Rookie and Jackeylove reuniting on TES

It might not be 2018, but fans of the Chinese LPL know how good this duo can be. Reports say that TES are willing to cover over the salary cap and pay fines to acquire The Shy for the 2023 season. But outside of a feel-good story, how competitive can a team with Rookie, Jackeylove, and Tian be after this offseason?

Rookie signs with TES for the 2023 season

The four-time LPL MVP, Song “Rookie” Eui-jin, is back on an expectations-filled roster in 2023. After a year of overachieving on V5, it’s time for the greatest Korean player in the LPL to represent China on the international stage. The fever dream of 2018 might be long gone, but if anything, 2022 proved that Rookie is still elite. Securing the LPL’s best record in the spring split at 14-2, was enough to catapult Rookie to his fourth MVP award. But he and V5 finished third in the playoffs and summer, and barely missed out on the World Championship in the Regional finals. A revolving door in the bot lane plagued his success the entire year, but that probably won’t be the issue in 2023. That’s because he’s reuniting with one of his most established teammates from the 2018 IG roster. 2018 was when Invictus Gaming, led by Rookie, became the first Chinese team to win the World Championship. 

Jackeylove and Tian re-sign with TES

Nobody knows better than Rookie. Jackeylove giveth and Jackeylove taketh. The teenage prodigy became a World Champion as a rookie on IG but has failed to compete ever since. He moved onto greener pastures in 2020, joining Knight on Top Esports. But despite winning two domestic splits in these two years, success on the World’s stage has been avoiding him. At least one Chinese team has failed spectacularly every year at World, and this roster has two players from the last three teams. 

History of epic collapses

Much can be said about Jackeylove completely throwing away the 2022 LPL Summer Split title with one play. But what followed suit was even worse. TES bombed out in the group stage at the 2022 World Championship, despite having the best roster on paper. Despite the humiliation, Jackeylove has chosen to re-sign and give TES another chance, this time with Rookie around.

On the other side of the river, Tian will remain on jungle duty for TES in 2023. He is another former World Champion and World Finals MVP, winning it all with FPX in 2019.  But he too is haunted by failures on the brightest stage. 

Tian was on the 2021 FPX super team, which swept through China during the summer before failing spectacularly to get out of the group stage. This year, he was on the same TES roster as Jackeylove. By default, this team is destined to obliterate domestic competition and win the regular split, before choking away at international events. Both Tian’s and Jackeylove’s reputation in China has taken a toll because of this, but regardless of what happens, TES will make people tune in this year.  

Top side and support speculation

 It’s still unknown who will round out this TES roster, but the foundations are solid. Incumbent top lane starter, Wayward, had an up-and-down year as a rookie. Moments of brilliance were followed by head-scratching plays which all culminated in inconsistencies across the board. Unless TES are willing to break the bank and buy out The Shy from WBG, Wayward sounds like their best option moving forward. The mechanical prowess is there, maybe Rookie’s map pressure is what helps him take the next step. 

Outside of that, reports say that RNG top laner Bin, might be looking for a new team. Similarly to TES, RNG’s mid and bot laners were both free agents, and both might be on the move. If Bin is available and inside their budget, TES should definitely go for him. Constructing a win now roster puts a lot of pressure on young players, while Bin has won in the LPL and on the international stage.

Finding a suitable support for Jackeylove shouldn’t be hard, since every LPL bot laner excels with pure aggression. Similarly to Bin, if the RNG team is selling pieces, Ming should be their top priority. Another LPL super team might be in the books if this unfolds, but we are here for it. Otherwise, incumbent support Mark should fill the need.

Header: Weibo/ Top Esports