LPL 2025 Split 2 Analysis: Anyone's Legend vs ThunderTalk Gaming

Draft Phase: Unconventional Choices Define the Matchup

In a chaotic and strategically fascinating League of Legends professional match from China's premier competition, Anyone's Legend (AL) secured their position at the top of Group B with a victory over ThunderTalk Gaming (TT). While the final result seemed predictable on paper, the journey to that outcome provided a masterclass in both high-level team coordination and individual outplays that showcased why the LPL 2025 remains one of the most entertaining regions in competitive League of Legends.

From the outset, both teams established their willingness to deviate from standard meta compositions, with the casters noting "this is not the standard League of Legends that we've been seeing." This approach is characteristic of both AL and ThunderTalk, teams known for "picking weird stuff" and providing spectators with unique gameplay patterns compared to more conventional LPL squads.

The unconventional drafting resulted in a composition featuring Sion for Flandre on AL's side, while TT opted for Hoya on Camille—matchups that would become pivotal focal points as the game progressed.

Early Game Dynamics: The Pack Hunts

AL's jungle-centered League of Legends strategy emerged immediately, with Tarzan on Kindred (referred to throughout the cast as "the dog" or "the wolf") establishing dominance through relentless pathing and intelligent ganking patterns. The first pivotal moment came when Tarzen secured first blood on Bewan, setting a pattern that would repeat throughout the game's duration.

Anyone's Legend's coordinated early movements around the map echoed their previous performance against Ultra Prime, with the team systematically cutting TT's jungle away. This jungle difference translated into lane advantages across the board, particularly in the top lane where Flandre's Sion, despite traditionally being a weak side champion, began accumulating a substantial lead over Hoya's Camille.

Mid-Game Superiority: Hope's Flawless Performance

By the mid-game phase, AL's ADC Hope had established himself as the game's dominant force, eventually securing a legendary status and maintaining an astonishing 17-0 score line across his two games that day. His positioning on Kai'Sa showcased world-class understanding of the champion's capabilities, allowing him to:

Fly into fights with perfectly timed Killer Instinct engages

Follow up on Tarzan's initiations with devastating damage output

Remain positionally safe despite aggressive maneuvering

The commentators highlighted Hope's Kai'Sa gameplay, noting his undefeated status through multiple games and emphasizing his impact on AL's team fighting prowess in this LPL Split 2 match.

ThunderTalk's Resilience: Finding a Lifeline

Despite falling behind significantly in gold and map control, TT demonstrated remarkable resilience in the mid-to-late game transition. A critical turning point came when they executed a perfectly timed team fight, finally securing their first meaningful victory in a 5v5 scenario. This moment, described by the casters as "the thunder that we were hoping to see," showcased TT's potential when their composition finally aligned for the proper execution.

The team's success hinged on their "Wombo Combo" composition, which finally clicked when they secured three kills and subsequently claimed their first tower of the mid lane. This momentary success underscored TT's strategic understanding but also highlighted the execution difficulties they faced throughout the professional LoL match.

Technical Execution: Micro-Level Brilliance

Several individual performances stood out beyond Hope's flawless play in this esports match analysis:

Tarzan's Jungle Dominance

Tarzan's Kindred performance demonstrated masterful understanding of the champion, with commentators noting his ability to:

Use untargetability frames to dodge crucial abilities

Time his jungle invades to maximize pressure

Coordinate perfectly with Hope for decisive engages

Finishing the game with a 4-1-11 scoreline, Tarzan's performance reinforced his reputation as one of the LPL's premier junglers.

Flandre's Unkillable Sion

Perhaps the most memorable sequence of the entire match came in its closing moments, when Flandre's Sion attempted to end the game by single-handedly attacking TT's Nexus. For nearly 15 seconds, Flandre tanked three enemy champions while continuing to auto-attack the structure, coming within a single hit of securing victory before finally falling.

This moment, which left commentators in hysterics, demonstrated both Sion's potential as a split-pushing threat and Flandre's exceptional understanding of the champion's limits.

The Dramatic Conclusion: Realm Warp for the Win

After the near-miss with Flandre's solo attempt, AL regrouped and utilized Shanks' Ryze to secure victory through a perfectly executed Realm Warp. The team teleported behind TT's defensive line, bypassing the remaining resistance and securing the Nexus with a single auto-attack—a fitting conclusion to a game defined by both chaotic skirmishing and strategic decisiveness.

Strategic Implications: AL's Group Ascension

With this victory, Anyone's Legend secured top position in LPL Group B standings, advancing to the prestigious Group Ascend—a significant achievement highlighting their impressive form in the 2025 Split 2. Their performance throughout the match demonstrated several key strengths:

Jungle-Centric Playstyle: AL's ability to play through Tarzan's advantage creation established their fundamental game plan.

Carry Performance: Hope's flawless execution showcased AL's capacity to convert advantages into unstoppable carry performances.

Tank Utilization: Flandre's Sion play demonstrated AL's versatility in playing through conventionally weak-side picks.

Map Movement: The team's superior rotations and objective control reflected advanced macro understanding.

Areas for Improvement

Despite the victory in this LPL 2025 analysis, AL's performance revealed potential vulnerabilities:

Mid-Game Consistency: TT's successful team fight highlights potential overextensions from AL when playing with a lead.

Composition Execution: Against more coordinated opponents, AL's aggressive style might be punished more severely.

ThunderTalk's Path Forward

For ThunderTalk Gaming, this defeat contained valuable lessons:

Early Game Weaknesses: Their inability to contest early jungle pathing consistently created insurmountable advantages for AL.

Coordination Timing: The one successful team fight demonstrated their composition's potential when properly executed.

Top Lane Priority: Hoya's underperformance on Camille (finishing below 100 CS) limited TT's side lane options throughout the game.

Conclusion: AL's Impressive Form Continues

Anyone's Legend's victory secures their status as one of the LPL's top-performing teams in the 2025 Split 2, with performances from Hope and Tarzan particularly standing out as world-class. Their advancement to Group Ascend positions them favorably in the playoff picture, while ThunderTalk will need to address fundamental early game weaknesses to improve their standing.

The match, despite its somewhat predictable outcome, delivered extraordinary entertainment value through individual outplays, near-impossible escape scenarios, and one of the most memorable base race attempts in recent LPL history. As the 2025 Split 2 continues, both teams have established clear identities that will shape their trajectories through the remainder of the season.