Introduction: The S16 season competition has officially commenced, and it is believed that most players have been focusing on the recent offseason period. The matches across various major regions have gradually concluded, and now everyone awaits the start of the Global Pioneer Tournament. During this time, the most discussed topic should be the LPL region's AL team. During the transfer window, they renewed the contracts of their starting five-member roster, which genuinely excited many fans. Moreover, they were the top team in the LPL regular season, yet encountered issues during the playoffs and failed to qualify for the World Championship. Recently, industry insiders publicly reported that AL team has replaced their Korean coach and acquired an LPL champion and world runner-up coach, aiming to regain momentum in the second stage.

AL acquires LPL champion and world runner-up coach

It is believed that most players are quite familiar with the AL team. As a dark horse team in the LPL region over the past two years, their overall performance has indeed been fluctuating. Last season, the AL team assembled a roster at a very low cost, secured a World Championship spot for the LPL region, and performed exceptionally well, becoming a model for the LPL region at that time. During the winter transfer window, the AL team's management and head coach Tabe had a disagreement. Tabe likely advocated replacing the AD player Hope, as even any ordinary player could sense he was the team's weak link; with him, the team's ceiling would not be very high.

However, the management chose to renew the contracts of all five starting members and did not meet Tabe's demands. Ultimately, this top-tier domestic coach left the team and joined JDG, promptly acquiring Gala to form a new lineup. Their results were also quite impressive; although young, they represented the LPL region in the Global Pioneer Tournament. Conversely, the AL team, which renewed all members, entered the playoffs as the regular season top team but was eliminated by JDG and WBG working together. During this offseason, it was initially thought that AL team would not undergo many changes, as their starting five-member roster was unlikely to be altered. Unexpectedly, industry insiders still leaked their transfer news.

If nothing unexpected happens, their second stage will acquire the LPL region champion and world runner-up head coach Bigwei. Currently, multiple industry insiders in the esports circle have confirmed the deal, basically assuring his joining in the second stage. It is also revealed that the coaching staff might simultaneously introduce assistant coach Jing Gai for support. Many may not be familiar with Bigwei; he was the head coach of BLG team in the S14 season, leading BLG to win the LPL Summer Championship, MSI runner-up, and Global Finals runner-up, achieving BLG's best historical record. Moreover, in that year's competition, BLG team truly came within one step of defeating T1 team for the championship.

Although his current team's achievements are quite dazzling, many netizens still believe his coaching ability has issues. BLG team's attainment of the World Championship runner-up that year was entirely reliant on the players' individual capabilities; his lineup and BP did not contribute significantly. Honestly, I am somewhat looking forward to this coach, as the former coach of Gen.G team was too unfamiliar with AL team. He still focuses on utilizing AD position players, but for AL team, Hope is a crucial weak link; often he cannot secure the team's foundation. It depends on whether Bigwei can effectively maneuver the players.

Final thoughts

Regarding AL team's decision, I am relatively supportive. Switching to a domestic coach can maximize communication between players and coaches. It feels that most Korean coaches are autocratic; they do not allow players to challenge their authority, unlike domestic coaches where everyone can discuss and complement each other. Previously, TES team's coach Redmi was an example; being able to abruptly change BP before a match without informing any players probably only Korean coaches could do that.

What are your views on this matter, esteemed audience?