Introduction: The S15 season matches have officially begun, and most players have been paying close attention to the recent clashes. The LPL bubble matches have been fiercely competitive. TES team earned the third seed in the LPL region. After the matches, their team manager Guo Hao was moved to tears on the stage, showing the immense pressure they faced this season. After all, in the first split, the champion ended up ranked fourth in the region; in the second split, despite being first in the regular season, they didn’t make the top four; and in the third split, although again first in the regular season, they still had to fight through the bubble match to secure their spot. The organizers also officially announced the ticket prices for this World Championship, with the finals ticket surprisingly close to 2000.

TES’s Guo Hao Wept on the Stage

Most players are quite familiar with TES team. As a top-tier team in the LPL region, their yearly investment is substantial. Centered around their star AD carry, AShu, they have built one luxurious lineup after another, but results have often been disappointing. Once they reach the World Championship, operational mistakes tend to occur, causing them to miss out on honors. This season, TES performed reasonably well within the region—first split champions, first in the regular season for the second and third splits—but their reputation is not ideal since their BO5 performances fluctuated heavily. Even as runners-up in the third split, they had to fight through the bubble match to confirm their spot.

The four matches against IG team were relatively easy. In the first game, at just eight minutes in, Pantheon’s ultimate entry combined with Orianna’s follow-up secured the first blood by killing Rookie. Honestly, seeing the ultimate, Rookie definitely had a chance to flash away and escape. In the following team fights, TES played like a bot match, giving IG no chances and winning comfortably. In the second game, Wei started to shine, flashing around vision and, with Galio’s control, took Annie’s first blood. At 19 minutes, IG’s forced engage was perfectly countered by TES, who then secured the dragon and ended the game at 27 minutes.

In the third game, both sides played very cautiously early on. Wei’s skill helped his team get some early kills. Later team fights saw TheShy’s excavator-like aggressive entry and backline maneuvers turning the tide, helping the team salvage the game and claim a point. The last game was a total domination again—IG’s surprise Lulu mid had no impact. Hang’s two perfect initiations shattered IG’s defense, and TES easily took the 3-1 victory for the third seed. After the match, TES manager Guo Hao crying backstage sparked much discussion among fans. Indeed, this season’s ups and downs have been very tough.

The organizers also officially revealed the ticket prices for the S15 World Championship: quarterfinals range from 388 to 1088, semifinals from 488 to 1388, and the final match from 688 to 1788, divided into six tiers. Honestly, these prices are quite high, and many fans joked about whether there would be tickets for the top 17 matches. At least this match will definitely have a Chinese team participating. It’s understood that the venue for the top 17 is very small, accommodating only about 2000 people. If IG advances, ticket prices might even exceed 1788, since it would be a clash between T1 and IG.

Farewell Thoughts

I doubt anyone expected the World Championship ticket prices to be divided so finely and to be so expensive. The highest tier ticket at 1788 will probably be sold out quickly. If an LPL team participates, prices might multiply several times to watch. Of course, everyone is still looking forward to the ticket price for the top 17 matches, which will likely be announced only after the fourth seed of the LPL region is confirmed, as the organizers want to gauge the hype.

Dear viewers, what are your thoughts on this matter?