During the recent transfer window at the end of the 2021 season, one of the most notable transfers was Weibo Gaming successfully acquiring TheShy. The former top laner of Invictus Gaming was dubbed “Top God” by LPL fans. With his reunion with SofM, WBG now boasts “two gods” in the hearts of LPL fans. This team quickly became a strong contender for the Spring 2022 championship but also left many doubts.
Perhaps everyone remembers that since winning the 2018 World Championship and finishing the 2019 season, TheShy has not been himself. He no longer possesses the form that helped him take IG to the top of the world in Incheon, with performances that vary greatly. Partly due to an arm injury that has plagued TheShy season after season. Additionally, TheShy has been criticized for being lazy in practice and spending more time with friends than on ranked games and improving his skills.
Therefore, when TheShy was chosen as the new top laner for WBG, many expressed more skepticism than high praise for this player. Not to mention, WBG’s management implemented strict regulations, and there were internal issues within WBG due to this transfer… All of this made many WBG fans, especially SofM’s fans—WBG’s jungler in Vietnam—worry about his performance and that of the team in the new season.
Recently, commentator Hoàng Luân revealed on his stream that in his opinion, WBG holds onto two players that no coach can control: SofM and TheShy. The renowned commentator from VCS even referenced a recent documentary about Suning from LPL as evidence. He pointed out that in the clip, the coach of SN simply affirmed that SofM is very stubborn and… that’s it. Explaining his insight, commentator Hoàng Luân stated that SofM’s unique playstyle makes it impossible for coaches to determine whether SofM is right or wrong when using that style.
SofM’s innovative playstyle is well-known. He is a player recognized by LPL fans and many other professional players in this tournament as someone who has changed the entire jungle path of LPL. Therefore, some coaches may feel an invisible pressure when coaching a talent like SofM. The same applies to TheShy. As someone who has elevated the “top carry” playstyle to a new level, TheShy is also in a category that no coach can control. Because if it were really possible to confine TheShy, then there would be no issue of this player being lazy in practice or frequently partying outside, which led to one of the incidents resulting in TheShy’s critical injury.
Holding “two ticking time bombs” will be both a challenge and an opportunity for WBG. However, at this moment, there is no information indicating that TheShy or SofM is dissatisfied with each other. Scrims can’t reveal anything yet, but on the afternoon of January 13 (Vietnam time), the first “test” named Team WE will give LPL fans and WBG in general, as well as SofM’s fans in particular, a realistic view of this duo’s synergy in the upcoming matches.