TES's surprising win against WBG has drawn significant attention.

WBG, as a major LPL team that spent heavily during the transfer period, second only to BLG, was widely seen by fans as a strong contender to challenge BLG and AL for the top spots in the LPL. Many also viewed WBG as the potential flagship for an all-Chinese lineup. Their roster for the new season was impressive: top laner zika was once the most expensive transfer in LPL; AD carry ELK has multiple LPL championships; mid laner Xiaohu is the most decorated mid in LPL history; and JIEJIE is the only active jungler with a championship title in LPL.

However, as the LPL season progressed, many fans realized WBG’s potential ceiling was quite limited. Especially in this meta that emphasizes lane control, WBG’s top laner zika and mid laner Xiaohu’s laning weaknesses have been holding the team back. In their earlier loss to BLG, WBG players were dominated in lane, which some fans excused by saying BLG was simply too strong. Yet in subsequent matches, WBG even lost to TES, with the reason for defeat mirroring the BLG loss — being outclassed during the laning phase.

Since TES lost jungler kanavi, support hang, and AD carry JKL, many LPL viewers labeled TES as the weakest team in the top-tier group, with caster Guan Zeyuan even doubting their chances of making playoffs. But surprisingly, TES’s top laner 369 and mid laner Xiaonaiyou, supported by LDL-level jungle and support players, managed to defeat WBG. (369’s matchup against zika was dominant, especially the last game where his Kennen left zika completely overwhelmed, while Xiaohu was repeatedly suppressed and crushed by Xiaonaiyou.)

JKL not selected for the Asian Games

Although TES defeated WBG, many fans believe TES still needs JKL back to advance further in competitions. Most of TES’s losses this season are attributed to poor performance from their bottom lane AD player jiaqi. In particular, during the match against WBG, jiaqi fell behind ELK by 10,000 gold in lane. Many fans feel that a player like JKL, with outstanding laning skills, fits perfectly with the current meta that emphasizes laning strength.

Some even think that if JKL performs well during matches, he has a good chance to be selected for the Asian Games roster, especially since the LPL currently lacks strong domestic AD carries. However, an unexpected revelation came from champion coach Zhu Kai during a recent livestream: JKL will not be on the Asian Games roster, and ELK’s chances are higher than JKL’s. Once this news spread, many speculated that JKL’s exclusion might be linked to past negative rumors.

After seeing the discussion in the chat, Zhu Kai defended JKL on stream, clarifying that JKL voluntarily withdrew from the Asian Games roster and that it had nothing to do with any negative rumors. JKL’s absence from the Asian Games roster this year is because he did not participate in the first stage of the season. The Asian Games roster must be finalized before March, so missing the first stage makes it difficult for JKL to be selected. Lastly, Zhu Kai revealed that this year’s Asian Games team will be built mainly around BLG, with top laner BIN and mid laner Left already confirmed.