Western fan’s cheat sheet to the LPL Playoffs: Strengths, weaknesses, and key players for all teams

The 2021 League of Legends Skilled League Summer season Playoffs are formally underway with the highest 10 groups of the 17-team league competing in a best-of-five serie format to see who will signify China when it hosts the World Championship this fall. After Royal By no means Give Up received the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational this previous spring, China’s depth has been praised as the perfect on the planet, and whereas the World Championship trophy at the moment resides in South Korea with DWG KIA, China is taken into account by the vast majority of the LoL Esports group to be the premier aggressive area.

Within the first spherical of competitors, LNG Esports eradicated Worlds 2020 finalist Suning in a slender 3-2 collection, and the subsequent day, Crew WE triumphed over Oh My God on the opposite aspect of the bracket. With eight groups left heading into spherical 2 of the 2021 LPL Summer season Playoffs, let’s take a fast have a look at each squad competing for the championship. 

➕ Strengths: Crew WE’s playstyle is extra harking back to the managed, measured tempo of South Korean groups than the standard Chinese language aggression. WE solely will get First Blood 38% of the time, however nonetheless manages to safe the primary tower 77% of the time no matter which staff secures the primary kill of the sport. 

➖ Weaknesses: Crew WE is just too robust to be referred to as a pushover, however its early sport is unquestionably exploitable by a number of the high LPL groups, significantly those that have a big particular person talent hole in a solo lane place. 

🔑 Key Participant: Li “Mole” Hao-Yan has not began for Crew WE for fairly a while since becoming a member of the staff in the beginning of summer season, however Mole’s distinctive flexibility as a sixth man who can play each mid lane and help could possibly be WE’s secret weapon in a best-of-5 collection if correctly utilized.

➕ Strengths: LNG doesn’t possess the early sport firepower of different groups within the LPL Summer season Playoffs. As an alternative, LNG opts for a extra cerebral method to the sport. The squad is high 3 in wards positioned and is the second most optimum staff when it comes to clearing imaginative and prescient. A managed, well-paced gameplan is usually what permits LNG to win video games regardless of a 50% first blood fee, a 38% first tower fee, and a 44% dragon safe fee. 

➖ Weaknesses: LNG’s imaginative and prescient management is admirable, however the method is by design as a lot as it’s by necessity. No matter how properly its macro is executed, LNG could merely lack the firepower and champion pool depth to compete with the extra skilled squads deeper within the post-season bracket. 

🔑 Key Participant: Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong has discovered a brand new house within the LPL following the collapse of Griffin and the group’s unceremonious exit from LCK. As LNG’s beginning jungler, he has been the difference-maker in pushing the staff to a playoff power in 2021. Tarzan’s constant excellence within the jungle isn’t simply a big think about LNG’s success — it’s virtually a requirement. 

➕ Strengths: Prime Esports nonetheless shows the identical strengths from its 2020 season. The squad’s particular person expertise and expertise are plain, and their wins have usually come from giant, clutch performances from a person member in an important teamfight as indicated by TES’ LPL-best 63% Baron Nashor safe fee. 

➖ Weaknesses: As a unit, TES merely doesn’t appear to own the identical gear because it did in 2020. The help place continues to be a weak level at greatest and a query mark at worst, and the items surrounding TES’ crown jewel within the mid lane aren’t fairly as sharp as they had been in 2020, sans AD carry Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo. 

🔑 Key Participant: Prime Esports is a far cry from its 2020 peak, however mid-laner Zhuo “knight” Ding has remained glorious all through the season. Within the Summer season Break up, knight completed high 3 in KDA, assists, and least deaths, whereas racking up essentially the most kills of any mid laner within the LPL. 

➕ Strengths: After re-tooling its roster piece by piece throughout the previous three splits, Bilibili Gaming has certified for the post-season for the primary time because the summer season of 2019. BLG’s hybrid roster options three Chinese language gamers who’re glorious at facilitating the South Korean carry duo, and most impressively, the staff has been in a position to retain its core id all through a number of metas and numerous compositions. 

➖ Weaknesses: Regardless of its cohesion, BLG hasn’t been convincing firepower-wise for many of the season. The staff appeared glorious in its 2-1 win over Royal By no means Give Up on the finish of the cut up, however whether or not that type might be maintained throughout a best-of-5 collection has but to be seen. 

🔑 Key Participant: Each Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram and Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo have carried out admirably for BLG, however Aiming’s harm share is superior to his mid laner and he performs a pivotal position throughout the staff alongside help Guo “ppgod” Peng. Aiming’s 581 harm per minute and 29% harm share are among the many greatest sharpshooters within the LPL Summer season Break up, and for BLG to tackle the highest groups in best-of-five collection play, Aiming should proceed to ship within the post-season.

➕ Strengths: Save for an early summer season stoop, Royal By no means Give Up appears to be like largely like the identical staff who received MSI 2021 about three months in the past. Mid laner turned high laner Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao continues to excel in his first season at his new place, and younger AD carry Chen “GALA”  Wei is continuous to develop properly below the mentorship of help Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming.

➖ Weaknesses: RNG mid laner Yuan “Cryin” Cheng-Wei continues to be the staff’s weakest member, and whereas he’s been removed from horrible, merely being “ok” may not be what it takes for RNG to defend its spring title.

🔑 Key Participant: It’d be simple to level at RNG’s stars as any of its key gamers, however RNG checked out its greatest this season at MSI with jungler Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei taking part in out of his thoughts. If Wei can attain new heights as soon as once more alongside the remainder of RNG, it could be the distinction in whether or not RNG can defend its spring championship from the remainder of the competitors. 

➕ Strengths: In relation to suffocating imaginative and prescient, Uncommon Atom is the perfect within the enterprise. Regardless of shopping for fewer Imaginative and prescient Wards than Suning, RA is tied for essentially the most wards cleared per minute within the league. No different staff within the LPL is ready to set up imaginative and prescient management over a beforehand uncontrolled space as clinically environment friendly as Uncommon Atom.

➖ Weaknesses: Uncommon Atom has loads of expertise, however its expertise pales compared to different high LPL rosters. Persevering with to keep up its composure within the longer post-season collection’ would be the deciding think about whether or not RA is title contender or pretender.

🔑 Key Participant: Chu “FoFo” Chun-lan has accomplished all of it for Uncommon Atom this summer season, taking part in 14 champions on the way in which to a high 3 end within the Summer season Break up. RA has many proficient gamers on its roster, however the versatility of FoFo is the glue that holds the staff’s high standing collectively. Whether or not that may proceed to carry in a best-of-five format will probably be essential in whether or not RA could make a deep run within the post-season to probably signify China at Worlds 2021. 

➕ Strengthss: To say EDward Gaming is the cleanest staff within the LPL is an understatement. At 360 deaths, EDG has died the least occasions of any staff within the LPL this summer season. The second place staff on this statistic? Suning, with a whopping 85 extra deaths than EDG. EDG’s 1.43 KD is a league greatest, however that doesn’t imply the staff is avoiding danger within the early sport — EDG’s 78% first blood fee is second within the LPL solely to RNG’s 79%.

➖ Weaknesses: EDG, whereas undeniably elite, has gamers who’ve traditionally didn’t ship in giant moments. It’s not as egregious as earlier seasons, given how shut the LPL Spring Playoffs had been, however one has to wonder if one small change might have resulted in EDG profitable a number of of these deciding sport 5s.

🔑 Key Participant: Mid laner Lee “Scout” Ye-chan has had loads of elite seasons on EDG, however this season, he’s had arguably his greatest AD carry in Park “Viper” Do-hyeon. EDG lastly having a second dependable carry to Scout in Viper could be what it must return to the Worlds stage. 

➕ Strengths: FPX, whereas aggressive, shouldn’t be your typical LPL staff. Its First Blood fee is just 38%, however its 67% drake safe is the perfect dragon management within the LPL. FPX will usually take particular person deficits for teamwide benefit in an effort to additional allow mid laner and LPL Summer season Break up MVP Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang to take over video games the way in which he’s been doing all summer season lengthy. 

➖ Weaknesses: FPX’s sole weak level, not less than in a world-class context, is within the bot lane. Lin “Lwx” Wei-Xiang has been serviceable, however the AD carry merely doesn’t examine to the elite stage proven by his teammates all through numerous elements of the season. 

🔑 Key Participant: FPX is way from a one-dimensional staff, however it’s plain that the staff has entry to its highest gear solely when Doinb is excelling. FPX’s man within the mid lane may need simply had the perfect cut up of his complete profession, and if he can proceed this kind into the Summer season Playoffs, FPX’s odds of profitable the post-season are excessive.