Besides his extraordinary ranking abilities, Dopa is also famous for his relatively accurate predictions about content surrounding professional League of Legends, especially his evaluations of young, promising players.
Therefore, whenever he livestreams to share his insights, the “Rent-A-Player Saint” attracts a lot of attention from fans. Recently, Dopa made some rather straightforward comments about the situation regarding the 2021 World Championship, and unsurprisingly, he showered praise on his admired player: Chovy.
“During my break, I felt quite bored, so I tried watching LCS and LEC. And to be honest, I don’t think they have a chance of winning the World Championship this year.
[…]
I can’t wait to see the Play-in this year because of Chovy. Yone is also getting a buff. No matter what, I still believe that Chovy is the best mid-laner right now.”
This isn’t the first time Dopa has given special praise to an individual. From ShowMaker, Chovy to TheShy, all are names that Dopa has particularly emphasized regarding their talent and potential since they were still unknown players on the Korean server. And as we’ve seen, all these names have shone brightly, proving themselves on the biggest stages in the world.
Therefore, Dopa’s insights have always been highly regarded for their accuracy and extraordinary predictive ability. At this moment, not only Dopa but also the professional community sees Chovy as the most valuable name in the mid-lane, surpassing even ShowMaker or Doinb, when considering personal performance.
However, Hanwha Life is a team that is not highly regarded, lacking the strong roster to be considered a championship contender. Perhaps Chovy’s career can only turn a new page if the news about this player leaving HLE next season becomes a reality.
Additionally, Dopa’s comments about the LEC and LCS (Western Europe and North America) are also noteworthy. While it’s an obvious fact that Western League of Legends has not tasted a World Championship victory in 10 years since Fnatic’s triumph in the first season, surely no fan would accept the idea that their representatives participate in the world’s top tournament with a “no hope” mentality.
In the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, two representatives from Europe, Fnatic and G2 Esports, respectively made it to the finals, but both were easily crushed by LPL teams: Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix.
Moving to 2021, with both LEC and LCS showing positive signs from new winds, especially in the case of MAD Lions, even if the chances of winning are slim, their fans have reasons to hope.
Therefore, Dopa’s “early” conclusion of “0% chance of winning” for LEC and LCS has made him a target of criticism on various forums. Of course, Dopa doesn’t always make the right assessments, as he is simply a player like everyone else, possessing just a higher level of expertise. So regardless of what Dopa says, theoretically, EU and NA still have a chance to shine at the 2021 World Championship.