In the LPL second stage group matches, the first week's schedule is nearing its end. On the previous match day, the Rebirth group had its first game. When EDG faced LNG, both teams battled fiercely across three rounds, ultimately EDG secured their first victory. This match was considered a clash of titans within the Rebirth group. After Jwei joined, he indeed brought some changes to EDG; at least in terms of initiating fights, compared to the previous stage, there has been some improvement.

However, Jwei as a player is truly average when playing soft supports. In the current competitive version, soft supports are mainstream. If he isn't proficient, EDG's ceiling will be much lower. But since they've become a Rebirth team, with the goal of just making playoffs considered a success, it's not a big issue. Another match on the same day was JDG versus AL. The result of this match was quite unexpected—the "Full Crown" team was actually shut out 2:0 by JDG.

In the first game, right from the start, AL's top lane and jungle duo were broken through. After Little Xu was spun around by Bin, he vented his anger on Saint Gun. Tarzan also had no rhythm at all; holding the strongest Xin Zhao, with Laning having lane priority he didn't think about moving upward, nor did he support the bottom lane. In the early game, he wandered around everywhere. Just focusing on farming jungle is fine, but the key point is he couldn't even farm better than the opponent. The huge jungle gap allowed JDG to easily win the first round.

In the second game, the coach also seemed a bit confused. Before the opponent even revealed their carry picks, Bigwei directly locked in Sivir. On the field, there were still heroes like Jhin and Yuna available. After Sivir was picked, JDG directly chose dive compositions. Knowing the opponent would focus on mid-game, AL still locked in Mel for mid lane. The result was that in team fights, AL's dual carries couldn't stand their ground at all, because in this game, all five of the opponent's heroes could dive into the backline.

JDG's bottom lane Kai'Sa isn't strong in lane, but Hope still couldn't suppress her, even falling behind in minion kills. Top lane Saint Gun also routinely fed the opponent; playing Rek'Sai against Crocodile couldn't even hold steady, and he was solo killed by Little Xu's Crocodile in mid-game. Once they fell behind, this composition had no chance in mid-game; the opponent could just dive in freely, and AL couldn't handle it. The match ended in 29 minutes, with the first-picked Sivir ending up 1-7.

During the transfer period when signing Bigwei, we mentioned that AL's problems aren't just on the coach; player issues are bigger than coaching issues. Currently, the support position mostly features soft supports. When Karl can't roam effectively, Tarzan alone struggles to find rhythm early. Karl's lane ability isn't weak, but Hope can't step up. Plus, this team's playstyle remains unchanged; matches rely entirely on jungle and support, so everyone knows how to counter them.

It's bad enough that the players on the field are losing their heads, but AL's operations off the field were also stunned by JDG. When writing the post-match report, AL's operations for the second game actually wrote "Storm Dragon King" instead of "Ancient Dragon." Wow,难怪 AL can't beat JDG—even the operations are disoriented. How could the players' state be good then? Could it be that the reports for both divisions are written by the same operations staff? If that's really the case, it seems understandable.

Since the start of the second stage, AL has played three matches. Apart from their first shutout win against Weibo, in the remaining two games, AL were both shut out 2:0. Before TES faced AL, their team state wasn't good, but after playing AL, the whole team gained confidence and has been performing better recently. AL's urgent task should be to find ways to adjust tactics. However, with their sidelanes so weak, no matter how they adjust, it seems they can't improve combat power.

Conclusion:

From last year being able to play full BO5s against anyone, to now being shut out even in BO3s, AL's combat power decline speed is somewhat beyond expectations. Aixiao said all five players were right;现在看来, that statement was a bit too bold. If any one sidelane could step up, AL wouldn't play so miserably. If nothing works, they really should consider finding a top laner or AD.

So, what do you think AL should do to adjust?

Welcome to leave comments and discuss!