FAKER predicts AL will win.

As the god of LOL, Faker has been repeatedly questioned by the Oil Cup officials during interviews regarding his opinions on this year's tournament. For example, after AL's elimination, the officials asked Faker who he believed would be the final champion. Many viewers expected Faker to say that GEN would take the title, given that both GEN and T1 are LCK teams. However, Faker publicly supported AL during the interview, stating that while GEN had a high chance of winning, he believed AL could defeat GEN.

Although Faker's prediction that AL would win excited LPL viewers, GEN's performance during the finals left many spectators feeling hopeless. Particularly in the first two games, GEN's lane control and team fight tactics caused many LPL fans to turn off the stream early. Just when viewers thought AL would be swept by GEN, AL's top laner Saint Gun and jungler Tarzan finally stepped up, showcasing remarkable resilience in the third and fourth games, successfully tying the series 2-2 and forcing a decisive BO5 match.

Tabe's outrageous BP has sparked heated discussions.

As viewers hoped AL could make history by becoming the first team to come back from a 2-3 deficit in the Oil Cup, AL coach Tabe's BP in the decisive match once again disappointed many LPL fans and commentators. Notably, LPL commentators Miller and Zhu Kai sharply criticized during the livestream, stating that the main reason AL lost to GEN was due to a disastrous BP. Zhu Kai argued that GEN's Xayah and Twisted Fate should never have been let through, emphasizing that Tabe disrespected Chovy and the other players, especially since AL had actively banned Xayah in the earlier games, leaving many confused as to why they allowed her in the decisive match.

Of course, many viewers also defended Tabe, arguing that there was nothing wrong with AL's BP in the decisive match. They believed that AL's loss to GEN was entirely due to the significant gap in the dual carry's strength. For instance, the fact that Lucian was unable to outplay Xayah in the early game left many LPL fans speechless. Additionally, with Hope showing signs of nervousness before the match, many spectators felt that AL's dual carry lacked sufficient big match experience, leading to excessive tension in the decisive match, which resulted in being suppressed by GEN's dual carry.

T1 and HLE have become the "foundation."

After GEN secured the esports World Cup championship, many LPL viewers believed that GEN aimed to replicate T1's success, using AL and BLG as their "foundation." However, an unexpected turn of events occurred when GEN chose HLE, T1, and AL as their championship foundation. Many LCK fans were baffled by GEN's actions, as using teams from the same region as a "foundation" seemed quite disrespectful.

Of course, GEN players responded during post-match interviews, explaining their choice of T1 and HLE as their "foundation." Chovy admitted that he initially wanted to choose FLY and G2, but other GEN players insisted on selecting T1 for entertainment purposes. To "respect" T1, he had to choose HLE, which ranked among the top three in terms of paper strength, while he himself opted for LPL's AL team. (Many viewers joked that Chovy is quite savvy; if he had only selected T1, LCK fans would have been outraged.)

During the interview, Chovy also stated that winning the Oil Cup is a moment worth commemorating, so he wanted to choose strong teams as his foundation to make his career even more perfect. After Chovy revealed his reasons for choosing teams like HLE and T1, many BLG fans jokingly remarked that it was fortunate BLG wasn't strong enough, or else they would have become GEN's foundation. Meanwhile, many fans on BLG's super topic began to criticize AL and its manager, as the title of "championship contender" was once again given to AL.

Conclusion.

AL's performance in the MSI and the Oil Cup truly left me feeling regretful. Every time AL plays a BO5, they come so close. Why do you think AL loses in decisive matches? Is it due to the gap in individual player strength or a lack of experience? Could it really be as "takeout" coach Zhu Kai said, that Tabe's BP is problematic?