Top Esports

Foundation and Early Years as Topsports Gaming

The organization began as Topsports Gaming, unveiled on 21 December 2017 when the Topsports company acquired the LPL competitive spot from DAN Gaming. The team's competitive debut came quickly at the 2017 Demacia Championship, where they placed between ninth and fifteenth after losing in the third round to Suning Gaming. The 2018 season was a period of development. In the spring split, the team was placed in the LPL's eastern conference and finished seventh with a record of three wins and sixteen losses. For the summer season, they were moved to the western conference and showed marked improvement, placing third with a ten and nine record to qualify for playoffs. Their postseason run was brief, ending with a first-round loss to Royal Never Give Up.

Outside the regular LPL season, Topsports Gaming began to show promise in other domestic competitions. The team was one of eight that participated in the 2018 National Electronic Sports Tournament, known as NEST 2018. There, they advanced to the finals but lost to JD Gaming to finish as runners-up. This result qualified them for the 2018 Demacia Cup winter season, where they replicated their second-place finish, this time falling to Invictus Gaming in the championship match.

Roster Rebuild and the Rise of Knight

Ahead of the 2019 LPL Spring Split, Topsports Gaming overhauled its main roster, establishing a new core of players. The new lineup featured top laner Bai '369' Jiahao, jungler Xiong 'Xx' Yulong, mid laner Zhuo 'Knight' Ding, bot laner Lee 'LokeN' Dong-wook, and support Nam 'Ben' Dong-hyun. This roster proved immediately competitive. In the spring regular season, the team finished third with an eleven and four record. They carried that momentum into the playoffs, reaching the semifinals before losing to Invictus Gaming. They then lost the third-place match to FunPlus Phoenix, securing a fourth-place finish for the split. For NEST 2019, the organization fielded its trainee roster, which placed between fifth and eighth after a quarterfinal loss to Edward Gaming.

On 15 May 2019, the organization announced its rebranding from Topsports Gaming to Top Esports. Under the new name, the team continued its strong form in the 2019 LPL Summer Split, finishing second in the regular season. In the playoffs, they won the third-place match against Bilibili Gaming. However, their hopes of reaching the 2019 World Championship were dashed after a narrow loss to Invictus Gaming in the final round of the regional finals.

Strategic Acquisitions and a Championship Core

The end of 2019 saw significant roster changes designed to push Top Esports over the top. On 15 December, jungler Xx left the team and was replaced by the experienced LMS region veteran Hung 'Karsa' Hao-hsuan. Shortly after, support Ben and bot laner LokeN also departed. Their positions were filled by Zhang 'QiuQiu' Ming and Liang 'yuyanjia' Jiayuan at support, and Ying 'Photic' Qishen as the new starting bot laner. The team ended the year with a fifth to eighth place finish at the 2019 Demacia Cup after a semifinal loss to Vici Gaming.

The most important move came ahead of the 2020 season with the intended signing of former Invictus Gaming world champion Yu 'JackeyLove' Wenbo as the new bot laner. Due to the length of his prior contract negotiations, JackeyLove was unable to play until near the end of the 2020 Spring Split regular season. Until his arrival, Photic remained the starting bot laner. The team also experimented between QiuQiu and yuyanjia in the support role throughout the split.

The 2020 Breakthrough Season

Despite the roster experimentation, Top Esports finished fourth in the 2020 LPL Spring Split regular season with an eleven and five record. In the playoffs, they defeated Team WE and then Invictus Gaming in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, advancing to their first-ever LPL finals. In a closely contested series, they ultimately lost to JD Gaming to finish as runners-up. When the global COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational, it was replaced by the Mid-Season Cup, an online event featuring the top four teams from the LPL and South Korea's LCK. Top Esports was placed in Group A with FunPlus Phoenix, DAMWON Gaming, and T1. They finished second in the group, advanced to the knockout stage, swept Gen.G in the semifinals, and defeated FunPlus Phoenix in the final to claim the Mid-Season Cup championship.

Entering the 2020 LPL Summer Split with a settled roster, Top Esports dominated. They finished first in the regular season, earning a direct bye to the playoff semifinals. There, they swept Suning to advance to the finals, setting up a rematch against JD Gaming. In another tense series, Top Esports emerged victorious, claiming their first LPL title. This victory qualified them for the 2020 World Championship as the LPL's first seed, the highest possible qualification from the region.

World Championship and Group Stage Draw

Qualifying for the 2020 World Championship was the culmination of Top Esports's three-year journey. For the main event's group stage, they were drafted into Group D. Their opponents were the South Korean team DRX, the North American team FlyQuest, and the Russian team Unicorns of Love. While the notes do not detail the team's performance beyond the group stage draw, their participation as the LPL's first seed placed them among the favorites and marked their arrival as a global contender in League of Legends esports.

Organization Identity and Esports Footprint

Top Esports, widely referred to by its abbreviation TES, is a Chinese organization owned by the athletic apparel retailer Topsports. Its identity and primary competitive focus are firmly rooted in League of Legends, where it is a consistent top-tier team in the LPL. According to esports earnings statistics, the team's approximate total winnings from tournament prizes exceed three million dollars. The organization maintains an official presence on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. While its fame stems from its League of Legends squad, the notes indicate the organization's reputation is built upon its success within that specific game and the competitive Chinese esports ecosystem.