The League of Legends Saudi eSports World Cup has concluded after five days of competition, with AL and GEN battling it out for five games, ultimately replicating the MSI finals but falling short of the championship. Although they didn’t win, they still earned respect, as not many believed in them before MSI. AL managed to reach the finals in the Oil Cup, defeating HLE first and then overpowering T1, achieving victories over two major LCK teams, which is quite an accomplishment.

Reaching the decisive game indicates that AL's strength is legitimate; it’s just unfortunate that GEN's dual carries were in great form. In the fifth game, Tabe not only allowed Dacha to play Twisted Fate but also released Ruler’s Xayah. Once these two champions were in play, GEN didn’t know how to lose. Although Twisted Fate didn’t win a single game in MSI, Chovy dominated the lane against Sylas, showcasing a skill level far beyond others.

Currently, GEN is indeed unbeatable, so it’s understandable that AL lost. In the third-place match between T1 and G2, T1 swept G2 with a score of 2:0, claiming third place in the Oil Cup. During the post-match interview, Old Li was asked by the media to predict the champion of the Oil Cup, and his comments were quite interesting: “I think the finals will be a very exciting match. GEN has won the MSI championship, so their chances of winning are high, but this time I’m betting on AL.”

LCK players supporting LPL teams to win the championship would likely face backlash if the supporter wasn’t Faker. GEN must have seen this interview, so when choosing the trophy base, they included T1 and HLE along with AL. When Duro was making the selections, he hesitated a bit, but Ruler decisively pointed, indicating his disdain for T1.

BLG, another team participating in the LPL Oil Cup and MSI, didn’t even qualify for the trophy base this time. It seems GEN didn’t regard BLG as a competitor of equal strength. However, there’s another interpretation of the three teams selected: GEN’s trophy base choices are all opponents they faced in the finals—HLE in the first stage, T1 in the MSI finals, and AL in the Oil Cup finals.

Using the three finals opponents as the trophy base is a form of recognition and respect. Our strongest all-Chinese team doesn’t even qualify for the base, which feels somewhat humiliating. However, this is understandable, as the competitive level displayed by BLG in the Oil Cup and MSI can only be compared to teams like CFO, G2, and FLY, while AL, T1, HLE, and GEN are simply beyond BLG’s reach.

With AL’s recent defeat, LPL has now suffered three consecutive losses in international events this year: the Vanguard Tournament, the Mid-Season Invitational, and the Oil Cup, all won by LCK. Given the gap between the regions, it’s hard to see much hope for the World Championship. LCK is highly likely to claim all international championship titles, as the current LPL, aside from AL, has teams that give off a “chickens pecking at each other” vibe in internal competitions.

ThunderTalk has already played two matches, and although they have two consecutive victories, there were indeed many mistakes in the games. As for IG, well, we all know what’s going on there. BLG doesn’t even need mentioning; they are already looking for a new jungler. Perhaps in the third stage, there might be a small resurgence, but the decline in the strength of their three carries has already determined that BLG has no ceiling. JDG, who hasn’t played yet, might improve a bit after changing their jungle and support, but it’s unlikely to be significant.

Conclusion:

Even if we reach the World Championship, the only team in LPL worth looking forward to, capable of challenging LCK, is still AL. Not to mention HLE from LCK, but T1 and GEN are formidable mountains that are hard to overcome. It feels quite challenging to seek redemption and claim the championship in the final international event.

So, do you think there’s still hope this year?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!