Since his debut in the LPL and becoming one of the top “carry” superstars in JD Gaming, Ruler has earned immense trust from fans in the region. He is even seen as a key factor that could help JDG complete the “Golden Road” and achieve a “Grand Slam of titles” in 2023. However, despite his excellent performance, Ruler and JDG only secured 3 out of 4 titles this year, missing out on the most important title – the championship at Worlds 2023. This is particularly disappointing, especially since Ruler also won a Gold Medal at the ASIAD.
However, Ruler’s brilliance and “outclassing” have left LPL fans feeling “burned.” Over the past year, almost no AD Carry has posed any challenge to Ruler. Even in the matches that JDG lost in the LPL, the opponents in the same lane could not best him. Those losses were simply due to Ruler being unable to carry the team when the disparity was too great. And certainly, no one blames Ruler for that. On the contrary, the LPL audience must admit a harsh truth: LPL AD Carries are significantly weaker compared to LCK.
According to a recent post on social media HUPU, the author bluntly stated: “In the LPL, Ruler completely dominates. But when he goes abroad, Ruler is defeated by Xiao Lu Bo (Gumayusi’s nickname given by LPL fans). Looking at the LCK, they also have Peyz, who is the future of AD Carry. While we only have JackeyLove, Lwx, and Elk. But Elk has completely lost to Ruler in their matchups. The gap with LCK is probably the largest it’s been in the last 10 years. Watching Ruler outclassing, I don’t understand if he is holding back our ADs or if we are really that bad compared to the LPL.”
This opinion has been widely acknowledged by LPL fans. Perhaps, it has never been this hard to find skilled AD Carries in the LPL. Even, Edward Gaming last season had to rely on the “old man” Uzi to carry the team, and JackeyLove still remains a crucial pillar for Top Esports, which says it all. They are all “old” players in both age and experience compared to a League of Legends player. Meanwhile, the younger generation has yet to show worthy replacements. Elk only performs well when the entire team is doing well. He even has fewer “carry” moments than Lwx or JackeyLove.
LCK is thriving with talented young AD Carries like Gumayusi, Peyz, or slightly older Aiming, who are improving every day. But looking over to the LPL, regional fans can only sigh as whenever needed, some team finds a way to bring Uzi back to play AD and build their brand.