Top Esports beat ThunderTalk after three very different games
Top Esports defeated ThunderTalk Gaming 2-1 in the first week of LPL Split 3. TES won the opening game, lost the second and recovered in the decider.
TES mid laner Creme leads the opening game
ThunderTalk started the series on blue side and selected Ambessa for Keshi. Junhao used Jarvan IV, while Heru played Ryze in the middle lane.
Ahn and Feather completed the champion selection with Kai’Sa and Nautilus. Top Esports answered with Rumble, Vi, Ahri, Sivir and Alistar.
Creme received Ahri and became the main link between the TES lanes. Tian used Vi to start fights around targets already marked by Ahri.
ZUIAN’s Rumble added damage near the narrow entrances around dragons and Baron. ThunderTalk remained close during the early phase and protected its outer towers.
Both teams attacked without producing an immediate decisive fight. TES gained more control after Creme began moving through the river first.
Those movements helped Tian enter the opposing jungle with nearby support. JackeyLove kept his farm while the rest of TES created space elsewhere.
The opening game lasted 38 minutes before TES completed the final attack. Creme received the game award after his Ahri performance decided key fights.
ThunderTalk use a more aggressive lineup in game two
Top Esports changed every champion for the second game. ZUIAN moved to Gnar and Tian selected Pantheon for the jungle.
Creme played Akali, while JackeyLove used Viktor in the bottom lane. Zhuo completed an unusual pairing with Camille as support.
ThunderTalk selected Tristana, Naafiri, Annie, Cassiopeia and Shen. The lineup gave Junhao several direct ways to reach the TES back line.
ThunderTalk attacked before Viktor and Akali reached their strongest item points. Junhao’s Naafiri helped the team force repeated fights in several areas.
Heru followed those attacks with Annie and stopped the first enemy. Ahn dealt steady damage on Cassiopeia once the front lines met.
Feather used Shen to protect the first player who entered each fight. TES found fourteen kills but could not stop ThunderTalk’s control of the game.
ThunderTalk collected 32 kills and destroyed ten towers during the win. The team finished with a large gold lead and levelled the series. A deciding game became necessary after the two contrasting results.
The deciding game remains close until the late fights
ThunderTalk returned to blue side and gave Keshi Jayce. Junhao selected Nidalee, while Heru used Aurora in the middle lane.
Ahn played Jhin and Feather completed the lineup with Bard. TES selected K’Sante, Wukong, Locke, Ezreal and Karma.
| Series | Top Esports 2-1 ThunderTalk Gaming |
|---|---|
| Game one | Top Esports |
| Game two | ThunderTalk Gaming |
| Game three | Top Esports |
The early fights produced only a small difference between the teams. ThunderTalk led by two kills during part of the opening phase.
TES answered through Tian and kept the total gold almost level. Both sides reached four kills before the game passed its middle stage.
ThunderTalk later gained a modest gold lead and removed several outer towers. TES did not lose contact because JackeyLove continued farming safely on Ezreal.
Zhuo’s Karma gave the group extra movement during the next river fights. Creme’s Locke added control when ThunderTalk entered narrow areas.
At 30 minutes, the teams were level at five kills each. ThunderTalk still held a small advantage in gold and structures. The game remained undecided until the final sequence of team fights.
TES win the final fights and the series
Top Esports found better targets during the late part of the decider. Tian reached the ThunderTalk carries with Wukong in the first success.
Creme followed that opening and prevented an immediate counterattack. TES moved ahead even while ThunderTalk held more towers.
The next fight created a larger swing for Top Esports. ThunderTalk lost several players before using its range advantage.
JackeyLove remained alive and dealt damage from a safer position. TES then gained control of the central lanes and jungle entrances.
ThunderTalk never restored the earlier shape of its defence. Another fight gave TES enough surviving players for the final advance.
The deciding game ended with Top Esports inside the opposing base. ThunderTalk’s earlier tower lead could not protect the final structures.
Top Esports therefore completed the recovery within the third game. The result gave TES another series win in the new split.
ThunderTalk suffered a second close defeat against leading opposition. Each game followed a different course before TES secured the match.
JackeyLove used a different marksman during every completed game. Creme also changed his middle-lane champion throughout the series.
Those changes helped TES answer three different champion groups from ThunderTalk. The decider remained close until the final fights around the central lanes.
ThunderTalk’s second-game victory came from earlier attacks on the back line. TES removed that access during the final part of the deciding game. The late fights then opened a direct route toward ThunderTalk’s base.
