Top Esports just reminded everyone why they’re still a force to be reckoned with in the LPL. Their 2-0 sweep of Bilibili Gaming wasn’t just a win — it was a statement. Tian, the veteran jungler who’s seen it all, put on a masterclass that had us all remembering why we fell in love with his playstyle in the first place.
The match thread on Reddit captured the excitement perfectly:
“Top Esports vs. Bilibili Gaming / LPL 2026 Split 2 – Group Ascend – Week 3 / Post-Match Discussion” — @Soul_Sleepwhale
What made this series special wasn’t just the clean 2-0 scoreline. It was how TES controlled both games from start to finish. Game 1 went 34 minutes, giving us plenty of time to watch the teams trade blows. ZUIAN on Vayne was absolutely electric, earning himself the MVP award despite a rough 3-6-6 scoreline that doesn’t tell the whole story. Sometimes League is about more than KDA, and ZUIAN proved that with clutch plays when it mattered most.
But it was Game 2 where Tian really took over. A clean 30-minute victory with Tian earning his second MVP of the series? That’s the kind of performance that gets people talking. His jungle pathing was textbook, his teamfight positioning was perfect, and his macro calls kept TES one step ahead of BLG throughout the match.
Let’s be real though — this wasn’t the BLG we expected to see. Knight on Akali in Game 1 went 7-2-2 and looked like he was carrying, but it wasn’t enough. The rest of his team couldn’t keep up with TES’s coordinated aggression. Bin’s Gnar got bullied by ZUIAN’s Vayne, and Xun in the jungle just couldn’t match Tian’s impact across the map.
The draft phases told their own story too. TES’s coaching staff clearly did their homework. Banning out Orianna, Bard, and Karma in the first phase of Game 1 showed they knew exactly what BLG wanted to do. When BLG tried to respond with their own targeted bans, TES was ready with answers.
What’s really impressive is how TES adapted their playstyle for Patch 26.07. We’ve been seeing a lot of teams struggle with the current meta, but TES looked comfortable. Their objective control was on point — securing Herald, multiple Clouds, and two Barons in Game 1 alone. That’s the kind of macro play that wins championships.
For us longtime LPL watchers, seeing Tian back in form hits different. This guy has been through so much in his career, from championship highs to roster changes that left him searching for his identity. But when he’s locked in like this, controlling the jungle and making those game-changing plays, it reminds us why the LPL is still the most exciting region in the world.
TES’s teamfighting looked crisp too. JackeyLove on Ezreal was dealing damage exactly when his team needed it, and fengyue’s Seraphine provided the utility that let everyone else pop off. It’s that kind of team synergy that makes great teams special.
The gold leads tell the story — 71.7k to 65.3k in Game 1 might not look massive, but TES never let BLG get comfortable. They controlled the pace from minute one and never gave BLG a real chance to scale into their comfort zone.
This victory puts TES in a strong position in Group Ascend standings. We’re only in Week 3 of Split 2, but performances like this are what separate the playoff teams from the rest. BLG will need to bounce back quickly if they want to stay competitive in what’s shaping up to be another brutal LPL split.
Looking ahead, TES fans have plenty to be excited about. If Tian can keep playing at this level and ZUIAN continues finding those game-changing moments, this team could make some serious noise as we get deeper into the split. The chemistry looks good, the macro is clean, and they’re adapting well to the current patch.
For BLG, it’s back to the drawing board. Knight showed he can still carry games, but League isn’t a solo game. They’ll need better coordination and smarter draft phases if they want to compete with teams like TES who are firing on all cylinders.
The next few weeks will tell us a lot about both teams. Can TES keep this momentum rolling? Will BLG figure out their teamfighting issues? One thing’s for sure — the LPL keeps delivering the kind of high-level gameplay that makes us love this game.
