When the TOP Esports team declared that they would commence their 2025 Worlds campaign with a victory against the G2 Esports team, the League of Legends community was definitely the most important factor. The TES team from China secured the first victory in the Swiss stage of the tournament, leaving European fans astonished and unhappy. The match was clearly not balanced in terms of competition, and the streaming of reactions on the internet was massive as well as players and analysts dissecting every moment of it.
The tweets suggest that there was a clear-cut winner in the match. TES and their jungler, Kanavi, were said to have formed a gigantic early lead and maintained it throughout the game. A player, Vin Twilight, commented that although it was a stomp, they were not entirely satisfied with TES’s performance, especially from the main player jkl, mentioning a “devilish flash” that could have been very costly if it weren’t for the huge gold advantage. But at the end of the day, win is a win, isn’t it? And in Worlds, which is a high-stakes tournament, you take wins however they come.
As always, the community reactions have been a mix of funny, frustrating, and complete chaos. Fans of G2 are feeling the heat, with one user, Fakerfansince2013, amusingly saying that it is “another year, another no G2 in playoffs,” followed by crying-laughing emojis. Some others were not so mild, with blank asking for a petition to “kick LEC as a region,” calling the performance a “disgrace.” Oops. That’s some really harsh criticism, but when your team is beaten badly on an international stage, the negative reaction is very much expected.
G2’s mid-laner Caps is the one who seems to have benefited from the defeat; it seems that all the praise has come to him. Many comments indicated that Caps was the only ray of hope for G2, with david stating, “Caps really the only good player G2 has had in the last 5 years.” Another user, Su Heo, made a mocking comment about Caps’ hairline, tweeting, “CAPS HAS LOST MORE HAIR THAN HE’S WON WORLDS IN ALL THESE YEARS.” That’s a savage yet somewhat funny comment, not going to lie. It’s not easy to be the brightest star in a failed team, and the memes basically create themselves.
Moreover, the drafting strategy was criticized. Psalm Genesis pointed G2’s pick-ban process, he particularly criticized the Sion priority and how it left them exposed for the next game. They were looking more from the European champions and expecting them to be a bit stronger in the next matches. On the other hand, eeyore said that G2’s early game was puzzling and their strategy was too complex, adding that they should “just played normal” if they wanted to have a chance to win. It’s the case of over-analyzing the strategy backfiring, and against a team like TES, you cannot afford to take risks.
The discussion about the LEC’s health moved to the region as a whole. HyperShanee said, “Not watched professional worlds all year… is my region just that bad now? What happened to the LEC?” It’s a legitimate question especially for the fans that went through the good old days of a competitive Europe. Others, like Bao, suggested reducing the number of spots for EU teams, claiming that they don’t deserve three slots according to this performance. And leao even said, “disband LEC, EU wildcard next year.” Yes, the discourse is getting more heated and it’s just the first day.
There is optimism from the TES side but also caution. The victory is a great starting point but the comments like that of Vin Twilight’s point out the apprehension about being too reliant on Kanavi’s early game control. They were saying that without that lead, TES might find it hard, citing jkl’s shaky moments. However, for now, the team can communicate the message of a strong opener. elykalou referred to it as “the cleanest game of the swiss stage,” by saying that TES “destroyed G2” in a way that “wasn’t even fair.” Such superiority sends a warning to all other participants in the tournament.
Along with all the above, there were also more lighthearted moments like gamma_star asking if it was really the first day when HexTech soul appeared and Corbonnara theorizing that LEC teams might be playing too many weekly matches that could lead to burnout. The competition is so intense that at times the human element gets lost in esports dramas of this kind.
In conclusion, the match has created a very clear picture of Worlds 2025 wherein TES has already paved the way through their force, G2 on the other hand is slowly making their way uphill for recognition of their worth. The community’s reception reflects the very high level of commitment of the players to the game. As the tournament progresses, it is hard to tell if TES will continue to ride this momentum or if G2 will be able to stage a comeback. For now, though, the memes and hot takes are plentiful and that is exactly the kind of wild energy that makes Worlds so much fun.
