Preface: The S15 season has officially begun, and most players have been paying close attention to the recent battles. The World Championship is fiercely competitive, with two teams already knocked out: fnc from the EU/NA region and PSG, where Karsa is a jungler. It’s quite unfortunate for Karsa, as in the first two matches they faced the LCK’s top two seeds, which surely affected the players’ mentality. After the match, Karsa bowed alone to the audience in apology. Unsurprisingly, he remains the same crybaby. Meanwhile, the AD carry from mkoi who advanced to the next round paid tribute to Uzi — unexpectedly, Uzi’s legacy still appears on this tournament stage.

Karsa sheds tears on the S15 battlefield

Most players have been closely watching the recent confrontations, with the World Championship matches being very intense. As the Swiss round BO3 matches begin, the eliminated teams have emerged: fnc and PSG. The more unfortunate one is probably PSG. Known as a familiar Taiwanese team, PSG’s jungler Karsa and mid-laner Maple both had impressive performances in the LPL region before. Especially Karsa, who was a core player for RNG and attracted many fans when he was with TES.

This season for PSG has been a rollercoaster, going from eight consecutive losses to eight straight wins, making it all the way to the World Championship. However, in the Swiss round, they faced the LCK’s top two seeds. With their confidence heavily shaken, they couldn’t withstand the pressure and were eliminated by VKS in the BO3. Karsa’s final record stood at 1-10. During the post-match thank-you segment, everyone on PSG turned back, but he alone bowed deeply to the fans, likely responding to their support. The cheers from the audience were truly overwhelming.

In the post-match interview of mkoi, an unexpected moment surprised fans. In the third game against fnc, their AD carry picked Vayne and secured victory. Host Yu Shuang openly asked why he chose Vayne, a champion rarely seen on the stage lately. Supa’s reply ignited the venue: "I’m playing in China’s home ground, so I have to pick Vayne for Uzi. I can’t afford to lose with Vayne here, so I’m fighting for Uzi." Unexpectedly, Uzi’s shadow appeared again on the S15 World Championship stage in this way.

There are still two more rounds of Swiss matches left, after which six teams will be eliminated. Based on current group draws, G2 and HLE have a relatively high chance of advancing. CFO should not be underestimated either; as an all-Chinese roster, their performance in this World Championship has been excellent. TES falling to a 2-2 group stage is quite likely. If nothing unexpected happens, the final six contenders might be FlyQuest, TES, CFO, T1, mkoi, and BLG. It all depends on whether BLG can fulfill their dream in the last group stage round.

Farewell thoughts

No one expected that a Western player would fight for Uzi — this is probably Uzi’s personal charisma. Though his reputation in the LPL is mixed, his popularity and influence in both the Western and LCK regions are very high. When people mention the LPL, Uzi is the first name that comes to mind. Although he never won a World Championship, most foreign players respect his career, unlike in the LPL where he often faces ridicule.

Dear viewers, what are your thoughts on this matter?