LoL: Tian joins Weibo Gaming in the LPL

Despite being named 2024 LPL Summer MVP, Gao "Tian" Tian-Liang's departure from Top Esports had long been anticipated. The prodigious jungler has officially ended his three-year stint with the team to join Weibo Gaming ahead of the 2025 LPL season, as announced by the organization on their socials. By aligning himself again with one of the league's top contenders, Tian aims to secure new titles and further cement his legacy.

At just 24, Tian boasts an impressive career. He began in 2017 in China’s secondary league, the LSPL, finishing second alongside Zhuo "knight" Ding. Together, they moved to Suning in 2018 to compete in the LPL Spring Split. After being benched for the Summer Split, Tian experienced a breakout year in 2019. Joining FunPlus Phoenix, he won the Summer Split and captured the World Championship alongside Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang and Liu "Crisp" Qing-Song. Despite minor roster changes, 2020 was less successful, marking the start of a slight decline for Tian.

This dip continued into 2021, although the addition of Nuguri revitalized FPX, helping them secure second place in the Summer and a return to Worlds. However, the campaign ended in disappointment, with FPX failing to advance past the group stage, notably losing games to Cloud9 and Rogue.

In 2022, Tian joined Top Esports. It was a frustrating year, with TES finishing as runners-up in both the Spring and Summer Splits after narrow five-game losses to Royal Never Give Up and JD Gaming, respectively. Despite qualifying for Worlds, the team again faltered in the group stage, losing to Rogue and GAM Esports this time. Disheartened by another international failure, Tian faced a challenging 2023. Despite playing alongside stars like Song "Rookie" Eui-jin and Yu "JackeyLove" Wen-Bo, TES finished 7th in Spring and 4th in Summer, failing to qualify for Worlds after losing to WBG in the Regional Finals.

In 2024, Tian staged a resurgence. Returning to his top form, he claimed the LPL Summer MVP title and kept TES competitive throughout the year, including his first-ever appearance at MSI. However, his international struggles persisted: TES was swept 3-0 by G2 Esports at MSI and later eliminated by T1 with the same scoreline in the Worlds quarterfinals. Now, as Tian looks to reclaim international glory, a fresh start with Weibo Gaming might be just what he needs.

In 2024, Weibo Gaming struggled to maintain stability in their jungle. Starting the Spring Split with Peng "Xiaohao" Hao, they finished in 5th-6th place. However, their fortunes turned around in the Summer Split with the arrival of Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong, which propelled them to a 2nd place finish. True to their reputation, WBG shined when least expected. In the Regional Finals, they secured a spot at Worlds by defeating JD Gaming in a thrilling five-game series. They then pushed all the way to the Worlds semifinals, coming close to replicating their 2023 amazing run. However, the reigning LPL champions, BiliBili Gaming, once again halted their run, just as they had in the Summer Split finals.

Top: ?
Jungle: Gao "Tian" Tian-Liang
Mid: Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao
ADC: ?
Support: ?