LoL - First Stand: Top Esports, the Resilient Champions (4/5)

As is often the case in the LPL, many teams compete for the top spots in the standings. However, at the start of the 2025 season, while everyone expected BiliBili Gaming—who kept their roster unchanged—to dominate the first split as they did throughout 2024, it is Top Esports (TES) who will represent the league at the first international event of the year, First Stand. After an incredible lower bracket run in the Split 1 Playoffs, TES is showing a much stronger performance than last year and could very well be on their way to claiming the first international title in their history.

TES came off a disappointing 2024 season. Despite having a roster filled with some of the best players in the LPL, they carried the weight of being the league's number two team, with strong international prospects. However, they fell short, finishing in 5th-6th place at MSI, where they were eliminated by a very inspired G2 Esports. They also exited the World Championship in the quarterfinals, suffering a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of T1, who were genuinely peaking at the time.

In the offseason that followed, changes were necessary. The first big challenge was handling the departure of their jungler Gao "Tian" Tian-Liang, the MVP of Summer 2024, to Weibo Gaming. TES responded excellently by bringing in Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, who had spent over five years in the jungle at JD Gaming. Kanavi is one of the most decorated junglers in the LPL, with 5 LPL titles, 1 MSI title, and an Asian Games gold medal to his name. The second roster change came with the addition of Liu "Crisp" Qing-Song, who joined the botlane alongside Yu "JackeyLove" Wen-Bo after leaving Weibo Gaming.

To complete the rebuild, TES also changed their Head Coach, bringing in Yoon "Homme" Sung-young from JD Gaming, where he had spent nearly as much time as Kanavi. With these changes, TES aimed to reset and inject fresh energy into the organization while maintaining three of the league's best players in their positions: Bai "369" Jia-Hao at toplane, midlane prodigy Lin "Creme" Jian, and their star AD Carry, JackeyLove.

TES is an organization that has consistently competed at the top of the standings in recent years but, surprisingly, had only one LPL title to its name before this year—won in Summer 2020 (3-2 against JDG) when the team was led by Zhuo "knight" Ding in the midlane. Since then, they have endured a long championship drought. Internationally, TES has made several appearances, including three Worlds participation (2020, 2022, 2024), where their best result was a semifinal finish in 2020. However, they also suffered major setbacks, such as their shocking group-stage elimination in 2022 after losing a game to GAM Esports. They also had a brief run at MSI 2024 but got completely outclassed 3-0 by G2 Esports in the loser bracket.

This context adds even more weight and significance to their second LPL title, won in Split 1 of 2025. Their playoff journey began in the lower bracket after a group-stage loss to Anyone’s Legend (AL), forcing them to play flawlessly to stay in contention. One by one, they took down increasingly stronger opponents, all by a 3-1 scoreline—defeating Invictus Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, BiliBili Gaming, and JD Gaming—before reaching the grand final. In a poetic turn, they claimed their revenge against AL, defeating them 3-1 to secure their long-awaited championship.

In this grand final, every player had their moment to shine, showcasing the strength of this team as a unit. Kanavi and Creme have proven to be the best mid/jungle duo in the LPL, working together flawlessly. JackeyLove punishes enemy mistakes with ruthless efficiency, while 369 displayed exceptional awareness with his K'Sante in Game 4. Aside from Wang "Hope" Jie's strong response for AL in Game 2 with his Varus, the final was largely one-sided in TES’s favor. As a result, TES secures a well-deserved qualification for First Stand and come into the tournament full of confidence.

Thus, TES enters the competition as the second major favorite alongside Hanwha Life Esports, the LCK champions. This new international event, which is also the first of the season, is not to be missed. The LPL’s last international victory dates back almost two years, to MSI 2023, when JDG claimed the title. Now, TES carries the hopes of restoring their region to the pinnacle of global League of Legends and sending a strong message to the powerhouse teams absent from this tournament, which only qualifies the top team from each region.

The opportunity is even greater as, for the first time, matches will be played in a fearless draft format, and the competition appears less fierce. With just one week of matches to play and four opponents to outclass, TES, on paper, could dominate opponents who seem far less stable. To see how it unfolds, don’t miss their tournament debut this Monday at around 12 PM CET against Hanwha Life Esports in the first LPL vs. LCK clash of the year, played in a best-of-five series.