The LPL is finally just around the corner. Just over two months after EDG won Worlds, the LPL is back in action, featuring the very best that China has to offer. The split is divided into 9 weeks, with 17 teams competing for 10 playoff spots. The competition will begin on Monday, January tenth, and finish on Sunday, March twentieth. As per custom, The Game Haus will cover every bit of the action, featuring weekly previews of the upcoming matches. Today’s article will cover the first five days of action, while the next one will wrap up the first week and cover the first five days of week two. And so on and so forth. So, without further ado, here are the matches of the first five days of week one.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The LPL will return with ThunderTalk Gaming and OMG facing off. OMG have kept most of their roster that made it to the playoffs in 2021. Their one change was to add M1kuya to their top lane. Despite the org’s lack of money or outside funding, when compared to the other LPL teams, should they consistently make playoffs, they might attract investors. Beating TT is OMG’s first step to returning to the top of the LPL.
On the other hand, ThunderTalk Gaming will want to start the year off well. Even though they are coming in as underdogs, their opponents aren’t unstoppable. A good start to the year could give TT the boost that they need to do well. It’s probably going to be a long road ahead for ThunderTalk Gaming. Might as well start off on the right foot.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The second match of the day will be an absolute banger. RNG will want to test their new roster and flex their muscles against FPX. In fact, FPX might be the perfect opponent for this new RNG roster to test the waters. While they aren’t a title contender, they are a competitive roster, that could do well in the long run. A convincing win here would be a great way to start the year off well.
On the other hand, this is also the perfect opportunity for this FPX roster to show that they mean business. With the rebuilt roster, many have FPX making playoffs, but not going much further than that. However, a convincing first few games, and a victory over World’s quarter-finalists’ RNG, would be a great way to start the season. Not to mention, the time to beat RNG is now, when they might be experiencing some growing pains, with Xiaohu back in the mid lane a new top laner.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The first match of the second day should be an interesting one. The reigning World Champions, EDG, will want to show the world that they are still the cream of the crop. While a reworked JDG roster may not be the strongest opponent, they should definitely be a good measuring stick. EDG should beat this roster comfortably. In both Spring and Summer, EDG were one of the two last undefeated teams. EDG and their fans will want to run that back in 2022.
Up against the current World Champions, there won’t be much else that JDG can do other than play some good League of Legends. While they may have won Worlds, EDG is far from unbeatable. A good and steady performance is what JDG fans will want in this game. It’s not always about winning every match, but if they can consistently look their best, winning or losing. And who knows, maybe if JDG play their best, they might even take EDG by surprise, and sneak a win that few are giving them.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The second match of the day features two teams that have a lot to prove. LGD have made significant changes to their roster, keeping their top laners and their jungle but changing the rest. They had a reasonable result in the Demacia Cup, but that often doesn’t translate to the LPL. With a roster full of players that are often regarded as middle of the pack at best, LGD has a point to prove coming into 2022.
Anyone’s Legend is the rebrand of Rogue Warriors, a team that struggled all year last year. And the year before last. And the year prior to that. With a track record that doesn’t flatter them, Anyone’s Legend decided to bring back a familiar face to the LPL fans, bringing Maple in from the PCS. While this was the only change the team made, it is a significant one, seeing as they went from Forge to Maple, which is a massive improvement. This first match should be a great way to see and measure what 2022 will bring for Anyone’s Legend.
Image Courtesy of Leagepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The first match of the third day will tell the tale of two teams. On one end, Top Esports. A team that did well in 2020, but struggled in 2021. And so, they brought in new players for the top lane and jungle, in hopes that they return to the top of the league. And on paper, these changes are tremendous and should work like a charm. That said, Top Esports will need JackeyLove and Zhuo to step up to the plate and become the bot lane that they have the potential to be. Or else, it could be a season of mediocrity ahead for Top Esports.
On the other end, Rare Atom. After an amazing season in 2021, Rare Atom sold their two best players and brought in two rookies. During the entire season last year, Rare Atom’s games often came down to whether Fofo could carry or not. This year, they do not have the luxury of said player. It could be long season ahead of Rare Atom, but a good start here could do wonders for their momentum, and their season moving forward.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Both of these teams have new mid laners, and with that, new identities to go with them. Doinb joined LNG during the off-season, replacing Icon who is taking a break from the LPL. Doinb has a very different style to Icon, to the point where it could be difficult for the team to adapt to having the new player. That said, at the end of the day, Doinb is an all-star player and an LPL legend. LNG should be feared as a top-tier team, and regardless of their state, need to be taken seriously.
Ultra Prime also changed their mid laner, bringing in Cryin from RNG. Before Ultra Prime became UP, they were known as e-Star. And e-Star’s first mid laner in the LPL was Cryin, in Spring 2020, when they did well and made playoffs. Cryin had an amazing season, that made RNG want to buy him out. Back on the roster where everything started, Cryin will want to bring back that 2020 magic to this roster.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Invictus Gaming will make their 2022 debut on Thursday, against ThunderTalk Gaming. With brand new solo laners, Invictus Gaming are undergoing a renovation process. All of their players are either making their LPL debut, or they debuted last year. With that in mind, this is a very inexperienced IG roster, and they could have some growing pains. However, if they manage to make it through those pains, Invictus Gaming could bloom once more.
On the other side of the rift, ThunderTalk Gaming couldn’t ask for a better start to the split. Their first two teams are teams that will most likely be fighting for the final playoff spots. While many wouldn’t put TT as a playoff team, they could potentially make it. And if they manage to start their split with a 2:0 record against teams expected to end near them, TT could set themselves up for a much better split.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Thursday’s second match will feature two teams that are bitter rivals. Throughout 2021, Weibo Gaming, then known as Suning, faced off against Team WE multiple times. And every time that it mattered most, Suning would come out on top. From the Spring Playoffs to the NEST Cup finals, Weibo Gaming’s core have taken WE down a peg multiple times last year. The team, as well as the fans, will be hoping for a similar result here in this series.
After becoming a World’s ticket sales team, losing to and sending all four teams that went to Worlds, WE have revamped most of their roster. Brining in Biubiu, former Suning, Victory Five and BLG, they are hoping that he can keep up the upward momentum he ended 2021 in. With a rookie bot lane, Beishang and Shanks are the two returning players from their 2021 roster. However, WE can find some rest in knowing that Xiye is back home, returning to the roster after a two-year hiatus.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Friday’s first match will feature two teams with new rosters. LGD will need a completely new identity, bringing in two rookies to replace two veterans. YeG and Eric, despite having some LPL experience, pale in comparison to the experience that Xiye and Kramer brought to the table. However, that same experience would often come back to bite LGD in the back, making them throw a very winnable game. Perhaps it was time that LGD brought in new faces to build their legacies.
Speaking of new faces and new legacies, FPX have rebuilt their roster as well. With two veterans in Clid and Lwx, FPX are relying on 3 rookies to get the job done. With Gori coming in with one split of competitive experience as a staring mid laner in a top league, this new FPX roster is the perfect place for him to make a name for himself. Alongside his fellow rookies in Xiaolaohu and Hang, FPX have a long road ahead of them, if they want to return to the top and sitting on top of the world.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
In a match that could decide the outcome of both these teams, Anyone’s Legend will face off against OMG in Friday. Both of these teams are expected to finish around each other, landing in thirteenth and tenth in The Game House’s LPL 2022 Power Ranking. With OMG given the slight edge, but both of these teams are two of the candidates to fight for the final playoff spot.
Both of them also kept most of their 2021 roster for 2022, with Anyone’s Legend changing their mid laner and OMG changing their top laner. In both spring and summer of last year, OMG found themselves victorious with a clean, 2:0 series. This year, it could be a much closer shave.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The final match of today’s article features RNG and JDG. RNG will want to, once again, flex their muscles against a team that they are favourites to win. With arguable the better player from the top lane down to the support, RNG should be able to take this game comfortably. However, RNG should not take that a sign to relax, especially considering that they might face growing pains that other top teams will not.
On the opposite side of the rift, JDG have always been a rock in RNG’s shoe. Even when RNG is in top form and JDG are struggling, this always ends up being a close series. At the end of the day, it will be JDG’s new bot lane that will need to step up. Gala and Ming, particularly in draft and in lane, were a less obvious weakness of RNG, but a weakness nonetheless. With strong, new players in Hope and Missing, if JDG want to upset RNG, both players will need to bring their A-game.
And that concludes the preview of the first 5 days of Week 1. Be sure to come back next time, to read about the last matches of Week 1, as well as the first few matches of Week 2.
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