The team that everyone wants to beat has emerged.

After BLG’s defeat to IG, their public image was utterly shattered. Many LPL fans gave the entire BLG roster teasing nicknames. For instance, top laner BIN was frequently called the “Back Support Top Laner.” In every post-match handshake after a loss, BIN’s posture remained the straightest. On the other hand, BLG’s AD carry ELK became the most criticized player in LPL because of his strange behaviors. Even when BLG managed to beat JDG, ELK’s post-match rating was the lowest on the team, scoring only one point.

Due to the poor reputation of BLG players, BLG has become the only team in LPL that everyone wants to see defeated. Many LPL fans openly admit that whenever BLG has a match, they automatically root for the opponent, even if the opponent is not from the LPL region. Some viewers even say that even if BLG wins the World Championship in the future, their reputation will remain irreparable. (What do you think BLG must do to completely reverse their reputation? This is the first time I’ve seen the entire LPL audience boycott a single team.)

It must be said that BLG’s current reputation is entirely the result of combined “efforts” from both the management and players. ELK’s “clown pick” during the draft phase was only the spark that ignited BLG’s reputation collapse. BLG’s image was already not very good in LPL before. I personally remember that a few years ago during BLG’s anniversary event, no LPL team was willing to celebrate under BLG’s official Weibo. Moreover, BLG is the only LPL team in recent years that has won a championship without other LPL teams congratulating them. (Last year, BLG was the big winner in LPL, but only their own fans came to celebrate each championship.)

JDG fans completely broke down.

After BLG defeated JDG, JDG fans were totally crushed. In this BO3 series, JDG’s entire lineup performed very poorly. Except for top laner Xiaoxu, whose mechanics and awareness were somewhat on point, the other four players seemed to be playing solo games. Especially JDG’s support Zhuo, whose terrible performance became the main target of JDG fans' criticism. Many LPL viewers joked that Zhuo is the only support JKL cannot carry. When the previously recognized worst support Hang joined TES, he almost became an LPL first-team support, but Zhuo was abandoned mid-season by TES. (Many fans wonder, if even support Mark is unemployed, how does Zhuo still have a job?)

Besides support Zhuo’s ridiculous plays, JDG’s mid laner Scout’s behavior in the match was also shocking. Especially in the decisive game against BLG, Scout picked Riven but was solo killed in lane by Left Hand’s Rumble. After losing lane, Scout became JDG’s biggest vulnerability in mid to late game. At the end of the match, Scout’s shocking score of 1-8 made him the primary scapegoat. Many JDG fans suggested on JDG’s official Weibo that management should consider firing Scout.

Following JDG’s loss, Scout’s gameplay was heavily questioned by many viewers. Scout had already collapsed in mid-game in this match. Logically, Scout should have been more self-aware and given resources to teammates, like TES’s mid laner Xiaonaiyou did against BLG. After falling behind early, Xiaonaiyou transformed into a team helper, protecting JKL and distributing resources mid-game. In contrast, Scout stubbornly tried to “farm” after losing lane, causing JDG’s entire team economy to fail to surpass BLG’s.

Conclusion.

Of course, I also saw many Scout fans on his fan forum blaming the loss on Chieftain, since Scout played Riven eight times in his career and lost seven of those matches. Many Scout fans believe the problem lies with Chieftain’s draft strategy. What do you think — was JDG’s loss to BLG due to Chieftain’s draft? With such a performance, can Scout still find a team next year?