Preface: The S15 season has fully ended, and most players have been paying attention to the off-season lately. The overall buzz around transfers is huge, with top teams assembling quite impressive rosters. One player who has been heavily discussed these days is Malatang, mainly due to his debt issues with the RNG team. Originally, the team owed him salary, but after he started slacking off and breached the contract, he ended up owing the team 25 million instead. Recently, he's been streaming continuously, probably to pay off his debts. Then, during a very ordinary ranked game, he was publicly mocked by an 80-yuan gaming companion, which completely reignited his fame— a world champion being treated like this.

LPL World Champion Mocked by an 80-Yuan Gaming Companion

Most players are probably quite familiar with Malatang. As an outstanding domestic jungler in the LPL region, he had a huge fanbase during his competitive days, especially in the S8 season. Back then, as a domestic player in LPL, he became the center of attention among players nationwide. RNG chose a double-jungler rotation strategy, and whenever it came to crucial fights, Malatang was sent in to save the day. Even in the quarterfinals of the finals, the last match was his nightmare to play. If his teammates had helped him soak some damage back then, RNG might have had a chance to advance further and possibly claim the championship.

After that season ended, he decided to retire. At that time, Malatang was undoubtedly the most popular player in the LPL, even surpassing Uzi’s fame back then. If he had focused on streaming, the show would have been very entertaining, and his earnings would have been unimaginable. Perhaps due to overconfidence, he made many unfriendly remarks, and eventually, due to RNG’s delayed salary payments, he began to slack off in streams and invested heavily in the stock market. The nickname "Guo Fei Te" became increasingly well-known. The final outcome was predictable — he lost almost everything, basically throwing away all the money he had earned over the years.

Recently, he has become a notorious defaulter, having played professionally for so many years but still owing the team 25 million. Lately, he’s been streaming intensely, but a funny scene happened: after losing a ranked game, he started arguing with the bottom lane duo. Both sides blamed each other for the loss, and Malatang refused to let it go. Mlxg even said that if he hadn’t helped them catch a play in the bottom lane, they would have been crushed early on, making a comeback impossible. Meanwhile, the bottom lane duo claimed that Malatang caused trouble in the late game and that if he just quietly farmed jungle, they could have won.

In the end, the bottom lane said they were an 80-yuan gaming companion and that Malatang couldn’t afford to pick them. This comment seemed to irritate Mlxg, who even threatened to expose their name and the gaming shop they belonged to, intending to ruin their reputation so they wouldn’t get any more orders. But truth be told, Malatang is already on the edge now. If he hadn’t sold out back then, he might have recovered a lot by now and at least avoided such a huge loss. All these actions show that the path he took was his own choice, and his current miserable state is self-inflicted. It feels like Malatang is heading down a dark road with no turning back, smashing into walls without retreating.

Farewell Thoughts

After watching the replay of this game, it seems both sides had some issues. Malatang did help the bottom lane with ganks, but he also made some reckless moves later, so it feels like the blame is shared equally. Malatang probably has given up by now. After all, 25 million is an enormous sum for a retired player to earn back, and with his current reputation and popularity so poor, it’s unlikely any endorsements will come his way.

Dear viewers, what are your thoughts on this matter?