Contrary to what many fans predicted, Invictus Gaming showed a much-improved performance in their second match of the 2020 LPL Summer against Suning Gaming. Although TheShy still had unimpressive statistics, IG fans could celebrate as their captain Rookie regained his form and showcased a powerful carry performance against SofM and his teammates.
Once regarded as a top superstar, TheShy is now seen as a weakness for IG, and SN did a great job of exploiting this vulnerability. However, it seems SofM’s special focus on the top lane was already calculated by Rookie and his teammates.
Even though TheShy was constantly targeted, Suning couldn’t capitalize on this advantage; meanwhile, IG’s mid and bot lanes had plenty of space to grow stronger.
It should also be emphasized that Suning’s 0-2 defeat was largely due to SofM not playing at his best, if not playing poorly. The Vietnamese jungle star was ineffective in ganks, misused skill shots, and even missed crucial smites on major objectives.
On the other side, despite TheShy’s disastrous laning phase, his star quality allowed him to make an impact in team fights. He even played the hero by successfully stealing a Baron in game 2, following SofM’s rather careless smite.
With the loss against IG, Suning faced their second consecutive defeat in the 2020 LPL Summer, putting an end to their early-season “high”. Clearly, SN has made significant improvements in their gameplay, but their weaknesses remain, and if they don’t address these soon, a repeat of the spring season scenario may await SofM and his teammates.