungler attempted a 3 vs 5 but ultimately failed to defend the base. JDG, after 40 minutes, successfully defeated BLG. This BO3 was truly thrilling, with JunJia's tempo completely overshadowing Xun throughout.

The most interesting part was the top lane. Regardless of the hero Xiao Xu picked, he couldn't match Bin in lane. In the decisive game's Rek'Sai, he was even counter-pressured by a Sion in farm. The top lane gap was genuinely huge. The most absurd aspect: the decisive game lasted 40 minutes, JDG totaled 14 kills, and Xiao Xu participated in none. By match end, Rek'Sai stood at 0-4-0. Achieving such stats is honestly rare; Xiao Xu truly is the "King of Passive Play."

If the Rek'Sai hadn't kept feeding, the match would have ended much earlier. To put it bluntly, the Rek'Sai in the decisive game was a negative factor. JDG's four members essentially fought against six opponents for over 30 minutes. Matches with zero kills and zero assists beyond 30 minutes are uncommon themselves. Xiao Xu managed a 0% participation rate over 40 minutes, setting a new record. Unfortunately, even with Bin dominating top lane like spinning a top, they couldn't win—his teammates were somewhat overconfident.

Conclusion:

Losing now is actually good for BLG. The EWC tournament isn't tied to group internal matches. Using this time to review and optimize team issues can slightly boost overall strength. Watching the whole match, BLG seemed somewhat complacent, perhaps due to a three-win streak boosting confidence. Now falling into the losers' bracket, they need serious reflection.

So, how do you think Xiao Xu performed?

Feel free to leave comments and discuss!