BLG, known as the "Galactic Battleship" and the biggest traffic magnet during the LPL transfer period, was expected by many fans and analysts to make history for LPL. Yet, as the season went on, numerous spectators observed BLG’s performance declining. At the start of the season, BLG’s four consecutive wins led industry insiders to hype them up, and many fans believed BLG would create LPL history. Even Bin complained in interviews about the low intensity of LPL matches, expressing a desire to face teams from other regions at Worlds.

Since Bin mentioned in an interview that the LPL’s level was too low, BLG’s performance became increasingly unpredictable. When BLG initially lost to JDG, many fans comforted themselves, considering JDG’s investment during the transfer window and the fact that their coach was the top domestic coach, Tabe. But after BLG was reverse swept 1-2 by TES, many fans were shocked and found it hard to believe that the strongest “Galactic Battleship” in LPL had already suffered three consecutive losses in the league. (Who would have thought that the combined IDs of these five BLG players could lose to support Fengyue, jungler Xiaonaiyou, and AD Jiaqi?)

Xiaonaiyou and Bin engage in a "sincere steel clash" with each other!

TES's victory over BLG was not largely due to TES’s jungle and support, but mainly because TES’s top laner 369 and mid laner Xiaonaiyou performed exceptionally well in this BO3. In the second game, 369 playing Gnar decisively dominated Bin’s Rumble. In the third game, Xiaonaiyou’s Akali was unstoppable with a 10-0 score, even solo killing Left Hand in lane. Xiaonaiyou’s outstanding in-game performance earned praise from the audience, and his face-to-face "steel clash" with Bin off the stage also sparked widespread discussion.

During the post-match handshake, Xiaonaiyou bowed while shaking hands with the other four BLG players, but when facing Bin, he ignored him and stood straight while shaking hands. Xiaonaiyou’s refusal to indulge Bin’s behavior received much praise from viewers. Many also revealed that Xiaonaiyou had already disliked Bin’s “post-match stiff back” attitude since last year—if Bin didn’t bow, Xiaonaiyou wouldn’t either.

BLG coach calls out Left Hand

After BLG’s three consecutive losses, many fans started debating who was most to blame within the team. A significant number of BLG supporters believe that coach Dan Shen should take responsibility for the defeats. Every match showed clear flaws in BLG’s draft phase—for example, during the BO3 against TES, many viewers couldn’t understand why Dan Shen allowed Xiaonaiyou’s signature Akali to go through. BLG had the first pick for mid lane and could have banned Akali outright, but Dan Shen confidently let Xiaonaiyou keep Akali.

In the post-match interview, Dan Shen openly explained why he allowed Xiaonaiyou to have Akali. He said BLG had many ways to counter Akali, so he chose to trust Left Hand to use Viktor against her. However, during the match, Left Hand’s greed for extra stacks led to him being solo killed by Akali, causing BLG’s strategy to fail. Dan Shen suggested that if Left Hand hadn’t been greedy, the outcome might have been different. (Do you think Dan Shen’s explanation is reasonable? Was BLG’s loss to TES a drafting problem?)