A dive into the LPL during the new year break

With the Chinese league on a two-week break during the Lunar New Year, here is what you need to know to catchup on the LPL.

LPL on Chinese New Year break – 4 main takeaways

BLG kicking off as expected

BLG came into 2024 with the highest expectations out of all the teams. Not only were they able to get Knight from their rivals JDG, but they kept the rest of the team to create what might be the strongest domestic lineup in LPL history.

The results are currently proving exactly that: BLG went undefeated in the first three weeks, beating what were considered top teams like LNG and TES. Going into week 4, there will be the biggest test of the split: the series against JDG on Saturday, February 24.

What’s even more impressive is that BLG has been delivering strong performances with various drafts and picks, showing great flexibility across the board. Jungler Xun, in particular, is maintaining his form from last season, showcasing incredible map presence in every single game. If BLG finds ways to get leads early on, it’s usually thanks to him. Watch out as he might be the new no. 1 jungler of the league.

NIP, JDG, TES – who is the no. 2?

Speaking of top teams, there is a 3-way fight behind BLG for the runner-up position. Based on the current standings and performance, NIP, TES, and JDG are looking like the contenders for the title, with JDG slightly favored compared to the other two, considering they already beat NIP in their matchup.

JDG have fielded Flandre, with the veteran looking quite consistent in his series. Going forward, it will be important to understand how the team will evolve now with him. There are still a few individual mistakes here and there, but the team has what it takes to battle BLG.

TES, on the other hand, are more prone to highs and lows. If we’re just talking about potential, I believe they have decent chances to fight JDG and BLG, but in long series, there is still a bit of a gap. NIP, on the other hand, will likely drop in the standings in the following weeks when they will face stronger teams. We’ll see whether they can step it up more.

LNG – a rough start

LNG hasn’t been delivering performances up to the expectations set on the roster, especially given the addition of Weiwei. Their 2-3 score, however, doesn’t really tell the entire story, which is why I think we might see a resurgence in the following weeks. The team already faced the top dogs like JDG and BLG, and aside from the debut match lost against TT, the team looked improved. With easier matches coming up on paper, we should see LNG rise up the standings: the question is by how much, and whether they are to be considered a title contender like last year.

EDG – the flop

Anyone would have probably never expected to see EDG at the bottom of the standings prior to the start of the LPL Spring split. Yet, here we are, as the team is dead last with 0 wins and 5 losses. But what’s more worrying is how the team has been playing in the past few weeks. From top to bottom, all players look a bit lost, and even the veterans Ale and Jiejie haven’t been performing up to their standard. Not to mention that the team swapped out Leave with Thesnake in the last two weeks, showing that something is going wrong in that team.

It looks like there isn’t a short-term fix unless the players themselves somehow step it up or coach Clearlove finds the winning formula. One thing is clear, though: we are likely going to see EDG miss out on playoffs this split. Based on the situation, bouncing back would scream a miracle.