Foreword: The S16 season has officially started, and the vast majority of players have been paying close attention to the recent battles. MSI has been playing out with great intensity. As expected, TES has encountered issues yet again. As the LPL’s “spinning top,” they failed to win a single game in this MSI, ending with a perfect losing record, ultimately falling to European and Vietnamese teams. Their “concert tour” ended before even reaching the LCK. After the match, LPL caster Miller quickly trended on social media, given that he had previously made a pledge: if TES didn’t make it to the semifinals, he would shave his head and dye his hair.

LPL caster Miller gets a buzz cut and dyes his hair

Most fans are quite familiar with TES. As a veteran team in the LPL, they have enjoyed considerable popularity and attention since their establishment. With JackeyLove at the core, they have undergone multiple roster reshuffles, building strong lineups every year. In the second stage of this season, after several players returned, their overall performance skyrocketed, even topping the LPL standings for a time. They qualified for MSI as the second seed. Many expected a standout performance this time, but as usual, they remained consistent—losing both BO5 series and exiting the tournament in disappointment.

Their first loss was to G2, allowing the first reverse sweep in MSI history. The second match saw them lose to a Vietnamese team, playing with no discernible strategy. All the bold declarations made before the tournament now seem like a joke. After the matches, LPL caster Miller quickly became a trending topic. During a previous broadcast, he had publicly set a flag: if TES didn’t reach the semifinals, he would shave his head and dye his hair. After the games ended, Miller posted just three words to express his feelings: “Unbelievable.” Clearly, no one expected that TES, so stable in the regular season, would collapse so completely on the world stage.

Amid the heated discussions, Miller posted again: “Brothers, I’ve dyed it temporarily for now, but a real man keeps his word—I will dye it for real later. I have too many concerns, and my health isn’t great; my scalp and hair roots are burning with pain right now.”

A large number of netizens commented below, suggesting that after the haircut, he should dye it deep red—since it’s the same color as the spinning top, it would be quite fitting. Some even joked that instead of a short cut, he could just shave “TES” into his hair to show his commitment.

After the match, TES’s official social media completely collapsed. Their apology message was quite sincere: “There are no excuses for this loss. The root cause lies in our insufficient strength. There are numerous gaps in team synergy and on-the-fly adaptation, which were fully exposed against strong international opponents. Our team has obvious weaknesses in communication, coordination, teamfight decision-making, and mental control—all far below the required standard.”

Below the post, the official also thanked all sponsors, but fans showed no mercy, directly mocking it as a “victim list.” Having failed in two consecutive world tournaments, it only shows that TES is not cut out for international competition. Their mental control is too poor; their true strength is definitely not at this level.

Zaijian’s take:

No one expected TES’s MSI performance to be this disastrous. So this is the team other squads were referring to when they said they’d just surrender. After losing to G2, why did their morale collapse so quickly? Did the team’s psychological counseling and accompanying coaches even put in the effort? The two rookies have indeed paid the most expensive tuition. They look decent in domestic competition, but on the world stage, they’re simply unwatchable.

How do you, dear viewers, feel about this matter?