One of the most notable transfers in the offseason of 2021 was TheShy joining Weibo Gaming. As a teammate of SofM, TheShy was expected to regain his form and help WBG secure major titles. Especially since this organization has invested heavily and is seen as a true powerhouse, with players who have either won Worlds (TheShy) or reached the finals of Worlds (the remaining members, except ON).
The period leading up to the Lunar New Year break in 2022 has shown that WBG this season is indeed strong and fully capable of competing for the title. Although there have been some shaky matches, importantly, WBG has only lost 1 match to Bilibili Gaming. Moreover, even Victory Five, who are performing well, was annihilated by WBG.
In this achievement of WBG, TheShy played a significant role. He had to accept being “self-reliant” during the laning phase, contributing in team fights and handling major objectives. Because the current playstyle focuses heavily on the bot lane, it inadvertently puts the top lane at a disadvantage. However, from this, WBG found a way to “unlock Top God.” As SofM shared, the secret to WBG’s victory against V5 was: choosing a strong champion for TheShy and letting him “survive on his own.”
However, recent statistics prove that even without much support and often being camped, TheShy still made significant contributions to WBG’s victories. Specifically, he ranks 2nd among players for total damage dealt (539), only behind Xiaoxiang of EDward Gaming (569).
Notably, this damage is from TheShy in 13 games, while Xiaoxiang only played 4 games. This means that TheShy is currently the top damage dealer in LPL Spring 2022. It’s also important to note that in WBG’s matches, TheShy is often the most targeted player. This is clearly reflected in his KDA. In KDA stats, “Top God” even falls out of the top 10.
Over the years, TheShy’s gameplay has become more refined. He no longer rushes in and “finishes off” opponents to create highlights. TheShy accepts being taken down multiple times but still provides extremely high-quality damage for the entire team. In the 2019 season, TheShy was the top damage dealer of the entire tournament (including Pre-Season, Spring, and Summer). In the 2018 season, TheShy also dealt the highest damage, but he played nearly half the number of games compared to the second-place Flandre (58 compared to 96).
The increasingly refined gameplay of TheShy will greatly benefit WBG. Now, with a well-rounded roster, if each player performs at their highest level, WBG could even aspire to achieve something greater than the runner-up title at Worlds 2020 that Suning previously secured.