With the third phase of the LPL nearly finished, many fans are observing that the league now resembles a giant “spinning top,” where no team can truly establish dominance and everyone is battling each other. For example, among the top four teams, only BLG has consistently struggled recently, suffering surprising defeats despite big leads to AL, TES, and IG, while the other three have exchanged wins and losses.

Currently, TES is undoubtedly the team most likely to secure first place in the regular season. Having beaten AL twice and taken wins against both IG and BLG, TES now sits atop the standings with ten wins and two losses. With only FPX and WE left to play, as long as TES maintains their form, they’ll earn the “revival armor” for playoffs, and a top-four finish guarantees a spot in the LPL gauntlet tournament.

The LPL’s most successful comeback player has arrived!

With TES almost certain to clinch first in the regular season, many LPL fans are amazed by the transformation of TES’s support, hang. When hang joined TES during the transfer window, supporters were worried about the team’s future due to his erratic performances on WBG. Many fans even labeled hang as the weakest support in the LPL. (He once tried a full-health Alistar tower dive against Rell and got solo killed, leaving viewers baffled and questioning his professionalism.)

However, since joining TES, hang hasn’t dragged the team down; instead, he’s delivered standout plays throughout the split. Especially in matches against AL, his Alistar and Rell secured back-to-back MVPs, bringing his total MVP count to an impressive four—ranking first among LPL supports. Many fans now joke that hang is on track to make the LPL All-Pro support team. (Kael, ON, and Liu Qingsong have each earned three MVPs this season, while Meiko has only one.)

JKL’s “magical ability” sparks discussion

With hang’s visible improvement, many LPL fans have turned their attention to JKL, believing he possesses a unique talent: the ability to “redeem” his supports. No matter how underperforming or poorly regarded a support may be, pairing with JKL seems to elevate them into the top three of the league, even triggering a peak in their careers. For instance, Meiko was criticized for holding back Uzi but became Support of the Year after teaming up with JKL. Mark, who was previously jobless, also rose to become a top LPL support alongside JKL.

Of course, aside from Meiko, all of JKL’s former supports are currently without a team. This has led many to wonder whether hang would revert to his old form if he left TES. Others argue that JKL’s ability to boost his supports stems from his natural leadership skills; those who listen to TES’s team comms know JKL often acts as the shot-caller, allowing supports to focus solely on their gameplay. (Meiko is a prime example—he struggled when splitting attention between playing and shot-calling at EDG and IG, but after joining TES and with the arrival of jungler WEI, his mechanics improved significantly.)

Conclusion

Do you think TES has a strong chance of finishing first in the regular season? Last split, TES also topped the regular season but was upset by WE in playoffs. Now, TES is set to take first again—can they claim the championship this time? And why do supports with poor reputations always seem to thrive after joining TES?