Preface: As a top-tier all-star team in LOL, IG has a massive following among LPL viewers. However, since last year's humiliating 17th place finish, many IG fans have pinned the blame on support Meiko, claiming he's holding the team back. This has led to a flood of fans spamming IG's official Weibo every transfer window with "replace the support." After Meiko faced a wave of online backlash, every IG player stepped up to speak out for him.

Meiko, as a star support in the LPL, is actually quite strong individually, but the recent narrative around him has been over the top. IG hasn't lost a single match in the Nirvana group, so logically there's no need for roster changes. Yet some viewers keep insisting that Meiko is the weak link, and a pattern has emerged where anyone who defends Meiko gets attacked. For instance, when Ning said a few kind words about Meiko during a stream, he was instantly bombarded with hate in the chat.

As Meiko's public image began to crumble, the other IG players finally rallied behind him. TheShy was the first to praise Meiko's abilities, calling him a hardworking player and stressing how important he is to the team. He urged everyone to give Meiko more encouragement and support. After TheShy's heartfelt remarks, many of his fans also promised in the comments to treat Meiko better going forward.

Could swapping Meiko mean missing the World Championship?

After TheShy led the charge, IG's mid laner Rookie, jungler Wei, AD carry Asam, and substitute AD Jiaqi all posted messages in support of Meiko. The team's unified stand against online bullying quickly became a trending topic. Many viewers admire IG's current team chemistry, especially since Meiko has been through a lot lately. At the same time, many are curious about which groups are stirring up drama and trying to push Meiko out.

Beyond the players' collective support, industry insiders are also analyzing whether Meiko's current level is a good fit for IG. LPL coach Zhu Kai stated that if IG genuinely wants to compete for the World Championship, Meiko must be the starting support. After all, AD carry Asam lacks major tournament experience and needs a seasoned support to guide him. Plus, Meiko's synergy with the rest of IG is already well-established; swapping him mid-season would force the team to start from scratch in terms of teamwork.

Additionally, IG's former champion jungler Ning mentioned on stream that even if Meiko isn't the absolute best, he's still at the level of a gatekeeper among LPL top supports. The supports who are clearly stronger than him are all team assets that won't be sold, and IG doesn't have extra funds to buy a new one. Personally, I don't get why there's so much hate toward Meiko. IG hasn't lost a single game, and top laner TheShy is showing incredible individual strength. Barring any surprises, IG has a strong chance of making it to Worlds. Forcing a roster change midway could easily turn them into a pushover team, just like WBG.

Conclusion

I think IG's management is pretty smart—at least much smarter than WBG's. Back when the first segment ended, many WBG fans criticized support Erha for lacking experience, calling him the team's weak spot and demanding a replacement. WBG management blindly listened and swapped out Erha. That move backfired spectacularly, as WBG's bottom lane collapsed. They went from third place in the first segment to winning zero games in the Nirvana group.