After three days of intense Teamfight Tactics competition, a new king has been crowned at the TPO (TFT Paris Open) : Ge "Huanmie" Wuxin. Due to a very unforgiving format, 760 out of the 768 participants were eliminated during Day 1 and Day 2. Only the final 8 remained to fight for the Champion’s belt. For a change, the French crowd decided to cheer for a Spanish player.

The home favorite and former World Champion Emre "Double61" Demirtas was expected in the finals, but he did not survive the last cut… Marc "Safo20" Safont was therefore the only European representative in the final, and despite the French/Spanish rivalry, he had the most support from the audience during the players’ walk-in.

4 players on Match point

In the scene, grand finals are usually played with a “Checkmate” format. To win, players need to complete two steps: first, they need to reach the 20 point-limit to receive the “finalist status,” and then they need to grab a final top 1 to claim the champion’s belt. This format can offer some unpredictable comebacks and force potential winners to play at least once with high-risk, high-reward compositions.

Chen "Haruru" Ying-han struck first during the final with a terrifying Nashor from the Void composition, arguably the most played composition during the entire competition. But his early advantage was not decisive enough. After four games, although he reached the 20 points threshold, he was accompanied by the two Chinese players, Huanmie and Lin "XiaoLiLuo" Wenjie, and Safo20, Europe’s last hope.

A Top 1 from any of them during the next game would mean the end of the competition. Most eyes were fixed on the well-experienced Huanmie, the only former World Champion of the lobby. However, when people have reached the threshold, a completely new game starts with new key strategies, such as griefing and denial plays being unlocked.

China on top

With four players being on Match Point, the 5th game was likely to be the last one. The crowd was well aware of it, and right from the start, we could feel the rising tension in the arena. Any bad choice in the early game could have tragic consequences. Haruru was the first one to bend the knee and finished last. Not all risks are worth taking. XiaoLiLuo stayed close and showed that he belonged among the best.

But a clear duel between Huanmie and Safo20 emerged since both of them brutally dominated the rest. Pure coincidence or sign of respect, they went for two very different compositions without contesting units from each other. They chose their weapons and stuck to them until the end for a spectacular finale. The Spanish player seemed to have the upper hand with a very good scaling comp and a clear path to victory through the Bilgewater trait. Huanmie, on the other end, was put in a position where he needed something to happen. And it happened not once, not twice, but three times.

A Carousel full of Force of Nature, the “Speedy Double Kill augment” and a wonderful shop with two Nashors… Did he plan everything, or did he have some luck? Likely a mix of both, but with his quick decision-making, he was one of the few who would be able to pull off such a magic trick. Huanmie's reaction on camera said it all: before the end, he knew he had done it. He is the TPO Champion, cashing in 100,000 dollars. China can celebrate, since XiaoLiLuo finishes second ($25,000), while Safo20 takes third place ($15,000).

In the GOAT discussion

With this win, Huanmie became the second player to win both a World Championship and a TFT Open. The first one being Milala, who won the Remix Rumble Worlds and the Las Vegas Open played on the same set. For that specific reason, Huanmie’s performance might be considered as more spectacular. From 2021 to 2025 he won on both Set 5 and Set 16, showing his adaptability. Considering he also won the TFT Asian Cup in 2022, he might be the GOAT of this still-developing esports scene.