Weibo Gaming kicked off the final week of the LPL Spring 2022 group stage with a 2-0 victory over Invictus Gaming. This win was crucial for WBG as they had just endured two disastrous weeks with 3 losses and 1 win. Even their victory against LGD Gaming was unconvincing, leaving fans worried about SofM and his teammates’ playoff journey.
Although they won 2-0 against IG, it was yet another difficult match for WBG, even with the opponent having no objectives left to fight for. In fact, game 1 could be considered quite… boring as both teams played excessively cautiously. It wasn’t until nearly 27 minutes into the match that there were only 4 kills evenly distributed between both sides. Additionally, WBG seemed to only truly explode in the late game, while for most of the time, they allowed IG to maintain a balanced game state. Of course, we cannot overlook the “habit” of ignoring Dragon that has persisted since the start of LPL Spring 2022.
The League of Legends community in China, especially WBG fans, clearly cannot be satisfied with the players’ performance. However, the criticism is mainly directed at SofM, with many opinions suggesting that he is getting weaker and needs his teammates to “carry” him. Some even bluntly stated that SofM is still sticking to his inherent playstyle and refuses to change.
Some milder opinions suggest that in the current meta, ignoring Dragon isn’t always a disadvantage, but it doesn’t mean SofM is always 100% right in skipping major objectives. And of course, many fans are starting to feel a bit worried about WBG ahead of their final match against JD Gaming.
Nevertheless, the psychological burden after two weeks of poor performance is gradually being lifted. And if they can refocus, WBG players can certainly defeat any team. Of course, the most important thing is that SofM and his teammates need to improve every day. The playoffs will be a much tougher journey, and every mistake will surely come at a high price.