The second phase of the LPL Demacia Cup group stage is underway. In the previous match day, LGD fought NIP in a fierce three-game series, eventually winning 2-1 to claim their first win of this stage. Following that, IG’s new lineup debuted. Expectations were high for Wei, the sole returning starter, to lead IG in this Demacia Cup, but Wei completely underperformed.

EDG defeated IG 2-0 in a clean sweep, with jungler Xiaohao earning MVP in both games against Wei. By the 22-minute mark, Wei’s stats were 0-2-0 with no kills or assists. As a jungle assassin like Qiyana, his damage contribution was shockingly low at just 7%, even less than his own support Jwei’s Poppy by 1%. When IG’s base exploded, the chat was flooded with shocked reactions, showing the audience’s disappointment.

Of course, IG’s other players weren’t blameless. The bottom lane, with Photic, was also a weak point, unable to suppress the opposing duo and often dying in team fights. However, Wei’s disastrous showing overshadowed these issues, so he received most of the blame. The other three players performed better: top laner Soboro played solidly with tanks in both games, contributing well in team fights and exceeding expectations. Jwei’s synergy with this AD is hard to criticize much.

In the mid lane, the temporary stand-in’s skill level seemed less important. IG is truly in a rebuilding phase now. It remains to be seen if Rookie’s return in the first split can change the team’s fortunes. Soboro’s two tank games have yet to fully showcase his potential. If IG adjusts their strategy to pick champions like Volibear or Rumble for the top lane, the results might improve, but currently, they are still experimenting and adapting.

The last BO3 was an all-Chinese matchup between WBG and OMG. Among the current all-Chinese teams, WBG is considered the strongest on paper. But against OMG, WBG’s players performed surprisingly poorly and were shut out. Bottom laner ELK was completely outmatched by Starry, losing lane kills in both games and getting crushed in mid-to-late game team fights.

In the final team fight of the second game, Starry’s Aphelios flashed and instantly killed ELK at the enemy base with a perfect Q, with teammates not even getting an assist. The gap between the two ADs could only be described as night and day. Starry took MVP honors in both games. This result was truly unexpected given WBG’s significant investment, yet they were thoroughly dominated by a semi-tanking OMG.

Not long ago, ELK was hailed by LPL fans as the “top domestic AD.” Yet now, he’s been thoroughly outclassed by a rookie who has only been in the LPL for two years, which is hard to accept. Could it be that the previous BLG duo was really only strong because of ON? ELK already made many mistakes in the last match against JDG, but his lane partner Gazi helped maintain his reputation. This zero-win performance will surely raise doubts.

Looking at the whole match, both bottom laners had serious issues. Erha also underperformed badly in this Demacia Cup’s two BO3s. Previously, when playing Neeko against JDG, he was completely outplayed by Vampire, with sloppy lane trades and poor mid-to-late game vision control. To put it bluntly, Erha seems unable to properly ward, leaving the map almost completely dark. By contrast, although Liu Shen’s mechanics are shaky, his vision control experience is much better.

Conclusion:

Although the Demacia Cup is mainly for practice, losing even to a semi-tanking team is hard to justify. The duo lane needs serious reflection. At the very least, they must improve their laning phase, as their early trades have been too poor. Regarding vision, they could learn a lot by watching veteran players’ ward placements and timing, which would quickly raise their level.

So, who do you think has the bigger problem, ELK or Erha?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!