LoL: A look back at the 1000-game career of the Chinese legend Meiko

After Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok in the LCK, it's now Tian "Meiko" Ye’s turn to celebrate his 1000th game in the LPL. The support is writing Chinese League history by becoming the first player to reach this symbolic milestone. His track record speaks for itself: 4 LPL titles between 2015 and 2021, the inaugural Mid-Season Invitational in 2015, and the pinnacle of his career — the 2021 World Championshipin Reykjavik, Iceland. This remarkable longevity is made even more special by the fact that it all happened with a single club: EDward Gaming.

Meiko’s career began over a decade ago, and what a start it was for the young Chinese support. Having Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu as his very first AD Carry was both a privilege and a heavy responsibility — a true challenge for such a young player. But Tian seized the opportunity brilliantly, helping EDward Gaming win the Spring Split by defeating LGD Gaming in the final.

That same year, EDG qualified for the very first edition of the Mid-Season Invitational. The synergy Meiko developed with his iconic jungler Ming "Clearlove" Kai proved crucial, as they led the team all the way to the finals. There, they faced one of the most legendary teams of all time — SKT T1 and Faker. In an iconic best-of-five, EDG came out on top 3-2, claiming the first MSI title in history for the LPL, a region that would go on to win many more.

A long drought followed for Meiko between 2018 and 2021, a period during which he couldn't secure a single title with EDG. But that all changed with the Summer Split of 2021, when EDward Gaming defeated FunPlus Phoenix to finally lift the LPL trophy again — a win that also marked Meiko’s return to the World Championship stage after several years away.

That year, Meiko was paired with a new Korean ADC, Park "Viper" Do-hyeon — and to say the synergy clicked would be an understatement. Alongside them was a rising talent from the academy, jungler Zhao "Jiejie" Li-Jie. EDG’s path to the title was anything but smooth, with every series from the quarterfinals onward going to five games. They edged out Royal Never Give Up, overcame Gen.G, and ultimately dethroned the reigning world champions, Heo "ShowMaker" Su and DWG KIA, in a thrilling 3-2 grand final.

Later in his career, Meiko joined Top Esports, though his time there didn’t yield much success. More recently, he reunited with Jiejie at Invictus Gaming. The team currently sits fourth in the Ascend group, and just this past Saturday, they faced off against ThunderTalk Gaming — a match that marked Meiko’s 1000th game in the LPL, fittingly celebrated with a win.