On April 20th, 2024, the LPL Spring Champion was officially named as Bilibili Gaming (BLG) after they convincingly defeated Top Esports (TES) with a score of 3-1. This victory awarded BLG their first LPL title and gives them a significant advantage at MSI 2024. Specifically, they will have a spot in Stage 2 instead of having to play from the Play-In Round (TES must participate in this stage).
Just hours after BLG’s victory, the draw results for the MSI 2024 Play-In stage were also determined. Accordingly, VCS representative GAM Esports (GAM) will face Fnatic (FNC) in their opening match. Joining GAM in the group are TES and the champions of the CBLOL region – LOUD (LLL).
Immediately after the group draw results were announced, the LPL media expressed extreme concern for TES’s chances at MSI 2024. One of the primary reasons cited was the possibility of TES facing GAM in this tournament. Remember, JackeyLove and his teammates suffered a humiliating defeat to GAM at Worlds 2022, which led to their elimination right from the Group Stage. This painful history could repeat itself if TES encounters GAM at MSI 2024.
Not stopping there, what worries the LPL media the most is TES’s extremely unstable performance. In the recent LPL Spring Final, this team made many unnecessary mistakes. Unfortunately, the brightest star of TES – JackeyLove has frequently made errors that put his team in difficult positions.
Fairly speaking, for GAM to have a chance to face TES, they must first overcome the experienced Fnatic from the LEC region. This is already a huge challenge for the VCS representative. At Worlds 2023, GAM, with their strongest roster, couldn’t even defeat FNC. Now with a severely weakened lineup, no one dares to believe GAM will create an upset against the two giants from LPL and LEC.
As for TES, they need to quickly address their weak point of inconsistent performance in preparation for MSI 2024. While the opponents in the Play-In Round may not be strong enough to challenge TES, facing stronger teams in Stage 2 could cost TES dearly due to this weakness.