With the 2026 League of Legends Global Pioneer Tournament starting in 12 days, Riot has recently announced the guests for the group stage draw ceremony. S9 world champions Crisp and Tian will take part in the live draw after the LPL finals on March 8th. This year, both LPL and LCK have two qualifying teams each. The organizers will likely separate teams from the same league into different groups.

If teams from the same region are not kept apart, the matches will become less exciting. Audiences have little interest in watching intra-regional clashes after an entire season. Additionally, the venue for this year's Pioneer Tournament has sparked widespread dissatisfaction among fans. According to foreign media reports, the CBLOL arena can host a maximum of only 140 spectators. The CEO of GEN.G mocked this, stating: "There were more guests at my wedding than the number of spectators the 2026 Pioneer Tournament venue can hold."

CAPS Responds to Hall of Fame Induction

In mid-last month, the well-known foreign爆料博主 "Brazilian Brother" released a video suggesting that the third Hall of Fame inductee would be CAPS from the LEC's G2 Esports. His leaks have been highly accurate in the past, including the earlier news about Uzi's induction, so it's reasonable to assume CAPS will enter the Hall of Fame. Recently, in an interview, Caps was asked: "Rumors say you are about to become a Hall of Fame member. What are your thoughts?"

CAPS stated: "I joined the LEC in 2017. Back then, no one believed we could compete against Korean teams. But in 2019 and 2020, we showed the audience that these 'impossibilities' could be achieved. We went through many difficulties, but we proved it. In short, it was CAPS leading the way, igniting hope for the entire European region to compete against Korean teams. That is indeed a fact."

369 Criticizes the LPL Competitive Environment

After Top Esports lost to Weibo Gaming and stopped at the top six, the team's jungler and support received heavy criticism. In the decisive game, Creme faced a 4-AD composition and built full magic resistance, leading viewers to question match-fixing. In recent days, TES fans and general audiences have been relentlessly criticizing them. 369, the team's most senior member, publicly criticized the league environment after the IG vs. AL match: "People always say LPL lacks new talent. With this kind of public opinion, how can newcomers achieve good results?"

This move by veteran 369 was clearly an attempt to draw fire towards himself and shield the jungler and support. However, his statement made many viewers uncomfortable. His intention was to ask for more tolerance towards newcomers, but his wording generalized all viewers. While he successfully drew attention, 369 himself faced severe backlash, with some even privately messaging him to retire. Unfazed, 369 directly engaged in arguments with netizens.

Indian God King: Does Not Want to Face Kiin

After LYON qualified for the Pioneer Tournament, the highly watched "Indian God King" Dhokla recently gave a media interview. When asked, "Which top laner do you particularly want to face?" Dhokla responded: "I really don't want to face Kiin. That guy would make me look utterly outclassed. He's just too strong. He and Zeus are probably the top two top laners in the LCK. There's a massive gap between them and everyone else."

What does this mean? No mention of my world's best top laner, Bin? Could it be that in his view, Brother Bin is an easier matchup? But then again, last year Dhokla was just a coach for 100 Thieves and couldn't play top lane, so he stepped in as a substitute. This year, after 100 Thieves disbanded and the top laner for YLON couldn't play due to visa issues, he officially became a player. It seems Brother Bin really helped boost his value last year.

Conclusion:

The current environment in the LPL is indeed not very friendly to newcomers. However, upon reflection, hasn't the LPL atmosphere always been like this? In the past, when players like Mystic and Iboy performed poorly, they also faced criticism. But newcomers who performed well also received ample praise. Ultimately, newcomers get criticized because their performance isn't strong enough.

So, what do you think? Is 369 right?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!