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We continue to keep an eye on what's happening at LPL Split 1. There in the Chinese region, the play-offs are in full swing.
LPL Split 1 is important because it's the championship that will determine the First Stand 2025, the first international tournament of the 2025 season. Among the contenders for passage are Ninjas in Pyjamas and Top Esports.
Both teams are in the bottom of the play-offs and now they have no chance of losing. Let's see who will be stronger.
Let's go.
Top Esports uniforms
We open our analysis of Top Esports vs Ninjas In Pyjamas with an analysis of Top Esports' form. In this match, they are playing as favourites with odds to win at around 1.6.
In 2022, Top Esports finished top-2 in the domestic league twice and then made two appearances at the 2022 Worlds, where they finished top-10. In the new season, the situation is slightly worse: they finished top-7 in the LPL Spring 2023, managing to qualify for the play-offs but failing to win a single game there.
- Tes Esports lineup: 369, Kanavi, Creme, JackeyLove, Crisp.
The group stage for TOP Esports was pleasant, but far from perfect. TES shared the top 4 of the regular season with LNG, going 12-4 in the series.
In their first play-offs match, TES faced serious resistance from EDG. TES defeated their counterparts by a score of 3-2.
TES fell to the bottom seed after a clash with Bilibili Gaming. That match ended in a 3-1 victory for the latter. Further bad luck continued in the lower grid of LPL Summer 2023. In the match for life at the tournament TES met LNG Esports, tried to impose a fight, but were powerless, lost with a score of 1-3 and left the tournament on the 4th line.
TES later played at the LPL Regional Finals 2023, where they tried to make it to the Worlds. Again they came up just short, as TES Ledge beat WBG 2-3, thus losing their chances of making it to Worlds 2023.
TES also had NEST 2023, where TES failed to make it out of the group, finishing 2-1. The group stage of Demacia Cup 2023 was quite easy for TOP Esports: they didn't lose a single match in Group D and easily made it to the main stage. However, in the play-offs, TES did not have the same ease: TOP Esports lost their first play-offs match to Ledgeiv JDG 2-3, which is not too bad considering the overall condition of the teams during the last season.
TOP Esports had a very good LPL Spring 2024 regular season: the team went 13-3, thus advancing straight to the Double-Elimination stage. In their first round of play-offs, TES played against JD Gaming and easily stomped them 3-0. Next were BLG in the match for the play-offs and there unfolded a real drama with a 3-2 victory in favour of Bilibili Gaming. In the LPL Spring 2024 Grand Finals, TES played against JD Gaming and were outplayed for the second time.
In the LPL Spring 2024 Grand Finals, TOP Esports played against Bilibili Gaming and lost 1-3.
In the first match of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2024 Top Esports easily defeated LOUD with a score of 2-0. In the Bracket Stage match, TES played against Fnatic, where they won 2-1. They made their Bracket Stage debut with a solid 3-0 win over Liquid. Next was a defeat by Gen.G, followed by an elimination by G2 Esports and, as a result, Top 6.
TOP Esports also played at Esports World Cup 2024, where they reached the grand finals, but lost to T1.
At Worlds 2024, TES went from third place LPL Summer 2024 where Ledgeili WBG. The Long Sogpeg World Championship itself was won by the reigning world champions T1. Next was a loss to Gen.G, and then a solid win over Fnatic. They advanced to the play-offs after defeating DPlus KIA. Worlds 2024 play-offs did not go well: a 0-3 loss to T1 and a Top 8 exit.
The 2025 Longs season started with the group stage of LPL Split 1, where they drew 2-1 in Basket A. Going into the play-offs Long Sogpeg started from the first round of the lower bracket against a pretty chippy Invictus Gaming and won 3-1.
Most Popular Top Esports Champions
KSante (7 matches, 85% wins) and Renekton (5 matches, 80% wins) remain the most popular picks for the top line. Sion (3 matches, 66% wins) and Darius (2 matches, 100% wins) are next.
Sejuani (9 games, 77% wins), Vi (4 games, 75% wins), Maokai (4 games, 100% wins) are ubiquitous in the forest.
Jayce (6 games, 100% wins) appears in the mid (6 games, 100% wins). Next are Azir (4 games, 75% wins), Akali (3 games, 66% wins), Sylas (3 games, 33% wins).
TES has a standard set of shooters: Lucian (6 games, 66% wins), Varus (4 games, 100% wins), Sivir (3 games, 33% wins). Draven (3 games, 66% wins) and Jhin (3 matches, 66% wins).
Pool players: Nami (6 games, 66% wins), Yuumi (4 games, 75% wins), Nautilus (4 games, 75% wins), Heimerdinger (4 games, 100% wins).
NiP Form
We continue the analysis of the NiP vs Top Esports match with the analysis of the Ninjas In Pyjamas form. They are playing as outsiders with win odds around 2.6.
The first tournament for the Ninjas was the LPL Spring 2023. There NiP took the top-13, which is not a terrible result for the debut.
- NiP roster: Shanji, AKi, Rookie, Photic, Zhuo.
After the Top 13 at LPL Spring 2023, Ninjas in Pyjamas resorted to stand-ins. They affected both the management and the playing staff. The changes were clearly beneficial, because in the summer split NiP looked fresh and deservedly passed in the play-offs LPL Summer 2023. In the group stage, NiP finished in the top 10 and made it to the play-offs, where they even managed to get through the first round and ended up in the top 8.
In between LPL Summer 2023 and Demacia Cup 2023, NiP visited NEST 2023. They didn't play seriously there and made it to the top 8.
At Demacia Cup 2023 NiP look quite good. They confidently passed the group stage, winning all their matches.
NiP continued to show class in the play-offs. The first match of the main stage was against the vice-champions of Worlds 2023 Weibo Gaming. And not just played, but won - in a serious fight (3-2). As a result of Demacia Cup 2023 NiP managed to get into the top 4, where "Ninjas" met with Bilibili and lost.
In the group stage of LPL Spring 2024, NiP, I would say, played better than what was expected of them. They finished in the top 5, which allowed them to go straight into the second round of play-offs.
LPL Spring 2024 started the main stage with a pretty tough win over Team WE. NiP won with a score of 3-2. Then another win and this time against FPX and again 3-2. And with Bilibili Gaming NiP did not cope, but managed to take the map - 1-3. As a result, the top 4, which was a very good result for the club.
At the LPL Summer 2024 NiP Long Competed from Group D, where they took TOP-2. Rumble Stage LPL Summer 2024 was quite tough and NiP took the last line, playing it with a score of 0-8. They qualified for the play-offs after defeating Rare Atom in the so-called Decider round. However, after a very disappointing group stage, they played pretty well in the play-offs, making it through two rounds and finishing LPL Summer 2024 in the top 6. After LPL Summer 2024, they played the Chinese regional finals, finishing in the top 4.
They started the 2025 season very confidently. In their group at LPL Spring 2025, they played 3-0. Entering the top set of play-offs, they met Anyone's Legend. They lost in an evenly contested match with a score of 3-2.
Most popular champions Ninjas in Pyjamas
NiP's top line takes Jax (3 matches, 33% wins), Gwen (2 matches, 50% wins), Gangplank (2 matches, 50% wins), Jayce (2 games, 50% wins).
In the woods, Maokai (7 matches, 42% wins), Sejuani (4 games, 25% wins), Vi (3 games, 66% wins) were permanent.
The centre line was most often occupied by Sylas (5 matches, 40% wins), Ryze (3 games, 100% wins), Akali (2 games, 0 wins).
Zeri and Sivir peaked equally often on the shooter position. Both heroes appeared 4 times, but the former won all his games, and the latter - none.
Ashe appeared most often amongst the Spurrots. Archer was chosen 5 times and won 2 matches. Yuumi (4 matches, 75% wins), Heimerdinger (4 matches, 25% wins) were also frequently played.
History of head-to-head meetings between NiP and TES
This will be the 5th match between NiP and TES in history. The Ninjas have never won before.
Predicted result of TES vs Ninjas in Pyjamas on LPL Split 1
In this matchup, everything points to a Top Esports win. Historically, they are always better than NiP, and this season they look very good, especially after the victory over IG.
Bottom line: TES win.
