• Data Mining
• Deep Learning
• Neural Network

It’s undeniable that the surge of big data, coupled with recent news about competitive matches, always prompts me to take a look. Similar videos on TikTok have been proactively dismissed – I don’t want to keep receiving homogenous content. I also forgot about an account; unsurprisingly, TES lost decisively, and related topics were trending on Zhihu’s hot list. A highly-voted answer mentioned LPL’s Korean reinforcements and the concept of “all Chinese team.”

Without that year’s IG victory, League of Legends is likely already over. ldl’s strategic play, combined with multiple debuffs, contributed to LPL’s performance as a region.

Writing article: Why does LPL, China’s League of Legends regional league, introduce Korean players? From the coaching staff to the players, reinforcements have been introduced, whether this limits the development of domestic players, and then domestically there is still hope for a Chinese all-star team to win, whether this belongs to the obsession of the Chinese people.

Since the “Korean Wave” began flooding the LPL at the end of S4, Korean players and coaches have become an indispensable part of this region. From iG’s (Rookie, TheShy) in S8 and FPX’s (Doinb, GimGoon) in S9, to EDG’s (Scout, Viper) in S11, LPL has three times lifted the global World Championship (S-Series) trophy, with Korean players and coaches playing a crucial role in each victory.

However, simultaneously, a resounding slogan has consistently permeated the LPL’s public opinion – “All Chinese Team.” While audiences celebrate LPL’s championships, they also harbor almost obsessive expectations for a “Chinese team” to win.

Why did LPL introduce Korean players? Does this limit the development of domestic players? And what exactly is the origin of the “All Chinese Team” obsession?

Why Introducing Korean Talent: A “Catalyst” From Chase to Lead

The LPL’s introduction of Korean talent was initially driven by a purely pragmatic goal: to win.

During the S3 and S4 periods, LCK (South Korea’s league) dominated League of Legends with its impeccable operations and unparalleled individual player abilities. As a challenger, the LPL’s fastest and most direct “copywork” strategy was to bring in “teachers” – top players and coaches.

1. Demand for Battle-Ready Talent and Guaranteed Results

Following the disintegration of Samsung White and Samsung Blue in S4, a large number of top Korean players entered the LPL. They brought with them the most advanced game understanding and the highest level of operational skill. The arrival of Rookies, Doinb, Pawn, and Mata quickly elevated the limits of teams like LNG, WE, and EDG. For clubs, this was a necessary commercial choice in pursuit of results.

2. Introducing an Advanced “Esports Industrial System”

The LPL didn’t just bring in players; it also brought in coaching staff and the underlying training system. Korean esports is renowned for its strict discipline, data-driven approach, and high-intensity training model. The arrival of coaches like Kkoma and DanDy brought LCK management experience and tactical reserves into the LPL, forcing LPL clubs to transition from “internet cafe-style” management to “professionalized” management.

3. “Catfish Effect”: Activating Internal Competition

The introduction of top Korean players was like introducing a catfish into a pond. Local players had to grow faster and adapt to higher levels of competition in order to maintain their starting positions. From this perspective, Korean talent (such as TheShy, Rookie) wasn’t just an “overseas player,” but also a “senior sparring partner” and “teammate teacher” for domestic players (such as JackeyLove, Ming, Knight), collectively raising the overall average level of the entire LPL league.

A Double-Edged Sword: Has Korean Support Been a “Limitation” or a “Catalyst” for Domestic Development?

This is one of LPL’s most controversial topics in history, and the answer is “both”.

The “Restrictive Viewpoint”:

• Occupied Survival Space: This is the most direct impact. When LPL’s top teams habitually reserved key C-positions (mid laner, top laner) for Korean players (like the infamous “Mid Laner Must Speak Korean” joke), it made it even harder for promising domestic rookies to get playing time. With only one position available per game, Korean players’ priority did, to a certain extent, “suppress” the rise of some domestic talents.
• Communication Costs and Tactical Monotony: Early “3-2” patterns (three Chinese players supporting two Korean players) often led to communication breakdowns. Team tactics sometimes became monotonous due to accommodating Korean players’ habits, lacking the LPL-style “dare-to-play-boldly” style of domestic players.

The “Promotional Viewpoint”:

• Elevated Domestic Player’s “Lower and Upper Limits”: LPL domestic players (like Tian, Ming, Knight) grew up through competing with and learning from players like Rookie, Doinb, Ruler, and Viper. The opponents they faced in the S-Series were often stronger than their daily training game teammates. This intense internal competition was a key reason for the explosive growth of LPL domestic talent (especially support and jungler positions).
• LPL’s “Blood Generation” Capability is Now Number One Globally: The fact is, LPL currently has the largest and most complete youth system (LDL). LPL doesn’t lack “people”; it lacks the very top “towering” players. The introduction of Korean players was precisely to fill this final piece of the “tower.” Furthermore, LPL’s “assimilation” ability is extremely strong; Rookie and Doinb eventually became “LPL domestic players.”

Overall, LPL, through introducing Korean players, traded “space” for “time.” It sacrificed some domestic players’ short-term playing opportunities but gained the rapid elevation of the entire league’s competitive level and three S-Series championships, ultimately feeding back into its own youth system.

“All-Chinese Team”: A Near-Obsessive National Pride Sentiment

If introducing Korean reinforcements is a “rational” competitive choice, then pursuing the “All-Chinese Team” represents an “emotional” national sentiment. Simply labeling this desire as “fanaticism” is incomplete; it has deep cultural and historical roots.

1. The Essence of Sports is “Nation/Region Confrontation”

Whether it’s traditional sports (like the Olympics) or esports, when it rises to the international competition stage, it naturally carries a national/regional honor color. Viewers seeking excitement while watching games are not just looking for competitive thrills; they’re also seeking an identity affirmation of “our people” winning.

2. The Ultimate Proof: “We Can Win Ourselves”

The LPL has already proven itself capable of winning through a combination of Chinese and Korean players. However, “All-Chinese Team winning” is another dimension of the narrative: it means that the LPL region achieved a holistic victory – from players and coaches to tactics and youth training systems. This represents the ultimate proof of “we can stand at the top of the world without external force.”

3. Historical Regrets and RNG’s “Deification”

The obsession with the “All-Chinese Team” is deeply intertwined with the narrative of the RNG team (especially during Uzi’s time). In S8, that all-Chinese team RNG won MSI, giving countless LPL viewers hope for “All-Chinese Team winning a World Championship Series.” Although S8 ultimately failed, the regret of “just missing it” further reinforced this obsession.

4. The Catalyst of the Asian Games

The 2018 Jakarta and 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games both required “All-Chinese Team” lineups for the “League of Legends” project. When esports combined with the traditional sports model of “contributing to national glory,” the “All-Chinese Team” evolved from a “fan’s expectation” into a “national team standard,” further deepening viewers’ identification with domestic rosters.

Conclusion: From “Borrowing Strength” to “Legitimizing”

The introduction of Korean support (韩援) into LPL was a necessary strategy in its early development, driven by the need to quickly catch up and achieve “overtaking” – a strategy that has been definitively proven successful by the championship trophies won by S8, S9, and S11.

The inclusion of Korean support did not “restrict” the development of LPL; instead, through the “catfish effect” (鲶鱼效应) and “internal teaching,” it significantly accelerated the growth of LPL’s native talent, transforming LPL into the now-recognized number one region.

The obsession with a “full Chinese team” (全华班) was not narrow xenophobia, but rather a peak of domestic confidence leading to a desire for “ultimate glory” – representing what LPL viewers hoped to see: a perfect closed loop where this region would transition from “reliance on foreign support” to “self-sufficiency and dominance.”

The story of LPL is a microcosm of the intersection of globalization and localization. We enjoy the extreme operations brought by Ruler and Scout, and we will also shed tears for RNG in 2018 and the “full Chinese team” representing China at the 2023 Asian Games. This is not contradictory; it’s simply different pursuits at different stages of a region’s journey from “student” to “master.”