Among the four tournaments in the Major category of the League of Legends scene, the LPL Summer 2023 is arguably the earliest and will conclude the soonest. After the match between JD Gaming (JDG) and Bilibili Gaming (BLG) on July 30 (Vietnam time), only two matches remain before the LPL Summer 2023 wraps up. The fast pace of this tournament (in just over 2 months) is because China will host the upcoming ASIAD.
However, for LPL fans specifically, they are truly not confident in the ability to compete for the gold medal in League of Legends against their “arch-rival” LCK. This sentiment was further reinforced after BLG’s defeat to JDG in the winners’ final of the LPL Summer 2023 qualifiers. In this match, the once formidable and high-performing squad of BLG could not find any openings in JDG to exploit, let alone secure a victory. Notably, 2 out of the 3 key players of JDG, Kanavi and Ruler, are members of the South Korean team participating in ASIAD.
The positions of Kanavi (Jungle) and Ruler (AD Carry) are also two areas where LPL currently shows a significant disadvantage, at least based on the performances of the players in Summer 2023. Elk (AD Carry of the Chinese team for ASIAD) was defeated by Ruler in the recent match. Since joining BLG, Elk has never managed to defeat Ruler. Some even suggest that while LPL has had many great AD Carries in the past, perhaps this time the gold medal should be awarded to LCK, especially after witnessing Elk being completely overwhelmed by Ruler.
Of course, all opinions are subjective. Players will still have time to prepare for the upcoming ASIAD, and it’s possible that Elk will showcase a different side. He might even seek revenge and prove himself as a worthy contender right in the LPL Summer 2023 if BLG can defeat LNG Esports and face JDG again in the upcoming grand final.