On the final match day of the LPL Spring 2022 before the Lunar New Year break, Weibo Gaming faced a formidable opponent in Victory Five, who were in great form with three consecutive wins (prior to this match). This was also a showdown between two players who know each other extremely well, TheShy and Rookie, who had battled together for many years under the Invictus Gaming banner.
The match was quite tense, with V5 taking the lead after the first game thanks to Rookie and his teammates completely outperforming WBG’s star roster. However, in games 2 and 3, SofM switched to “serious mode.” Viego and Zed in the hands of the “Vietnamese Jungle God” didn’t go down even once, despite being champions that typically dive into the enemy formation. WBG secured victory with a convincing comeback.
The LPL community immediately “exploded” with WBG’s outstanding performance, especially SofM’s. According to LPL fans in general and WBG in particular, it is SofM, and no one else, who currently holds the most power as he has the “life and death” authority, able to win or lose at will.
Additionally, some LPL fans expressed sympathy for the “Vietnamese Jungle God” as SofM could not return home for the Lunar New Year due to health concerns.
Moreover, numerous comments praised Huanfeng. If there’s one name that deserves to be recognized for maintaining good form since the spectacular achievement at the 2020 World Championship, it has to be Huanfeng. Even though in the 2021 season, this marksman had some fluctuations, importantly, since the LPL Spring 2022 officially started, Huanfeng has always been WBG’s most reliable support. Even in losses, Huanfeng remained the most impactful player for WBG.
SofM himself stated that it was the loss in game 1 that helped him and the entire WBG team understand V5’s strategy: fully exploiting TheShy’s position to keep WBG in a constant state of being outnumbered, thereby targeting major objectives. Therefore, SofM and WBG decided to let TheShy “live or die on his own” from game 2 onwards, and this strategy proved to be maximally effective.
With this glorious victory, WBG continues to prove they are back on track. V5 is a strong opponent, and WBG achieved a convincing win. This will also be a “battle letter” sent to WBG’s other rivals in the future, as well as create a comfortable mindset for SofM and his teammates before the Lunar New Year break and the upcoming more challenging matches.