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Top Esports crushed the 2020 League of Legends World Championship finalists Suning 3-1 in the LoL Pro League (LPL) Spring Playoffs to secure a spot in the upper bracket semi-finals. TES are now only two steps away from winning back-to-back LPL titles.
Top Esports Show No Mercy To Suning
Top Esports knocked Suning out of the LPL Spring Playoffs on Tuesday, April 6, with a commanding 3-1 victory, to advance into the next round, where they’ll face EDward Gaming.
The bout between Suning and Top was billed as one of the most exciting bouts of the LPL playoffs since both sides have had a very dominant run through the latter stages of the split. And while the esports bookmakers had Top priced at odds of -145 to win, no one had expected such a one-sided display from Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo and his crew.
The opening two maps of the series played out in a very non-traditional LPL style, with both teams approaching the game very cautiously – showing respect to their opponents and prioritizing farming and slow gameplay. This led to two 40+ minutes games, with teams splitting the series 1-1, at which point Top shifted into a higher gear.
The reigning LPL champions needed just over 19 minutes to win map three with one of the most dominant performances we have seen this season. They ended the third map with a 17k gold lead in 23-4 in kills while denying Suning a single neutral objective.
The final game of the series lasted for a while longer (30:31), albeit the final result was not that much different. TES opted for a hyper-aggressive play, which gained them an early lead that became an impossible problem for Suning to overcome.
Top Esports’ Resurgence
Top Esports were a force to be reckoned with last season, having dominated the 2020 LPL Summer Split. They ended the regular season with a 13-3 record and then went on to defeat JD Gaming (3-2) in the grand finals to secure their maiden LPL title.
Billed as the strongest Chinese LoL team, Top were expected to bring home the Summoner’s Cup but suffered a shock 1-3 loss to Suning in the LoL World Championship semi-finals to finish the organization’s first Worlds appearance in third-fourth place.
Even early into the 2021 LPL season, Top Esports struggled to impress, having won only half of their opening six games, but as the season went on, Top found their stride. JackeyLove and co. ended the final five weeks of LPL spring with a near-perfect 9-1 run, which was good for a third-place finish in the regular season.
Odds for the EDward Gaming vs. Top Esports match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- EDward Gaming +135
- Top Esports -179
- EDward Gaming +1.50 Maps -169
- Top Esports -1.50 Maps +131
- Over 4.50 Maps +167
- Under 4.50 Maps -217
Top Esports In For a Tough Test On Thursday
By defeating Suning, Top Esports have earned the right to face off against EDward Gaming in the LPL Spring upper bracket semi-finals, where they will face their toughest challenge yet. That said, Top Esports won their last meeting with EDward on Saturday, March 13, with 2-1, so they shouldn’t be too scared of entering the arena.
Due to their success against EDward last time out, it should not come off as a surprise that esports bookmakers are offering odds of -179 on Top to come out ahead. That, however, does not guarantee them success since EDward have proven before that they don’t go down easily.
Even though EDward Gaming were not regarded as a good team for a few years now, they’re still the most successful team in the LPL history. They won five LPL titles in 2014-2017 and are now in the best position to add their sixth since 2018 when they lost the LPL Summer finals.
Although there is no telling how this game will go, we can be sure that we’re in for an exciting series that won’t leave any LoL esports fans indifferent. The match will be played on Thursday, at 17:00 CST, and will be broadcasted on Twitch and Lolesports.