Taipei Assassins

Humble Beginnings as For The Win

The origins of the Taipei Assassins trace back to a group of friends who formed the team For The Win, or FTW. The core was built around support player MiSTakE and top laner Stanley, who were introduced to jungler Lilballz and others. With mid laner A8000, they entered Garena's G1 esports competition. FTW won that event ahead of 150 other teams, earning a spot at the 2011 World Cyber Games.

Their international debut was modest, as FTW finished third in their group with a 2-2 record. They defeated Team Jantelaget and Orange eSports but lost to NaJin e-mFire and Millenium. Mid laner A8000 left the team after this event. Despite the early exit, their performance caught the eye of Garena, the game's developer and publisher in Southeast Asia. Impressed by the squad's potential, Garena offered to become the team's official sponsor. On 9 March 2012, Garena acquired the FTW roster and rebranded them as the Taipei Assassins, marking the start of a professional era.

Building the Championship Roster

Approximately one month after the Garena sponsorship began, Taipei Assassins underwent significant roster changes to form the lineup that would make history. The team welcomed AD carry bebeisadog and mid laner Toyz into the starting roles. Original support player colalin and mid laner NeXAbc moved to substitute positions. Team captain MiSTakE also made a crucial role swap, transitioning from AD carry to become the team's starting support.

This new configuration quickly proved its strength. In July 2012, they won the IGN ProLeague Season 5 Taiwanese Qualifiers, going undefeated in the offline playoffs. Their path to the world stage was secured at the Season Two Regionals in Taipei. TPA dominated the group stages, first going 3-0 in the Round of 32 and then another 3-0 in the Round of 8. They swept through the playoff bracket, defeating Corsair 2-0 in the grand finals to qualify for the Season 2 World Championship in Los Angeles. Shortly after qualification, the organization hinted at future expansion by adding substitute top laner Zonda and a second AD player, GoDJJ.

The 2012 World Championship Triumph

At the Season 2 World Championship held from 4 to 13 October 2012, Taipei Assassins were one of five regional champions. In a random drawing, TPA was one of four teams given a bye directly into the quarterfinals, skipping the group stage entirely. Their first opponent was the Korean team NaJin Sword, who had shown strong form. Despite being underdogs, TPA won both quarterfinal games dominantly.

They advanced to face the tournament favorites, Moscow Five, in the semifinals. Moscow Five's Alex Ich caught TPA off guard with an Evelynn pick in the first game, putting the Assassins down 0-1. TPA rallied, however, taking the next two games to win the series and secure a spot in the grand finals opposite another leading Korean team, Azubu Frost. The pattern repeated in the finals. Azubu Frost took the first game, but Taipei Assassins then displayed strong coordination and relentless pressure. They won three consecutive games to defeat Frost 3-1, securing the championship title and the one million dollar grand prize. Riot Games later commemorated the victory by releasing a set of TPA-themed skins for the champions the team used in the final game of the series.

Dominance and Decline in 2013

Following their world title, TPA continued to dominate their home region. They attended the 2012 GPL Season 1 playoffs in November as the number one seed with a 38-2 regular season record. Seeded directly into the finals, they faced the Singapore Sentinels. TPA took the first two games comfortably, but SGS surprised them with a shield strategy centered on Chawy's Karma in Game 3, securing a rout. In Game 4, SGS again gained an early advantage, but a perfectly timed Orianna ultimate from Toyz during a Dragon fight turned the tide, allowing TPA to win the game and the series 3-1, claiming the GPL championship ring.

Their 2013 campaign, however, was marked by growing struggles. They were invited to events like the GIGABYTE StarsWar League, where they performed decently in the group stage but showed disappointing losses, including one to the leading Chinese team Team WE and a surprising loss to amateur team Positive Energy. Many analysts linked these setbacks directly to jungler Lilballz's inability to adapt to the new Season 3 jungle meta. TPA still finished the GPL Spring Split with a 27-1 record, losing only one game to SGS, which was again attributed to Lilballz.

The team's slump led to tryouts for a new jungler. Although they pulled off a 2-1 victory against the strong Chinese team OMG in May, the internal atmosphere was bad due to high pressure. The situation culminated in major roster changes on 30 June 2013. Top laner Stanley was released from the team, and star mid laner Toyz retired from competitive play. Jay and Achie joined to fill the vacancies. TPA's difficult season ended with failure to qualify for the Season 3 World Championship after a 0-2 loss to Gamania Bears in the qualifiers, and a loss to ahq in the 2013 GPL Championship.

Rebuilding and Regional Control in 2014

For Season 4, Taipei Assassins rebuilt their roster. They acquired mid laner Morning from Wayi Spider, while bebe switched back to AD carry and DinTer became a substitute. The team also faced controversy as original jungler Lilballz received a ban from Garena for elo-boosting and retired shortly after.

From November 2013 to January 2014, TPA competed in the 2014 GPL Winter. They finished the group stage 8-2 and battled through the knockout stages, defeating Full Louis, Saigon Jokers, and their sister team Taipei Snipers to become champions. During this period, they also placed 5th-6th at IEM Singapore. After the Winter victory, jungler Sarsky left the team, and DinTer became the starting jungler for the 2014 GPL Spring. TPA won all their group stage matches and again fought through a tough bracket, defeating Insidious Gaming, Taipei Snipers, and ahq to claim the Spring title.

The roster continued to evolve. TPA acquired jungler Winds from Taipei Snipers. They represented the Taiwan and Southeast Asia region at All-Star Paris 2014 but had a poor tournament, losing all four matches to Cloud 9, Fnatic, SK Telecom T1 K, and OMG. Before the 2014 GPL Summer split, they further strengthened by adding Chawy from the Singapore Sentinels as a substitute mid laner. TPA dominated the Summer group stage with a 9-1 record. They then swept through the playoffs, beating Insidious Gaming Rebirth, Saigon Fantastic Five, and ahq to win their third GPL title of the year. This victory earned them the number one seed from their region for the 2014 World Championship.

Disbandment and Lasting Legacy

The Taipei Assassins' story came to an end on 19 April 2016. Taiwanese musician and entrepreneur Jay Chou acquired the team's spot in the League of Legends Master Series for his new organization, J Team. With that transaction, the Taipei Assassins officially disbanded.

The team is remembered for their 2012 World Championship run. They were the first team from Taiwan to win a League of Legends world title, and their victory against established Korean teams became a notable underdog narrative that inspired the global esports community. Their success also spurred the growth of the competitive scene in their home region. While the organization experienced later periods of regional dominance and international struggle, the name Taipei Assassins remains associated with one of the game's unexpected and celebrated triumphs.