TES are a team packed with star power. They have world champion AD carry JackeyLove, as well as a secret weapon—mid laner Knight, dubbed the best player to never make it to the World Championship and MVP of the LPL Summer Split. Positive average differentials in gold, CS, and experience over his lane opponents at 15 minutes just go to show that Knight is a player who knows how to accelerate a lead.
A KDA of 7.2 and kill participation of 77 percent in the regular season make him an absolutely formidable threat for the side of TES. And his ability to work with jungler Karsa makes the duo one of the most terrifying in the LPL. This mid-jungle synergy, in combination with one of the most aggressive top laners in the league, allows for Rift Herald control, resulting in early tower damage in the top and mid lane to further accelerate Knight’s gold advantage.
JDG are, by far, the LPL’s best teamfighting squad. Whatever they do, they do it together—and so much of their success comes from the masterful execution of fights around key objectives. They’re in first place in the LPL in the number of assists per game, with a whopping 37.5 assists on average, showing that if you’re going to take a fight against them, you’d better come prepared for a bloodbath. Mid laner Yagao tends to opt for a more roaming style of play with champions like LeBlanc and Twisted Fate, meaning that all eyes land on the bottom lane for early lane pressure.
Support LvMao took the spot on the LPL’s Summer Split All-Pro team—and it’s not hard to see why. Combined with the aggressive style of ADC LokeN, the dynamic duo have racked up the highest number of two-vs-two kills in the split and 13 laning kills to their name. This bottom lane prowess in the early game is what allows for early dragon pressure, with jungler Kanavi securing an impressive 54.6 percent of available dragons in JDG’s games.
For TES, the key might be in mobilizing their bottom lane outside of the two-vs-two matchup, giving them the agency to get to fights quickly and join Knight and Karsa in skirmishes, even if they’re pushed under their tower by LokeN and LvMao. One of JackeyLove’s most well-known champions is the Kai’Sa that netted him his world championship—and one of his current most-played champs in solo queue.
Both teams should make a good showing in this year’s World Championship. They looked awesome for the entire split and are the contenders for the World Championship.