Introduction: Since the addition of the LPL and LCK play-in BO5 rounds at last year's World Championship, many LoL viewers have criticized Riot Games for not understanding "marketing." After all, both IG and T1 were fourth seeds last year, and either team could have sparked massive discussion in the global esports scene. However, the officials created a 17th-place finish that disgusted the audience, ultimately causing IG's early elimination and missing out on the Swiss stage. Recently, a foreign caster revealed during an official broadcast that Riot Games is making significant adjustments to the World Championship rules to prevent a repeat of the 17th-place disaster.

IG's encounter with T1 during last year's World Championship play-in stage might be a "nightmare" for many IG fans. After all, T1 were the defending world champions, making it extremely difficult for IG to defeat them. If IG had faced any other LCK team, they might have won, given that IG's champion select strategy was globally advanced. Even T1's coach praised IG's coaching staff for their creative picks, stating that T1's miracle championship run was achieved by "learning from IG's approach."

Because IG were eliminated early by T1, they set the most embarrassing 17th-place record in LPL World Championship history. Many LPL viewers mock IG with this 17th-place label. Of course, Riot Games is also aware of the significant negative impact this 17th-place finish had on viewership. After IG's elimination in the play-ins last year, LPL viewers' interest in the World Championship dropped sharply, and even Riot Games admitted multiple times that this change was a mistake.

This year, IG may once again qualify for the World Championship as the LPL's fourth seed. If IG fails to make it to the main event again, it would greatly impact viewership. Therefore, an LCP caster recently revealed that this year, LPL and LCK teams will not participate in the play-in stage. The fourth seeds from LPL and LCK will directly enter the Swiss stage, while the third seeds from Western regions and the second seeds from wildcard regions will need to compete in a double round-robin BO5 to earn a spot in the play-in stage.

After this news emerged, many viewers believe that Riot's change is beneficial for the LPL. Following TES's loss to a Vietnamese team at MSI and the "three 8th-place finishes in one day" at EWC, most viewers now think that some LPL teams might genuinely struggle against Western or wildcard regions. Thus, having LPL teams skip the play-in stage could prevent embarrassing upsets. To be fair, aside from BLG, the performance of other LPL teams in international competitions has been quite poor in recent years.

Can IG qualify for the World Championship?

As the LPL's most popular team in terms of streaming, many viewers hope IG can break out of the Relegation Group and qualify for the World Championship this year. Looking at the current LPL qualification landscape, TES and BLG are the most likely to make it, as they have high championship points. Other teams will likely need to go through the "Regional Finals" to qualify. For IG to reach the Regional Finals, it would be very difficult: they must first win the Knight's Path against peak teams, then win all their matches to reach the semifinals of the playoffs.

Of course, IG's recent performances have been stable. Not long ago, they dominated LNG in a BO5 series, and support Meiko's reputation has gradually improved during that match. Many viewers praise Meiko for becoming more aggressive and decisive. Some viewers even comment that as long as IG's champion select is not problematic and the bot lane duo can keep up with the pace of the top, jungle, and mid, then qualifying for Worlds is not too difficult. After all, there are very few strong teams in the LPL right now: WE is inconsistent, JDG's recent form is improving but their ceiling is low, and the only teams that pose a threat to IG are TES, BLG, and AL. It's quite possible for IG to secure the fourth seed.

Conclusion

Personally, I truly understand Riot's World Championship rule changes. Last year, who would have imagined that IG and T1, the two biggest draws in the LoL esports scene, would meet in the play-in stage? If they had met later—or not in the play-ins at all—last year's World Championship would undoubtedly have set new viewership records. What do you think are the chances of IG qualifying for Worlds? If they meet T1 at Worlds, can they get revenge?