The Swiss round 2-2 matches of the League of Legends S15 World Championship have concluded. In the last match, LPL's third seed TES faced the LCK's top favorite GEN. Before the game, everyone thought TES couldn't beat GEN, and avoiding a quick sweep would be considered a success. The result was predictable: GEN won decisively 2-0, with TES being dominated like bots, utterly powerless to fight back.

It was expected that TES couldn't overcome GEN, but what fans couldn't accept was that even with GEN throwing games, TES still suffered a crushing defeat. In the first game, the top, mid, and jungle picks were all meta-strong champions; Xin Zhao and Sion had the highest win rates in this World Championship. In the second game, Azir, usually banned due to his strength, was freely picked, and the bot lane with Yuumi and Aphelios was also extremely overpowered.

TES's compositions in both games were actually stronger than GEN's, which was because GEN was conducting tests. After the match, SANSHU revealed in an interview that recently on the red side, many champions must be banned, so GEN tried new strategies by letting the opponent pick OP champions to test if their team's ban/pick plan was solid. The results show GEN's draft strategy was correct, as TES couldn't compete even with strong champions.

Canyon stated that in upcoming matches, GEN will continue to let OP champions through to see how far they can push it. It's obvious GEN didn't consider TES a real threat, since only strong teams have the confidence to try such experimental drafts against weaker teams. Chovy's view on this BO3 matched the audience's: they believed they could beat TES but didn't expect such a wide margin.

Being shut out even when the opponent throws shows a clear gap in strength. After this loss, TES's record stands at 2-2, teetering on the edge. If they lose the next match, TES will be eliminated in the top 16. Starting 2-0 but then facing two Korean teams and failing to win a single game means giving LCK two tickets. If the next opponent is T1, TES might hand over three tickets in a row.

TES's international performance this year has been really poor. Against LCK all year, they have a 0-4 record in series and 0-9 in individual games. Including last year's World Championship where T1 swept them, TES has now lost 12 straight individual games to LCK teams without a single win, which is tough to endure. Last year, FPX also gave away three tickets to LPL; perhaps this year the tables have turned and TES is the one handing out tickets?

If TES started 2-0 but ended up eliminated 2-3, it would be truly embarrassing. However, in the subsequent 2-2 group draws, there's still a good chance TES will face Western teams. After MKOI defeated TSW, their record is also 2-2. Along with FLY, who lost to G2, TES has a 40% chance of drawing a Western team in the next round. TES fans can only hope for a strong performance from Xiye now.

Given TES's current form, if they face T1, they definitely won't win. CFO is also uncertain with slim chances. Intra-league matches favor BLG over TES, so TES's only chance to reach playoffs is drawing FLY or MKOI. But considering TES couldn't win against GEN even with many strong champions, they can't guarantee a win over Western teams either. TES might very well be stopped at 2-3 in the top 16.

Conclusion:

The opponent deliberately let strong champions through to test drafts, and TES was completely overwhelmed, showing a significant gap in strength between the teams. BLG is also in poor form now; if things get worse, an internal match next game might be best to ensure at least two LPL teams make the playoffs. Otherwise, if TES draws CFO and BLG draws T1, both could be eliminated in the top 16.

So, do you think TES can still beat Western teams now?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!