Weibo Gaming (WBG) led by SofM entered the match against Victory Five (V5) with numerous challenges after barely overcoming Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in their last game. In fact, not many viewers, including WBG fans, could believe in a victory for SofM and his teammates. Simply put, V5’s current form was too strong, and they had extended their unbeaten streak to 9 games before this match.
But the reality was far from many people’s imaginations. WBG was the team that took the lead after the first game. Despite both sides continuously making mistakes, on a day when the WBG players were more focused than their opponents, they secured a convincing victory and took the lead.
However, V5 also showcased the resilience of a team that is one of the strong contenders for the LPL Summer 2022 championship as well as a spot in the 2022 World Championship. The V5 members demonstrated dominance and equalized in the second game. But in the decisive game, TheShy transformed and along with SofM and his WBG teammates, they secured the final victory, ending the unbeaten streak of his former teammate Rookie at 9.
Witnessing WBG defeat a formidable opponent like V5, the LPL community in particular and League of Legends (LoL) fans globally expressed mixed feelings. Some were happy about the team’s victory, while others expressed confusion as to why WBG couldn’t maintain such focus in previous matches. Moreover, SofM and TheShy were the two players most praised for their outstanding performances on July 17th (Vietnam time).
– “I always find it exciting to watch this team play, especially TheShy, even when they don’t take it seriously at all.”
– “SofM has always been Karsa’s nemesis since the 2020 World Championship semifinals. He has defeated Karsa 4 out of 5 times since then.”
– “SofM dominated Karsa in all 3 games.”
– “And someone said that TheShy didn’t deserve to be WBG’s Top Laner.”
– “TheShy is playing like this to psychologically impact his opponents.”
Winning against V5 not only helped WBG improve their standings but, more importantly, restored faith for fans and the players themselves. WBG’s journey in the LPL Summer 2022 is still long, and the players will need to maintain their focus in all remaining matches if they hope to secure a spot in the upcoming 2022 World Championship.