Top Esports have just taken down the 2020 League of Legends World Championship finalists Suning in the LPL Spring Split playoffs — and what a spectacular skirmish it was! You always know LPL teams will entertain, but sometimes the magnitude of their battles transcend even the most outlandish of predictions. In other (more simpler) words: they always deliver!
We know for a fact that the LPL is home to some of the best and most talented pro players who’ve ever taken flesh. DWG KIA might be atop the world of competitive League right now, but one could argue that right below them is a slew of top-tier LPL teams, all unique and potent in their own right. They play a different brand of League of Legends, and once you tune in it’s impossible not to observe the (controlled) chaos and bloodshed on the edge of your seat.
And, as expected, this much-anticipated clash between Top Esports and Suning in the 2021 LPL Spring Split playoffs delivered in every way, shape, and form! Not that anyone had any doubts, of course.
Those who haven’t been following the LPL lately will surely be surprised to find out that this wasn’t exactly the most premier match-up imaginable. After all, Top Esports is currently ranked third with a very respectable 12W-4L record with Suning sitting in seventh place with a much less impressive 10W-6L tally. These are top-tier teams, there’s no doubt about that, but it still goes to show just how packed with talent the Chinese region is, and how quickly the winds of change tend to blow in the LPL.
Three of the four games they’ve played were downright sensational. They were about as even as humanly possible, with both teams trading heavy blows from start to finish. And just when you thought one team had the edge, they either made an egregious mistake and threw it all away or the other found the most miniscule opening and capitalized once their backs were against the wall. It was absolute insanity.
After two very competitive games, it was as if Top decided to kick things into overdrive and put the pedal to the metal. As a result, Suning got run over in record time. It took TES a second shy of nineteen minutes to annihilate the former World Championship finalists, with a twenty-thousand gold lead and 23 kills to their name. Suning didn’t even get a single turret, let alone anything else of value.
To Suning’s credit, they came back in game four and played a lot better, but it still wasn’t enough against a team as dominant and clean as Top Esports. Everyone over at Top Esports carried their fair share of the weight, but Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo and Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan definitely stood out in the most crucial moments.
The defending LPL champions can still pack a punch, even though they might not have as much momentum as some of their peers.
Royal Never Give Up and Edward Gaming are two of the biggest favorites to win the 2021 LPL Spring Split, although the gap between them and the rest of LPL royalty (Top Esports, JDGaming, FunPlus Phoenix, and a host of other giants) isn’t nearly as big as it might seem at first glance. You could also make a case that the standings don’t paint the whole picture, but that’s a discussion for another time and place.
Regardless, the LPL playoffs have been insanely entertaining thus far and will only get better and better over the coming days and weeks. That’s what happens when we’re talking about a region as powerful and stacked with talent as the LPL. There’s always a brand-new superstar to talk about, or perhaps even a seasoned veteran who has revitalized his career by switching roles — as is the case with Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao. Add in a couple of spectacular imports (like Park “Viper” Do-hyeon, formerly of Griffin or Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon, formerly of DWG KIA), and you have yourself what can only be described as the most entertaining and competitive region in the world.
Either way, we’re dying to find out who’ll eventually mount the LPL throne and represent China at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational in Reykjavik, Iceland!
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