Introduction: The S15 season matches have officially begun, and it's believed that the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent battles. The LPL playoffs are very intense, and recently TES secured a 3-1 victory over NIP to move forward. This outcome was not far from many fans' expectations, but during this match, the NIP coach became the focus of widespread online criticism. Even in the post-match interview, he offered no apology and responded incoherently about the 4th pick choosing Elise, attributing everything to TES's excellent drafting and their bet that JKL wouldn't pick Caitlyn.

NIP coach's interview response regarding the 4th pick Elise.

Most players are quite familiar with the NIP team. As a once popular team in the LPL region, they underwent some roster changes this season. After acquiring mid laner Doinb, they attracted some attention, but their overall performance remained mediocre, not even reaching mid-tier status in the LPL. In the third segment, they were placed in the Nirvana group, and after group and qualifier stages, NIP barely made it into the LPL playoffs, where their first opponent was the top-ranked TES team from the third segment regular season. For many players, this match felt decided even before it started, with the outcome seeming nearly impossible to change.

As expected, TES defeated NIP 3-1 in this series. The draft in the first game sparked widespread discussion online, with Doinb picking Sion mid—a highly tanky and aggressive choice. By the 13th minute, TES executed a flawless four-man dive under the bottom tower, securing a triple kill without losses, quickly widening the gold gap. In subsequent team fights, TES dominated effortlessly, and by the 28th minute, they had easily destroyed NIP's base to claim the first game victory—an outcome many had anticipated.

In the second game, the early phase showed little difference between the teams, and TES even gained some mid-game advantage. However, at the 30-minute mark, a fierce team fight broke out where NIP performed flawlessly, wiping TES and tying the series. The fourth game was the closest and most intense, with many early skirmishes and no significant economic lead for either side. During continuous engagements, AShu's Jhin grew stronger, and after a four-kill in the bottom lane, TES pushed down NIP's base. Across all four games, this was the narrowest margin between the teams.

The most awkward moment was in the fourth game during the draft phase when NIP seemed confused. The 4th pick took Elise, aiming for the Caitlyn-Elise combo, but TES immediately countered by picking Caitlyn as their 4th pick and also secured Rell. At the 5th pick, NIP was forced to settle for Jhin. The result was predictable—they were thoroughly dismantled. In the post-match interview, NIP's coach addressed this issue by saying that TES's draft in the fourth game was flawless, they failed to get what they wanted, and were targeted effectively. He praised his players for holding on as long as they did. Translated, this likely means it wasn't their draft that failed, but rather TES was just too strong.

Farewell thoughts.

NIP's players have decent overall skills and could have competed well, but the coaching staff made too many risky decisions. They essentially gambled that AShu wouldn't pick Caitlyn, yet left no fallback plan. It was obvious that after TES's 4th and 5th picks, Leave was confused and unsure which AD carry to play. Wouldn't a straightforward pick like Orianna and Nocturne have been better? Pantheon could also have been used as support.

What do you, the audience, think about this situation?