Industry insiders reveal TheShy will not make a comeback.

The first stage of LPL is probably the season with the least traffic and buzz in recent years. Due to the minimal points available, numerous LPL star players opted to rest during this phase, including support Meiko, bot lane JKL and Hang, jungler Tian, and top laner TheShy. When TheShy was still competing last year, IG's match replays easily surpassed 2 million views, whereas the replay of the BLG vs JDG first-stage finals now only has 990,000 views.

Thus, many LPL viewers and streamers hope for TheShy's return. However, a disheartening development for many IG fans is that numerous industry sources indicate TheShy will not come back for the second stage. Instead, BLG substitute top laner Wenbo will join IG in the second stage. After this news broke, many TheShy fans admitted they might completely stop watching LPL, as TheShy's chances of returning are nearly zero. (Many insiders claim that if TheShy wants to return, the second stage is the best opportunity; if he doesn't come back then, he might retire.)

Ning invites TheShy to compete.

Although TheShy won't return to the LPL arena, his close friend Ning recently revealed during a livestream that he invited TheShy to participate in the Uzi Cup organized by Uzi. If TheShy is interested, Ning will form a team with him to compete. This news sparked excitement among viewers for the Uzi Cup, as Uzi stated this cup is truly the "Old-timers Cup," requiring every team member to be over 24 years old.

I believe if TheShy joins the Uzi Cup, the tournament's prestige and attention would skyrocket instantly. The previous LOL Old-timers Cup gained massive attention precisely because Uzi and TheShy participated. With Uzi confirmed to play, many viewers now anticipate a showdown between TheShy and Uzi. (Who do you think will win the Uzi Cup? Uzi's team lineup isn't clear yet, but Ning mentioned during his stream that their squad would be top laner TheShy, jungler Ning, mid laner Cryin, and bot lane duo Wink and Xiaoyueji.)

Over 200 teams registered for the Uzi Cup.

As the organizer of the Uzi Cup, Uzi recently shared his struggles with viewers during a livestream. He said he initially started the tournament just for fun, wanting fans to see him compete again. However, with LPL and certain platforms stepping in, the event has grown significantly. Many streamers from different platforms have inquired about joining, and the number of registered teams has exceeded 200, all consisting of former top LPL players and well-known streamers.

Uzi explained that since this is his first time organizing a tournament, he can't scale it too large, so only 64 teams will be selected to compete. He assured fans that if viewers enjoy it, the second Uzi Cup will adopt an open participation model, ideally allowing 400 teams to compete simultaneously. Lastly, Uzi voiced his concern during the stream: he fears that as the tournament expands, some might use it for match-fixing, a problem even LPL authorities struggle to eliminate.

Conclusion