Top Esports is one of the four teams representing the LPL at the 2020 World Championship. They were even the champions of Chinese League of Legends last summer and thus became the number one seed from the region.
However, the power dynamics in the LPL shifted too quickly just one year later, as all four teams that participated in the 2020 World Championship found themselves watching from home due to swift eliminations in the group stage and playoffs, including TES.
As one of the most ambitious organizations in the LPL, TES obviously cannot accept this decline. According to sources in China, the team’s management has planned to overhaul nearly the entire roster to improve the quality of personnel and make a comeback in the upcoming 2022 season.
Based on this information, TES will only retain 2 positions: Knight and JackeyLove, while the other positions will be completely replaced. The top priority is to strengthen the top lane – considered a critical weakness in the past season, as both 369 and Qingtian failed to meet professional standards.
The target identified is Bin from SN. In fact, TES has been eyeing Bin since the summer of 2021, but with Qingtian having a relatively impressive start while Bin showed signs of declining form, the team hesitated to make a blockbuster signing. However, it is clear now who outperformed whom, and Bin has once again become TES’s top transfer target.
The other two positions of jungle and support are also being targeted, with the team eyeing superstars Tian and Ming. Support is also a weak position that TES needs to reinforce, while recruiting Tian to replace Karsa is seen as a spontaneous move, as the 2019 World Championship MVP is unlikely to renew his contract with FPX and will become a free agent by the end of this year.
Securing a free agent of proven caliber like Tian would help TES execute many long-term plans, especially considering Karsa has shown signs of aging and declining performance over the past year.