For League of Legends (LoL) fans, ASIAD has ended with Faker and his teammates raising their Gold Medals high. Of course, there are still discussions surrounding the tournament, but currently, all attention is focused on the World Championship (Worlds) 2023. Naturally, the spotlight remains on the matchups between LCK and LPL, especially after the recent ASIAD. In fact, for many LPL fans, the desire to win the Worlds 2023 has intensified to avenge the loss at ASIAD.
However, it is clear that the performance at ASIAD shows that many LPL players are currently not truly ready for Worlds 2023. Excluding two players from Edward Gaming (a team that does not qualify for Worlds 2023), names like Bin or Elk struggle to compare with Ruler and Zeus, and their matchup proved this point. Perhaps only Knight has really maintained his form for the upcoming LCK matchups in Korea.
Recently, some opinions have expressed pessimism about LPL’s upcoming journey. One fan assessed: “At this moment, the highest level is undoubtedly Korea (LCK). Next are the teams from Europe. Of course, the PCS region ranks third and we are only on par with LCS, VCS“. Another opinion stated that if LPL did not have the presence of Korean imports, then “we would only be on par with Europe”.
Clearly, the presence of Korean imports becoming an indispensable part of every Worlds championship for LPL has become a concern for fans here. Even powerful names with entirely Chinese rosters like Royal Never Give Up in the past or Bilibili Gaming currently have not provided a sense of security. BLG, after a surprising MSI 2023, experienced a steep decline during the Summer split in the decisive phase.
As mentioned before, many LPL fans have stated that if JDG can win Worlds 2023, it will almost certainly be a championship with Korean players as the core. Ruler and Kanavi are both in very high form. Kanavi himself will be an even more crucial factor for Knight and 369 to shine in the Mid Lane. Whether JDG can win or not will depend heavily on the performance of the Korean imports.
In reality, LPL is still a region with exceptionally strong power. However, domestic players need to demonstrate their true capabilities on the international stage. If not, they will likely never be able to surpass Korea, even when standing at the top of the world.