Last night – July 8, the FunPlus Phoenix team made a surprising announcement that superstar Nuguri has been benched. The reason given by FPX for this change is Nuguri’s recent poor individual performance. The young player currently wearing the FunPlus Blaze jersey – xiaolaohu – will temporarily replace Nuguri in the top lane for the upcoming match against LGD Gaming.
Perhaps part of the reason behind FunPlus Phoenix’s decision is Nuguri’s poor performance during the recent loss to Bilibili Gaming. Notably, in game 3, Nuguri was killed several times in an “unfortunate” manner early in the game simply because he was too greedy while trying to secure the Crab. This made Nuguri the weakest link for FunPlus Phoenix in that match and a major reason for the team’s loss.
Moreover, many FunPlus Phoenix fans are concerned about Nuguri’s health, as the player has previously suffered from a pneumothorax. Not to mention that performing poorly against Bilibili Gaming also negatively affects this player’s mentality. FunPlus Phoenix may want Nuguri to take time to care for himself and stabilize his mindset, which is why they made this sudden substitution.
As for xiaolaohu, this young player has had an extremely impressive performance in the FunPlus Blaze team during the LDL Spring 2021. This young top laner was a key factor in FunPlus Blaze’s runner-up finish in the LDL Spring 2021. Specifically, in the top lane position, xiaolaohu boasts the highest KDA and gold per minute stats, proving to be a promising talent in the top lane.
Hopefully, xiaolaohu will have a successful debut to help FunPlus Phoenix defeat LGD Gaming this afternoon – July 9. If they secure this victory, the former 2019 World Championship winners will reclaim their spot in the top 4 of the LPL Summer 2021 standings from Top Esports. As for Nuguri, we hope that he will make good use of this rest period to regain his form and return to FPX’s main lineup as soon as possible.
