In the LPL Petroleum Cup selection matches, just five more BO5s remain to determine the two participating teams. On the previous match day, the first round of the loser's bracket kicked off. When OMG faced WE, they completely dominated with a 2:0 score. During the group stage, they were crushed by top-tier teams; now in the selection matches, they were shut out by the lowest-ranked team in the涅槃 group. WE's strength in this stage seems to be at the bottom among the fourteen LPL teams—they can't beat anyone.

Another match was between IG and TES. After watching the first week of group stage matches, many viewers thought these two teams would have a close battle, and TES even had a high chance of revenge against IG. But when the results came out, everyone was stunned. TES not only lost but lost miserably, with all three lanes being completely crushed. IG handled TES like playing against bots, effortlessly eliminating them.

Many fans probably didn't watch the match, so let's briefly recap this BO3. In the first game, IG immediately showed their intent, locking in Vayne for the top lane. Meiko also picked Bard, a champion he's not very proficient with. TES's lineup was more conventional. At the 2-minute mark, Wei's jungle gank bot lane successfully killed "哥哥." Shortly after returning to lane, Fengyue was killed in a lane duel, but Tian arrived promptly and took down IG's duo.

In the first dragon fight, TES collapsed completely, suffering a 1-for-3 trade. At this point, the gold gap wasn't huge yet, but TES lost every subsequent skirmish. With IG's advantage snowballing, their three carries unleashed power that TES couldn't handle. Finally, at 24 minutes, TES's base was destroyed. In the first game, TES struggled a bit early on, but the second game was absurd—all five lanes were simultaneously "spun like a top" by IG.

Within 3 minutes of the start, the bot lane was killed again in a lane duel. Top lane Breathe's Sion against Zuian's Rek'Sai kept the opponent under tower pressure, even diving to cut off minion waves. In the mid-jungle 2v2, TES also couldn't win. By 10 minutes, the kill score was 6:1, with TES's only kill taken by "哥哥." With全线 advantage, Wei controlled all jungle resources. Whenever a fight broke out, TES was instantly overwhelmed. The match ended again at 24 minutes.

In the second game, TES only secured two kills total, with the kill count reaching an夸张 28:2. The combined duration of both matches was just over 49 minutes. This was undoubtedly a bot-like game. After the first week, both teams had 3 wins, ranking top three on the standings. No one expected the gap between IG and TES to be this vast—their form is completely on different levels. None of TES's five players had any advantage.

After losing to IG, TES missed the Petroleum Cup. The upcoming matches are also看点. JDG and AL will clash for the first Petroleum Cup spot. WBG, falling into the loser's bracket, got a soft opponent OMG and likely will advance to the third round. Although IG beat TES, their next opponent is stronger: BLG, who surprisingly lost to JDG, will face IG in a major battle—it's unclear who will win this one.

LPL Week 2 is about to start. The后续 Petroleum Cup selection matches will begin on the 20th. Among the final six teams, JDG is highly likely to go to the Petroleum Cup. Tabe might have flaws against other teams, but he's特别来劲 against AL. Unless意外, AL will drop into the loser's bracket. If BLG can defeat IG, then BLG probably will go to the Petroleum Cup; but if they can't break through, it's hard to say.

Conclusion:

In Week 1, TES first crushed AL then dominated JDG, making viewers think they could compete for the "second king" position. But in the Petroleum Cup selection, they were虐成人机 by IG. What exactly is this team's strength? It's really hard to understand. In Week 2's first match, TES will face BLG, followed by another match against IG. After these two games, their true level should be revealed.

So, what do you think TES's actual level is?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!