In the LPL Spring 2022, one of the most anticipated events by the League of Legends community, especially in China, was the return of the “Super Marksman” Uzi. Among the list of 5 gods voted by the LPL community, before the LPL Spring 2022, only Uzi and MadLife were inactive. And finally, the LPL fans’ anticipation was rewarded. After days of rest due to injury and being tied to a contract with Royal Never Give Up, Uzi returned in a new jersey – Bilibili Gaming.
However, up until now, the only memories left in the minds of fans about Uzi’s performances in the LPL Spring 2022 are just 2 brief games against Invictus Gaming and… that’s it. Uzi could only appear in stream clips or in backstage drama, on news pages. With each upcoming match, LPL fans hoped to see Uzi listed in the official lineup. But disappointment followed disappointment.
Recently, Uzi’s agent also subtly confirmed the future of this player. Specifically, according to this agent, whether Uzi competes or not depends on training as well as the performance of BLG and the audience’s reaction. However, Uzi’s agent revealed that the Super Marksman wasn’t even placed in practice matches. She affirmed that what she said was true, but the post and subsequent comments have since disappeared.
For LPL fans in general and the organizers of the highest level League of Legends tournament in China in particular, this is nothing short of a “deceit” from BLG. Especially, the LPL organizers are the ones who have suffered the most. Uzi’s influence is undeniable, and if Faker is the “view bait” of the LCK, Uzi in the LPL can be seen as playing a similar role. As has been proven, in just the match against IG, as soon as Uzi appeared, the Huya platform recorded over 10 million views. The total views later reached nearly 50 million views just on Huya – a staggering number that even the Super Classics of League of Legends might not achieve.
It’s no wonder that the LPL organizers have always placed BLG in the best possible time slot. In the total of 7 weeks since the LPL Spring 2022 began, BLG has almost always been scheduled for the 6 PM slot (Vietnam time), which is around 7 PM in China – the “golden time.” Only matches against Team WE, ThunderTalk Gaming, Anyone’s Legend, and JD Gaming had to be played earlier (5 PM local time). Because of this, many viewers and LPL commentators have sharply criticized the organizers for the matches of BLG, which so far can be considered quite… boring and unworthy of being placed in the “golden hour,” especially since Uzi hasn’t played.
But overall, now it may be too late to change anything. Uzi himself has reasons for not playing, and the organizers also have reasons for scheduling BLG in the “golden hour.” Now, perhaps LPL fans have run out of hope to see Uzi compete. The only hope left may be that BLG fails, forcing them to put Uzi in the lineup, like in the match against IG.