Over the LPL Spring Split 2022 weekend, star jungler Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan of Victory Five went up against his former squad, Top Esports, and the series definitely delivered, all the way to the Nexus.

It marked the first time this season where he faced former teammates Zhuo “knight” Ding and Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo on opposite sides of the Rift.

The epic showdown stretched the full three games. Not only that, game one set the record for the longest game so far in the 2022 LPL Spring Split at 53:24, but get this — Top Esports could have ended it much earlier, and came extremely close at 48 minutes.



LPL Spring Split 2022: Top Esports vs. Victory Five produced the lowest League of Legends Nexus HP you’ll see in pro play

In a League of Legends meta where mid laners and bot laners are frequently picking scaling champions, it’s no surprise that pro games are running overtime.

47 minutes into the game, Top Esports had Chemtech Soul, comprising three Chemtech Dragons and one Infernal. After trading Rookie’s Azir and Karsa’s Trundle for knight’s Viktor, they broke Victory Five’s base from the bot lane, and set their eyes on the Nexus.

Top Esports vs Victory Five in the 2022 LPL Spring Split, game one
Screenshot by Amanda Tan/ONE Esports

JackeyLove’s Aphelios had scaled so well into the late game that all he needed was four hits to down a turret. Melting the last two structures protecting the crystal, Top Esports, with a numbers advantage and an open Nexus, were poised for victory.

Lee “Rich” Jae-won’s Akali and Ying “Photic” Qi-Shen’s Jinx, however, had also scaled and reached their full builds. Melting Top Esports’ HP bars, Rich clutched a triple kill. Even though Chemtech Soul’s brief respawn allowed Top Esports to continue hitting the Nexus, it was, shockingly, still not enough.

They took down the blue Nexus to 55 HP, its health so low that the green bar couldn’t be seen.

Five minutes later, Top Esports was pushing the wave together mid. The moment they surmised that Victory Five were totally out of position on the map, they huddled, walked into their base, and finally downed the Nexus with even less resistance than before.

TES unfortunately, could not find the same success in games two and three, and dropped the series 1-2 to Victory Five.

The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Spring Split 2022 continues, with daily matches livestreamed on their official Twitch and YouTube channels.

READ MORE: LPL Spring Split 2022: Schedule, results, format, where to watch