Now that the Spring Split is over, teams are starting to make their moves to get ready for Summer. While there are many rumors going around regarding player transfers, the teams aren’t allowed to make official statements before May 25. Today’s article will focus on the three teams that almost made playoffs, but came up short in the end.
Suning
Moving in 2020, Suning had a plan of mixing veteran players with talent that they’ve been grooming. Angel returned to the mid lane, and Bin moved up from the academy team. Sofm joined from LNG and rookie Huanfeng joined as their carry. Suning’s main issue is their top lane. Bin and Biubiu rotate the starting spot between them, with Biuiu playing 22 matches and Bin 19. Biubiu plays a more team-orientated style, while Bin focuses more on his individual matchup. The problem is, Sofm is used to having a consistently pushing top laner. He requires pushing laners to achieve his style of jungling. While Bin did play more towards the end of the split, he was still often put on team-orientated picks, like the Ornn.
Moving into Summer, the team needs to decide if they are going towards a utility top-side or an aggressive top-side. Should they favor the utility-style, then Sofm isn’t the best jungler for the team. Suning’s academy jungler, View, has a much more passive playstyle and favors tanks. And should Suning want an aggressive top-side, Bin is a more aggressive top laner. Should he continue to fall short, then Suning should look into picking up a new top laner altogether.
Bilibili Gaming
After a good start to 2020, BLG underperformed for weeks, before making one last push towards playoffs. One thing we know for certain, BLG have at least one major change coming into Summer, specifically in the bot lane. Long-time carry Jinjiao is moving over to the support role, and Xinmo, the current support, is probably leaving. Jinjiao played in the carry position since BLG’s arrival in the LPL, and even before that, he was a carry.
The team can’t announce a new carry yet, but fans aren’t even sure if they are going to pick up a new player. Vortex, a player previously on the academy team, joined the roster in the middle of the split. He didn’t play a game, but is the official substitute carry for the team. Should BLG want to pick up another carry, they have a few options. Asura is a possibility, as LNG benched him towards the end of the split for unknown reasons. Photic won’t see any playtime as long as JackeyLove is on the team, so he is another possibility. In the LDL, WE Academy’s Simple has made a name for himself, and April from Funplus Phoenix Blaze continues to impress.
For now, all the fans can do is wait and see what the team announces. The rest of the roster should suffer no changes coming into Summer. Kingen, Meteor, and Fofo will most likely continue to be the starting top side.
Vici Gaming
When it comes to fan expectations, Vici’s split was disappointing. The arrivals of big names and promising rookies gave the fans playoff dreams. In their final weeks, Vici tripped and fell, falling just short of the playoffs.
Coming into Summer, there are two specific roles that need help. The first is in the jungle. Neither Aix nor Chieftain had consistent performances. And while they didn’t grossly underperform either, the LPL is a very challenging tournament. WE made it into playoffs by a single match win. If Vici had a different jungler, maybe the story of who made it into playoffs would have been another one. Vici fans have their hearts set on Tarzan, previously a jungler for Griffin. However, a name like his has certainly attracted more teams than just Vici, so fans must keep their options open. Xiaohuangren, from Dominus Academy, had a great performance during spring split, and he plays the aggressive style Vici like. Mingjing, from FPX Blaze is another great possibility.
The last concern coming into Summer is the top lane. Cube’s performance would often feel like a coin toss. While he certainly has the talent, maybe he needs more friendly competition. Bringing up another top from the academy team, so he competition for the starting spot may be a good idea.
And that concludes the list of hypothetical changes teams could make coming into Summer. Be sure to follow your favorite teams on social media, since starting next week they are free to officially announce new players.
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Follow JJ on Twitter: @NeonColouredJay.