The most heated matches are gearing up for the Long Song in the Chinese division. The LPL Spring 2023 play-offs begin, where 10 teams will battle it out for a combined prize pool of $610,000, two trips to the Mid-Season Invitational 2023, and the title of top team of the new season, which is no small achievement and a good achievement for the portfolio.
Team WE and TOP Esports will also be battling it out on their way to the title. If the former are a bit slow in recent years to reach the status of the top team in the region, but here TOP Esports for several seasons goes rapidly there and sometimes they manage to secure the title.
In the new season, TOP Esports is seeing difficulties. The team failed to reach the top 4 and even the top 6, and therefore have to start play-offs from the first round of the main stage.
TES entered the play-offs from 7th place in the regular season. The team finished the main stage with a score of 9-7.
Team WE finished the regular season in 10th place. The team bounced back in the group stage with a score of 8-8.
Trying to figure out which team will be stronger in their opening match at the LPL Spring 2023 Playoffs and move up the grid.
TOP Esports form
Let's start the match review with an analysis of TOP Esports' playing form. In this match, they are the clear favorite of the meeting.
Bookmakers are confident in the early success of TOP Esports. The chance of winning the TES in the upcoming match is estimated at odds in the region of 1.2.
Quite fatal figure for the other side and it is quite justified. Although TOP Esports did not inspire terror in the new season during the regular season, they are still a huge threat for all the top clubs, not to mention Team WE.
TOP Esports lineup
In the new year, TOP Esports have assembled a solid and capable roster. It includes time-tested players with great backgrounds.
TOP Esports players
- Wayward
- Tian
- Rookie
- JackeyLove
- Mark
South Korean international Rookie is the latest addition to TES. There's no other word for it than 'reinforcement'.
Rookie has quickly settled into his new home in the game and has begun to show his class. Despite finishing in the top-7 in the regular season the renowned mid laner has earned 10 MVP titles, but he's still a long way from his LNG compatriot Scout.
TOP Esports performance
TOP Esports finished in the top 2 in splits twice last season. The first time at LPL Spring 2022 and then at LPL Summer 2022.
Played at Worlds 2022. The World Championships for TES ended abruptly at the group stages when the team failed to qualify for the play-offs.
The start of LPL Spring 2023 was a "bumpy" one. The team finished the regular season in 7th place with a score of 9-7.
TOP Esports Champions
KSante (7 games, 85% wins) and Renekton (5 games, 80% wins) remain the most popular picks for the top line. Next are Sion (3 games, 66% wins) and Darius (2 matches, 100% wins).
In the forest the ubiquitous Sejuani (9 games, 77% wins), Vi (4 games, 75%), Maokai (4 games, 100%).
Jayce (6 games, 100% wins) is the most frequent player in the midfield. Next comes Azir (4 games, 75% wins), Akali (3 games, 66%), Sylas (3 games, 33%).
TES has a standard set of shooters: Lucian (6 matches, 66% wins), Varus (4 matches, 100% wins), Sivir (3 games, 33% wins). Draven (3 games, 66% win rate) and Jhin (3 games, 66% win rate) also happen.
The following are the pool of players: Nami (6 games, 66% wins), Yuumi (4 games, 75% wins), Nautilus (4 games, 75% wins), Heimerdinger (4 games, 100% wins).
Team WE uniform
Team WE do not have such big names in their line-up, but not without their headliners.
Team WE players
- Biubiu
- Heng
- Shanks
- Hope
- Iwandy
Newcomers to Team WE are debutant Heng, Hope, formerly of the titular JD Gaming and Iwandy, formerly of LNG Esports.
Lesnik, by the way, made his debut with a capital letter. Heng was the regular season MVP nine times, which is saying a lot.
Team WE performance
Last season Team WE frankly failed. Team WE finished 15th in LPL Spring 2022 and 17th in LPL Summer 2022.
The LPL Spring 2023 play-offs are already an indication of things to come. To qualify for the main stage, Team WE won 8 of the 16 matches played.
The team finished the regular season in 10th place.
Team WE champions
At the top line, Team WE have no revelations. Collective picks KSante (4 games, 50% wins), Renekton (3 games, 33% wins), Gnar (3 games, 66% wins).
In the woods everything is also more or less standard: VI (7 games, 57% wins), Maokai (3 games, 66% wins), Poppy and Sejuani 2 games and 0 wins each.
On the centre line, there are no deviations. Azir (4 games, 50% wins), Ryze (4 games, 50% wins), Syndra (2 games, 50% wins), Cassiopeia (2 games, 50% wins).
Championship among shooters for Lucian. Champion appeared 5 times, but won only 2 matches. Tried Zeri, failed: 0-3 in three appearances.
Among the supporting champions Nami was a success. She was taken 5 times, and her win rate was 40%. Yummi (3 games, 0% wins) and Ashe (3 games, 66% win rate) were also picked.
History of head-to-head encounters
The teams played in the LPL Spring 2023 regular season. The only match was played by TOP Esports and they won 2-0.
The outcome of the match
In this match the only logical outcome I see victory for TOP Esports. The team is better in all areas.
The squad is more experienced, the results are higher, the game in the new season is better. It's unlikely that newcomer Heng can handle the pressure and smother the title contenders in their first career LPL play-offs match.
I think TES will close with a dry run. The team have run over Hope and company before without too much trouble and will do so again.
Bottom line: a 3-0 win for TOP Esports.
