Bilibili Gaming (BLG) has clinched a monumental victory in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), marking a historic moment for the organization. After facing near misses throughout 2023, April 20, 2024, will forever be etched in the club’s annals.
On this Saturday, Bilibili Gaming emerged as the champions of the Chinese league for the first time in their history, decisively defeating Top Esports (TES) with a commanding 3-1 scoreline in the final.
While both teams clashed fiercely in the semifinals, with the series extending to a fifth map, BLG learned their lessons well to return to the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) with their first major title.
Bilibili Gaming’s Path to Glory
Bilibili Gaming showcased their dominance in the final, reaffirming their status as the premier team in the LPL for the early stages of 2024.
The reigning champions suffered only one defeat in the regular season, against Invictus Gaming, and prior to their intense encounter with Top Esports in the semifinals, they had lost just one map against Ninjas in Pyjamas, despite the latter’s stellar form led by Song “Rookie” Eui-jin.
While the first map of the final was tightly contested, with Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang shining for TES, BLG’s carries, featuring Zhuo “knight” Ding’s Taliyah and Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao’s Lucian supported by Nami, secured the 1-0 lead.
However, TES’s MVP of the 2019 Worlds began to fade as the series progressed, allowing BLG’s jungle-mid duo of Peng “Xun” Li-Xun on Wukong and Luo “ON” Wen-Jun with a diverse champion pool, including Ornn paired with Senna, to capitalize.
Notably, one of BLG’s strategic strengths in the final was denying Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo. While the Kalista proved elusive for the 2018 World Champion, his renowned Draven provided TES with a lifeline, narrowing the score to 1-2.
Despite the valiant efforts of Elk and ON in the bot lane, supported by Kalista, TES’s JackeyLove and Tian “Meiko” Ye emerged as standout performers, attempting to turn the tide.
However, BLG showcased their superiority in the fourth map, with key initiations from their support using Neeko enabling knight and Elk to deal damage freely, while Xun excelled on Kindred. This victory was reminiscent of Cai “milkyway” Zi-Jun’s style, securing BLG’s inaugural league title.
BLG will lead the charge as #LPL's top seed at #MSI2024, while TES, our second seed, gears up for the play-in stage.
May 1st, 2024, marks the kickoff of the Mid-Season Invitational Play-in Stage in Chengdu, China. Brace yourselves for the electrifying clashes! pic.twitter.com/Tkj1Tdmk0i
— LPL (@lplenglish) April 20, 2024
Elk Shines as MVP
Bilibili Gaming’s ADC, Elk, earned the MVP award for the final after delivering a stellar performance characterized by consistency, quality, and confidence. Elk concluded the series with an impressive tally of 29 kills, translating to a KDA of 6.8, and boasted a damage per minute of 1091.
This triumph also marks Elk’s first LPL title, following his stint with the “super Team WE” comprising young prospects, including JD Gaming’s support, Lou “MISSING” Yun-Feng, in 2021. While they narrowly missed securing a third-place finish in the Summer Split, Elk and his teammates have now clinched the coveted LPL title.
However, the selection of the final’s MVP has sparked debate, with some, like Team Heretics coach Peter Dun, advocating for Xun. Conversely, a portion of the audience argued in favor of knight, who had already been named the regular season’s best player. With the exception of former JD Gaming mid-laner Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin, the rest of BLG’s roster clinched their maiden LPL title.
Full LPL Playoff Results
First Round
- OMG 1-3 Team WE
- Weibo Gaming 3-2 Invictus Gaming
Second Round
- Ninjas in Pyjamas 3-2 Team WE
- LNG 2-3 Weibo Gaming
Third Round
- FunPlus Phoenix 1-3 Ninjas in Pyjamas
- JD Gaming 3-0 Weibo Gaming
Fourth Round
- Bilibili Gaming 3-1 Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Top Esports 3-0 JD Gaming
Lower Bracket:
- Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-3 JD Gaming
Semifinals
- Bilibili Gaming 3-2 Top Esports
- Lower Bracket: Top Esports 3-1 JD Gaming
Final
- Bilibili Gaming 3-1 Top Esports
Conclusion
Bilibili Gaming’s triumph in the LPL final signifies a remarkable achievement for the organization, showcasing their resilience and determination in overcoming past setbacks to claim their maiden championship title.
As they bask in the glory of their success, BLG sets their sights on future endeavors, fueled by their historic victory on the LPL stage.
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