After a hard-fought victory against Invictus Gaming in their opening match, Weibo Gaming faced a much tougher challenge ahead. Their second opponent in the first round of the LPL Summer 2022 group stage was EDward Gaming – the defending champions of the 2022 World Championship. However, there were grounds for SofM and his teammates to secure victory in this crucial match. Notably, EDG had been defeated by WBG three times in the previous Spring 2022 season.
However, this Summer 2022 season seemed different. EDG appeared more stable than in the previous Spring, while WBG continued to experiment with various new formations and playstyles in these early matches. In game 1, while the top lane featured familiar champions with Viego for SofM and Kayle for TheShy, Angel opted for Orianna – a champion that had seen less play recently. However, the combo of Draven and Nautilus in the bot lane failed to yield results. Along with a lack of coordination, even though WBG occasionally led against EDG, they could not secure the win.
But disaster struck in game 2 when TheShy unexpectedly used Anivia in the top lane while Angel took Swain to the mid lane. Of course, with a champion that has long been out of the meta and is quite passive like Anivia, TheShy could not carry the team as he did with Kayle. Huanfeng’s Draven remained ineffective, leading to a comprehensive defeat for WBG from start to finish. The match ended with a devastating performance from EDG, and WBG received their first loss in the LPL Summer 2022.
Following WBG’s defeat, the LoL community directed a wave of criticism towards all the players, especially TheShy, SofM, and Huanfeng. While TheShy’s pick of Anivia could be seen as the initial step towards their loss, SofM was criticized for not ganking frequently. As for Huanfeng, he had a disastrous match with Draven, who was nearly useless in both games, especially in game 2.
However, it should be noted that this was only the second match for both teams in the LPL Summer 2022. Additionally, it is clear from the draft phases that WBG is actively experimenting with their roster. Therefore, this defeat is not something too surprising. But certainly, SofM and his teammates need to play more carefully and avoid losing points against title-contending teams as well as spots for the 2022 World Championship if they truly want to make it to San Francisco by the end of the year.