Introduction: The League of Legends S16 World Championship, as the most anticipated event in the esports scene, is the ultimate goal for many LoL teams—to win the world title. This year, only 19 teams can compete in the tournament. Consequently, the distribution of qualifying spots has become a hot topic among viewers. Most initially assumed that the first qualified team would be either HLE or BLG, since one is the MSI champion and the other holds the highest LPL world championship points. However, an unexpected turn of events occurred: TSW from the LCP region overtook everyone and became the first team worldwide to secure a spot at Worlds.

Ever since TSW dominated TES 3-1 during MSI, setting the best international record for the LCP region this year, many LCP fans have naturally become TSW supporters. TSW did not disappoint them either. In the recent Swiss stage of the regular season, TSW easily beat CFO 3-0, finishing first in their group and advancing to the LCP playoffs. With this qualification, TSW's world championship points have reached an impressive 136.

This means that even in the worst case, TSW will qualify for Worlds as the LCP's second seed, since the second-place team, DCG, can only achieve a maximum of 101 points. Currently, BLG in the LPL is in a similar situation to TSW: as long as BLG makes it to the LPL playoffs, they can secure a spot in the S16 World Championship based on their accumulated points from the first and second splits. Meanwhile, HLE from the LCK, as the MSI champion, has a special privilege: if they qualify for Worlds, they are guaranteed at least the LCK's third seed.

Can TES get their revenge?

After TSW confirmed their qualification, many LPL viewers called on TES to also make it to Worlds and seek revenge. After all, TES's loss to TSW during MSI was truly embarrassing—it was the first time in over a decade that an LPL team lost a BO5 to a Vietnamese team. Of course, there are also many trolls who hope to see TSW defeat TES again at Worlds, since TES is known for making history in unexpected ways.

Naturally, many LPL fans do not want TES to qualify for Worlds, given their poor international performances in recent years. However, considering the overall strength of the LPL, it seems nearly impossible to stop TES from qualifying. The EWC (Esports World Cup) this year has already demonstrated that other LPL teams are not stronger than TES. Therefore, I predict that even if TES doesn't get the second seed, they will likely secure the third seed.

Currently, TES's world championship points in the LPL are second only to BLG. As long as BLG doesn't make a major mistake, TES will likely coast into Worlds thanks to their point advantage. Setting aside points, the only teams that can threaten TES in the LPL are BLG, AL, and IG. The rest are easily crushed by TES. In particular, in the highly anticipated match between JDG and TES, JDG was shut out completely. Do you think TES has a high chance of qualifying for Worlds this year? And if they do make it, can they successfully take revenge on TSW?

Conclusion

TES's mid and bot laners are still too dominant in the league. However, TES also has clear weaknesses. For example, their jungler Tian has been in poor form recently. In the third split, TES lost only four small games, and in all of them, Tian was the opposing MVP. Many viewers criticize Tian for not being able to jungle efficiently and lacking map impact. Do you think that if other LPL teams target Tian, TES might miss out on Worlds?