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Top Esports (TES) have delivered a massive upset in the LPL Split 1 Playoffs, eliminating defending champions Bilibili Gaming (BLG) with a 3-1 victory in the lower bracket.
The loss not only ends BLG’s dominant run in China’s League of Legends scene but also denies them a spot at First Stand, the game’s newest international event.
BLG entered the 2025 season as the undisputed kings of the LPL, having swept both domestic splits last year and reached the finals of the Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship in 2024.
With only one roster change—Peng “Xun” Li-Xun departing for JD Gaming after splitting jungle duties with Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei—many expected them to maintain their dominance.
However, their road through Split 1 was anything but smooth.
The first warning signs came early when BLG suffered a surprise loss to ThunderTalk Gaming (TT), finishing second in Group C.
While they later avenged that defeat in the playoffs with a 3-1 win over TT, the real challenge lay ahead—Top Esports.
TES came into 2025 looking stronger than ever, bolstered by the signing of star jungler Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok.
However, they hadn’t beaten BLG in nearly three years—their last win dating back to June 22, 2022.
Since then, BLG have dominated the matchup, winning nine straight series.
#TESWIN @TOP_Esports_ eliminate the #Worlds2024 Finalists from #LPL Playoffs and from First Stand contention! pic.twitter.com/g3FhCwXwka
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) February 26, 2025
That history seemed set to continue when BLG took game one convincingly, appearing every bit the powerhouse that ruled 2024.
But what followed was nothing short of a collapse.
TES bounced back with three straight wins, outmaneuvering BLG in drafts and execution.
The reigning champions looked lost, unable to reclaim their usual form.
With that, their run in Split 1 was over.
Just months after reaching the LoL Worlds grand final, BLG suffered one of their earliest exits in recent memory.
Top Esports’ victory guarantees them a top-three finish and a shot at the title they haven’t claimed since LPL Summer 2020.
Up next, they will face JD Gaming—led by Lee “Scout” Ye-chan and Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan—on Thursday, with the winner advancing to the grand final against Anyone’s Legend on March 1.
The LPL champion will qualify for First Stand, an international event set to feature the top seeds from every major region.
