Introduction: The S16 season matches have officially begun, and it is believed that most players have been following the recent competitions, with the second stage of each major region being fiercely contested. A regular-season match in the LCP region sparked widespread discussion among players online. It was a clash between the provincial team CFO and the Japanese team SHG. Who would have thought that CFO would be swept 2-0, with the kill ratio reaching 34-1, and doggo and champion jungler Shad0w completely crushed? Instead, the Japanese team's top laner evi became the focus. He is the thumbs-up guy familiar to fans, known to LPL netizens for his thumbs-up after defeating RNG back then. Could it be that the provincial team is now completely finished?

Empire's strongest crab - thumbs-up guy Evi

It is believed most players are quite familiar with CFO. As our provincial team, they have maintained relatively stable overall performance over the years, basically participating in world-level competitions every year. Their results may be average, but they add to the excitement. This season, CFO acquired BLG's champion jungler Shad0w. It was expected to strengthen the team's overall performance, but instead, their form has worsened. This explains why BLG's performance fluctuated severely last season—the issue truly lay in the jungler position. Since Xun returned, BLG's rhythm has stabilized increasingly, even winning the first stage's global pioneer championship.

In recent matches, CFO was completely crushed by the Japanese team SHG, showing no ability to fight back. Just a regular-season match revealed the gap between the teams. In the first game, the jungler position was dominated, with SHG's jungler on Prince achieving a 7-0 record, while Shad0w ended 0-4. The overall kill ratio reached 16-1, with the only kill coming when Thresh hooked into the fountain to give it to Ezreal at the very end of the game. The first match ended in just 26 minutes. The second game was similarly miserable, even shorter at 25 minutes 20 seconds. Doggo and Shad0w showed no semblance of skill, almost like bots.

It's worth noting that SHG has many familiar faces. The mid laner is Korean, and head coach Corgi was part of EDG's championship coaching staff in the S11 season. Especially the top lane position: he is the famous Japanese thumbs-up guy Evi. During the S12 world championship qualifiers, RNG faced the Japanese team DFM. In that match, DFM won the first game, and when the camera turned to top laner Evi, he gave enthusiastic thumbs-up—thus his nickname "thumbs-up guy" originated. Surprisingly, after so many years, he remains active on the professional stage.

According to statistics, Evi has become SHG's strongest sword. Currently, with a 25.3% damage share, he tops the LCP top lane rankings. Many netizens praise Evi asEmpire's strongest crab. Yet it must be acknowledged that since the LMS merger, the provincial team's overall record has declined significantly. Generally, the better-performing players have moved to the LPL region, leaving behind only some minor figures. The former LCK nemesis Flash Wolves no longer exist. Of course, some netizens joke: Isn't Shad0w the S15 season champion from the LPL region? How did he get completely crushed in the LCP region? Or is the LPL region's strength now below the LCP?

Goodbye thinks

Being beaten by a Japanese team with a 34-1 score was unexpected, and the sole kill came from the opponent's Thresh diving into the fountain. It seems the provincial team is no longer what it once was. Logically, doggo and Shad0w have training experience in the LPL region, so they should perform more steadily. Perhaps they've completely relaxed, since achieving results in the LCP region is quite difficult, and they mostly just accompany others at world championships.

What do all esteemed viewers think about this matter?