In the match against his former team FunPlus Phoenix, Doinb and LNG Esports suffered a defeat with a score of 1-3. The “Suzhou Unicorns” initially took the lead after game 1 but were swiftly crushed by FPX in the next three games. As for Doinb, apart from game 1, he didn’t show much superiority over his successor at FPX – Gori.
This defeat truly feels like a “stinging slap” to LNG’s morale ahead of the 2022 season. Among the LPL teams undergoing personnel changes during the end-of-season 2021 transfer window, LNG appeared quite savvy in recruiting Doinb and parting ways with Icon – a player who did not perform at peak and was one of LNG’s weaknesses, especially at the recent World Championship 2021. LNG fans hoped that Doinb’s experience, leadership, and competitive spirit would help address their lack of a true leader.
Doinb himself had previously stated that he understood LNG’s weaknesses after their scrims together, and that was one of the reasons he chose to join the “Suzhou Unicorns”. Furthermore, Doinb believed that: “If we don’t perform well in the Demacia Cup, then Spring will be tough as well.”
However, after LNG’s defeat to FPX, many fans pointed out that LNG’s weaknesses have not been addressed at all, and the team appears to have regressed compared to their previous form. Some fans even bluntly stated that LNG is “cosplaying” FPX from the 2021 World Championship.
With this defeat, LNG becomes the second highly-rated team in the LPL 2022, after Weibo Gaming, to be eliminated from the Demacia Cup. While WBG can blame not having their strongest roster due to TheShy’s isolation, LNG can only blame themselves, especially when FPX consisted entirely of young players, with only Lwx having significant experience. This defeat raises serious questions about LNG’s capabilities. Doinb and the “Suzhou Unicorns” must certainly prove themselves much more in the upcoming Spring 2022 to dispel all doubts and assert their ambition for the title.