With only two days left until the LPL Demacia Cup kicks off, the official starting rosters were revealed recently. None of the four World Championship teams are using their full main rosters; T1’s 369 and Xiaonaiyou are missing, replaced by rookies in the mid and top lanes. IG’s new lineup does not include Rookie, with Renard starting as a newcomer. BLG’s Left Hand is absent, and the other four spots are held by first-team players. AL’s case is somewhat unique.

AL submitted two rosters: one entirely composed of second-team players, and the other entirely of first-team players. To prepare for the S16 season, AL’s first team recently traveled to Korea for training, so it’s likely the second team will compete in the Demacia Cup. If their training ends and AL hasn’t been eliminated, the first team might rejoin the competition. Among the top six ranked teams, only JD Gaming and Weibo field their full first teams, including both players and coaches.

The rest of the teams mostly consist of first-team players. EDG and LNG have the potential to be the dark horses of this Demacia Cup. Among the 14 participating teams, WBG, which fields a full first team, is almost guaranteed a top-three finish and could even win the championship if their synergy is good. JD Gaming is close behind, and although BLG is missing Left Hand, they still have four first-team players, so their strength remains high. If AL does not return, these three teams are expected to be the top contenders.

As for IG and T1, they can only be compared with EDG, and they might even be weaker than EDG. During the transfer period, GuoDian only replaced the AD carry; Leave has previously played for EDG, so their coordination should be smooth. EDG’s overall strength should place them in the top five. Also worth noting are two streamer teams led by Chengqiang and Guozi, whose strength is decent and could potentially win matches against the Nirvana team.

Regarding the schedule, the organizers have also announced it. In the first phase, Chengqiang’s team will be grouped with OMG, TT, and LGD, while Guozi’s team will face WE, UP, and LNG. These eight teams will compete in a BO3 single round-robin within their groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the second phase. Group A is relatively weaker overall, giving Ning Wang a real chance to lead his team forward. In Group B, LNG is likely the strongest, with Guozi’s team also having a chance.

In the second phase, IG will stay in Group A, and BLG in Group B. The top-tier teams JDG, WBG, EDG, and NIP will be drawn against the four teams advancing from the first phase, making groups of five teams each. This stage will also be a BO3 single round-robin, with the top three teams advancing to the third phase and the bottom two eliminated. The final phase will be the knockout stage, with AL in the upper bracket and T1 in the lower bracket. The six advancing teams will be drawn into groups.

The format of this Demacia Cup is quite interesting. For the first time, coach voice communication will be tested. Additionally, in the deciding games, there will be no bans, and picks will be blind—neither team will know what champions the opponent will choose. With some luck, a team might counter the opponent’s composition, but bad luck could mean being countered themselves. The most exciting possibility is that players on both sides might select the same champion in the deciding game, making individual skill and familiarity crucial, especially in solo lanes.

The first three phases will be played online. After the knockout stage determines the final four, the semifinals and finals will be held offline. Among the participating teams, the ones to watch are BLG, JD Gaming, and Weibo. Viper has returned, but it remains to be seen how well he pairs with ON. Although BLG is missing a key mid laner, their strength is still considerable. It’s unclear whether BLG will be grouped with WBG in the second phase.

Conclusion:

In the first phase, there will be three BO3 matches per day, starting on Monday, which isn’t very convenient for viewers. However, if the streamer teams don’t cause any upsets and simply get dominated by the LPL teams, there won’t be much excitement. The truly high-quality matches will come in the second phase, where JD Gaming and Weibo might be drawn into the same group. If that happens in Group B, it will be very entertaining.

So, who do you think is the strongest among the 16 teams?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!