Introduction: The S15 season has completely ended, and it’s believed that the majority of players have been paying attention to the recent offseason. The LPL region has undergone major personnel shifts. At the same time, several teams have assembled elite "galactic fleets," making the Demacia Cup a focal point of discussion online. This is the first showcase after major team reorganizations, with many squads fielding key starters. Recently, details about the Demacia Cup were also revealed. Many teams are participating, including two streamer teams. What surprised fans most is BLG’s roster composition, which features double supports and has promoted Thehank from their second team. Could this mean another rotation involving supports this time?

BLG abandons triple jungler strategy, fields double supports

Most players are quite familiar with BLG as a strong rival in the LCK region. They reached the finals in the S14 season and nearly defeated T1 in a BO5 series to claim the World Championship title. Expectations were high for BLG to continue their momentum in S15, but they failed to win in the first two splits, only becoming the LPL’s top seed in the third split. However, at Worlds, they lost consecutively to teams from Europe and North America, finishing only as a top 16 team.

This season, BLG made some roster changes, acquiring their former jungler Xun during the transfer window, and also signing LCK’s top-tier AD carry Viper. After announcing the lineup, the overall strength looked promising, with strong performances expected across all positions. As the Demacia Cup approaches, BLG’s starting roster has become a hot topic. According to insiders, BLG has decided to drop the triple jungler rotation and instead field double supports, with Thehank from the second team added to the roster. This sparked many jokes among fans—could BLG’s management still be holding a grudge against ON?

Honestly, although ON had some issues during the offseason, he is still considered one of the better domestic players in the LPL. Thehank, while being the best support in the LDL league, shows a noticeable gap when compared to the LPL level after just a few matches. Perhaps BLG aims to nurture their young talent; if Thehank performs well, even selling him to other LPL teams could bring a good price. It seems BLG might be the only team seriously investing in youth development now, as others have largely abandoned it.

With the Demacia Cup approaching, the tournament format has been announced. It is relatively complex, divided into three stages. The first stage features WE, LGD, LNG, OMG, TT, UP, along with Ning’s and Guozi’s streamer teams, competing in online BO3 matches. The winners advance to the second stage. The second stage includes BLG, IG, JDG, WBG, NIP, EDG, plus the teams advancing from stage one. The third stage splits into two groups: AL, TES, and the second stage qualifiers face off in online BO3 matches, with the final four competing offline in a BO5.

Farewell thoughts

BLG is arguably the wealthiest team in the LPL, consistently signing strong players each transfer window. This time their investment is massive, with Knight’s two-year contract likely very expensive. However, it’s unclear why they are fielding second-team support Thehank. Are they really benching ON? If so, why sign him to a two-year extension?

What do you all think about this situation?