The second phase of the LPL Demacia Cup has come to an end. On the previous matchday, OMG in Group A defeated LGD without dropping a game, earning their third straight victory. Meanwhile, in Group B, WE and UP fought through three intense matches, with WE emerging victorious to take the last qualifying spot. Ultimately, the teams moving on to round two are: OMG and LGD from Group A, LNG and WE from Group B. The other four teams failed to qualify and were eliminated.

The two streamer teams highly anticipated by fans failed to win a single match in the Demacia Cup group stage. Guozi’s team was swept 2-0 in all three matches, while the Wall team only managed to win a small game thanks to LGD’s disconnection. They couldn’t even beat the lowest-ranked LPL team. It seems these retired players really can’t compete with current pros. Wall team’s Ale had a disastrous Demacia Cup, repeatedly taught lessons by top laners from various teams.

The schedule for the second phase of the Demacia Cup has been released

Immediately after the first phase ended, the organizers held the second-round draw. The results were quite interesting: the three strongest teams were placed in the same group. BLG, JDG, and WBG all ended up in Group B, which also includes undefeated OMG and LNG. Group A is slightly weaker overall, featuring teams like IG, EDG, NIP, along with LGD and WE, who advanced as second place from the first phase.

After the groups were finalized, the official second phase schedule was announced. EDG and NIP will kick off the opening match, followed by a showdown between JDG and WBG. The most anticipated game is definitely BLG versus WBG, as it features a battle between a former AD and a current AD. This match is scheduled for December 25th, Christmas Day, which is also the final day of the second phase. Although BLG is strong, missing Left Hand means they might not easily defeat the entire team on Weibo.

LCK announces the annual player nominees

The LCK annual awards ceremony will take place on December 29th. Recently, the league released the list of nominees for the best players in each position. All players from T1 and GEN are included, while HLE only has their top, support, and AD carry on the list. For the jungle and mid positions, KT received nominations. Each position has three candidates, but only one will win. As this year’s world champion, T1 is expected to have the most award winners.

If the awards were to be distributed more broadly, the top lane spot might not go to Doran. Kiin dominated Doran in the Oil Cup, earning the tournament’s FMVP, and also eliminated HLE’s Zeus in the world championship. He should be the best top laner. In the mid lane, Bdd’s position isn’t very secure. Da Chao won MSI’s FMVP and was named the league’s first-team mid and MVP. Despite a disappointing world championship, his overall performance throughout the year was impressive.

BDD swinging a baseball bat with his mouth

Recently, BDD from the LCK posted a personal video on YouTube answering fan questions. One interesting question asked if he ever lifted a baseball bat this season. BDD replied that he wouldn’t physically harm teammates but admitted to waving a bat with his mouth. He explained that when reviewing games and feeling misunderstood, sometimes he vents like this instead of blaming teammates too harshly.

If even the usually good-natured BDD feels like resorting to physical gestures, that teammate must be truly frustrating. He didn’t specify who, but with four people on the team, probably none are completely innocent. This year, BDD has often appeared mid lane while teammates “keep delivering good news.” The most likely candidate is support Peter, who once complained on stream that BDD said he couldn’t even reach Keria’s heel.

Conclusion:

The truly exciting matches of the Demacia Cup start from the second phase, but the gap between the two groups’ strength is huge. Group A is not worth looking forward to at all, while Group B’s competition is intense. OMG and LNG have really bad luck being in the same group as the three strongest teams. If only the top three advance, these two teams will likely be eliminated.

So, who do you think is stronger in the Demacia Cup, BLG or WBG?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!