u/Is_J_a_Name

TES are very popular, because Jackeylove (and the other two IG carries) are the most popular players in China. If you had to rank it historically, TheShy is generally #1 followed by Uzi, then JKL/Rookie. That's why in years where TheShy wasn't playing, TES was the team with the most traffic and viewership in China, and when he was playing it was WBG or IG.

BLG are popular too by virtue of their competitiveness in the past 4 years and the personalities of some of their players, though they have a lot more haters than TES.

The only player with a personality on that team was Flandre and he's gone. Tabe brought additional personality last year and while Shanks had an infectious passion in big wins, he completely killed any fanbase he was building up with his misogyny drama after MSI.

BLG last year at least you have a sort of what if feeling that they could be competitive if they played a Bo5, with AL you can feel that every game they played this Worlds they are just worse than their opposition.

No one should be scared of AL now even if they win this series. They look dead and lifeless, I'm sure part of it is that their drafting coach couldn't get a visa but even still.

surely we dont full send on a liss with ult

it's insane how good this team is

TES won a Bo1 vs T1 in 2024 Worlds

0-4 start into two teams in 2-1 (assuming TES close) with BLG still left to play in 1-1 is a pretty good recovery all things considered

G2 quite literally lost to TES last Worlds, what do you mean every Worlds? Do people memory hole that series?

Shoutout to RNG having a roster of Xiaoxu, milkyway, Tangyuan, and JiaQi, three of those players having great individual 2026s, and somehow ending up as the worst team in the LPL with that lineup. Turns out that's what happens when you don't pay your players.

TheShy, Rookie, and Jiaqilove it's like we're in 2018 again

if both IG and TES do get the win then it does really make day 1 disaster not matter at all, would be a really big recovery for LPL

NICE

look at him go

IG and these early topside fights, hopefully it doesn't go the same way as the GEN game

I feel like 1-1 tends to be where Swiss gets a little strange, so I'm feeling one of these matches will be an upset

At the same time the issue with teams that are supposed to be good being shit is that at any point they can suddenly become good

LPL getting the runback vs EU

I thought it was just me, it kind of sounds like he's mumbling. He seems to have a lot less energy as well in these interviews

Seeing this game I think I still have faith in BLG as long as they draft well

man it kinda feels like t1 is actually gonna win again
nothing against them but i really hope someone else steps up because 5 years of the exact same narrative cannot be healthy for the scene

3-8 vs Yagao somehow

I think he has a losing record vs Yagao

edit: just checked, Chovy 3-8 Yagao, with the Bo1 record being 1-2 in favor of Yagao and the Bo5 record being 0-2 (0-3 and 2-3) in favor of Yagao

2025 CFO was only a year ago.

if we rewind the clock to 2018 TheShy, 2022 Wei, 2018 Rookie, and 2021 Meiko we can win Worlds