The second round of the LOL Global Pioneer tournament group stage is about to begin. After BLG and G2 secured their first wins, they will meet in the winners' bracket finals. Whoever wins this BO5 will advance to the elimination stage. BLG is under considerable pressure in this match. G2's strength is arguably stronger than BFX's. If BLG maintains their previous match form, the two teams are likely to have a competitive game. However, after facing BFX and with Dani stepping down, there should have been a review and reprimand.

In the losers' bracket, if BFX faces TSW, there is virtually no pressure. This dark horse team from the Vietnamese region has grown rapidly under Zhanma's guidance, but its players lack major tournament experience. As the LCK's second seed, BFX should easily handle a team like TSW, given that the two teams' solid capabilities are not on the same level. TSW is likely to become the first team eliminated.

JDG mocked by live audience

LPL's second seed JDG was directly swept 3:0 when facing GEN. During the third game's BP phase, the broadcast showed a scene from the live audience where a spectator directly gave JDG a thumbs-down gesture. Interpreted using LOL emotes, it means "utterly weak." Actually, it's not surprising for the audience to react this way, as JDG performed terribly, being dominated by GEN throughout the match like handling a trivial opponent.

As online viewers watching the live stream, it felt like JDG played very poorly. For offline spectators who purchased tickets to watch the match, ending up with a one-sided game meant not getting their money's worth, so having some discontent is normal. Hopefully, JDG can learn from this humiliation and improve. In Group B, LYON and LOUD are among the bottom three in strength among the eight Pioneer tournament teams. If they fail to reach the top four, it would be truly embarrassing.

Xiaoyu's first appearance after breakup

After Rookie and Xiaoyu broke up, both have started their new lives separately. During JDG's match against GEN, Xiaoyu appeared at the venue as an official interactive host. In her first appearance post-breakup, Xiaoyu looked weary and seemed not in good condition, making several mistakes during the live broadcast, likely still recovering. However, Rookie also faced consequences: his guest eligibility was canceled by the internet cafe sponsor.

IG's partnered internet cafe recently announced: event guests changed to Meiko and Wei (originally Rookie and Wei), canceling the mid-laner's offline activities and bringing in Meiko to salvage the situation. It seems IG and the cafe are also afraid that if Rookie attends, spectators might cause real disturbances offline. Before the second season starts, Rookie probably won't participate in any events; he needs to wait until the舆论 completely dissipates before reappearing publicly.

TheShy addicted to Palworld

During IG's first season transfer period, there was originally an intention to invite TheShy back, but he himself seems unprepared to return. His Korean server account hasn't been logged in for over three months, and he even neglects streaming, truly embracing life off-stage. TheShy's former teammate Puff recently revealed during a stream that TheShy is currently沉迷幻兽帕鲁, logging in promptly at 6 PM every day and has been playing for quite some time.

Puff has TheShy's Steam friend, so he knows when his old teammate logs in and what games he plays. Previously in LPL, even Doinb invited him; TheShy certainly received return invitations. But judging from his current situation, returning to the competitive scene seems unlikely, at least not in the second season. It's uncertain whether TheShy might come back for a few matches in the third season.

Conclusion:

As a top-tier LPL player, TheShy has earned enough money over his professional years to live comfortably. Previously, when not competing, he would stream, but now he has completely stepped away from the esports circle, even abandoning streaming. It's probably hard to see him on stage again. Given LPL's current热度, honestly, it really needs him to help revive it.

So, do you think TheShy will return?

Feel free to share your thoughts!