On November 7th, the 2026 League of Legends: Teamfight Tactics Open Autumn Season National Finals concluded at the Shaanxi Grand Theatre. Among the top four finishers, three were newcomers making their debut in the TFT Open. Baizhi, who won the championship this time, was one of them. Interestingly, no standard Prismatic Hextech appeared throughout the entire finals, adding an element of unpredictability to the matches.
"Riding swiftly in the spring breeze, viewing all Chang'an flowers in a single day." Baizhi rose to fame in this Chang'an chess match. As a newcomer on the competitive scene, he will join other players in heading to the 2026 Nature's Force Global Finals, writing a new chapter.
After the match, we joined several other media outlets for a group interview with the players who qualified for the World Championship through the Grand Finals, as well as Cangshan Fuxue, who advanced via the TPC Elite Circuit (cross-region competition segment). We discussed the tournament and their personal journeys.
Below is the full interview transcript:
Q: Baizhi, you had the strongest unit, Natural Spirit, in the second-to-last game but didn't win. What was going through your mind during the final adjustments?
Baizhi:Actually, my approach in every game is the same: play steadily. Do whatever feels comfortable and whatever helps stabilize my score.
Q: Cangshan Fuxue, after winning the TPC championship, you subsequently won the Xiaoye Cup. Your understanding of this season must be quite profound. Do you have any specific preparations for the Global Championship that you can share?
Cangshan Fuxue:There was just a small patch change. During scrims these past few days, we also played against foreign server players. The new composition we tried is "Wheel Sivir & Nidalee," which should be the strongest comp right now. Also, I think there are quite a few viable compositions for the next patch.
Q: To all players, no Prismatic Hextech appeared in the standard way during today's matches. Did this situation affect your macro strategies and pacing? If you could choose your Hextech augment, which color would you prefer?
Ace:If I could choose my Hextech, I would pick Spatula Fortune, because Forest Emblems are very strong in this patch. Getting a Spatula to craft a Forest Emblem basically guarantees a decent placement. Regarding the first question, I don't think it had much impact. You can play with any color of Hextech; they all work fine.
Zhiyou Shanshang:I also love getting Gold Hextech the most. But Chromatic Hextech relies even more on luck—I prepared extensively for Chromatic Hextech before the match, but none appeared, so there was nothing I could do.
Baizhi:It affected me quite a bit because I couldn't accept most Chromatic Hextech options. If the available augments were all unacceptable, my mindset might have suffered. Not having Chromatic Hextech this time was actually a good thing for me. If I could choose, either Gold or Silver Hextech would be fine, though Silver might suit me better, such as for simple XP leveling transitions.
Wu Yu Zhaozhao:I think the absence of Chromatic Hextech had some impact; it reduced the pressure on macro pacing. If I could choose, I would pick Giantify—I got it in the first game, but I couldn't adjust my state properly and played poorly, so I'd like to make up for that regret.
Cangshan Fuxue:I probably prefer Chromatic Hextech because I perform better in resource-rich games: with ample resources, you have the freedom to play creatively and allocate them effectively, which brings a great sense of accomplishment. I enjoy these complex matches more.
If it's all Gold or Silver Hextech, the game leans more towards macro management and fundamentals. These matches are quite difficult for me because everyone starts on equal footing.
Q: Baizhi, this is your first time competing in the TOC Main Event, and you've directly won the championship to secure a spot at the World Championship. Did you anticipate this outcome before the tournament?
Baizhi:From the qualifiers to the main event, I imagined myself winning the championship every night. When I stepped onto this stage, I told myself that I would definitely win.
Q: Baizhi, among the five games in the finals, which decision do you think was the most correct?
Baizhi:In every game, my decisions aimed for at least third place, securing third or second first, and aiming for first if luck allowed. My playstyle was steady in every match, even when reaching match point. For instance, in this game, I thought Ace might end the match, but I still tried my best to maximize the potential of my chosen composition. Even if he won, I could still fight for second place.
Q: Baizhi, you're about to head to the World Championship. As the new TOC King, what do you consider your biggest advantage in playstyle? What areas will you focus on strengthening in your subsequent preparations?
Baizhi:I think I'm quite suited for the Swiss stage. If I can consistently place in the top three in every game, I'll definitely reach the World Championship finals. If I need to improve, it would be my ability to play for the ceiling—for example, Cangshan can utilize Chromatic Hextech to achieve high-resource, high-ceiling plays, which I cannot match. My ability to play for the ceiling is indeed relatively weak.
Q: Ace, you already have experience winning the TOC. Now that you've broken through again to secure a World Championship ticket, how did the competitive atmosphere and player interactions in this final differ from your previous participations?
Ace:Compared to my first final appearance, I was more nervous back then. In this tournament, I was only slightly nervous in the first game; the rest went well, and my performance was decent. It's just a pity about the last game.
Q: Ace, you narrowly missed out on the championship and took second place in the finals. Looking back at the entire tournament, are there any decisions or matches that you regret?
Ace:Actually, there aren't many regrets. In the final game, there was really nothing we could do, and our itemization wasn't great either. I think finishing second is a good result, and I'm happy that Baizhi won the championship.
Q: Zhiyou Shanshang, the finals involved intense point swings across multiple games, making the race for the World Championship seats extremely tight. How did you adjust your mindset and maintain stability when the points were so close, ultimately securing your qualification?
Zhiyou Shanshang:I was still playing to win the championship, aiming for the ceiling in my decisions for the fourth and fifth games. I only secured qualification in the fifth game, but the two items crafted from B.F. Swords turned out terribly. My mindset collapsed at that point, and I had to process it on my own.
Zhiyou Shanshang:My points were decent in the last game, so I aimed for a top-three finish. Starting with Silver Hextech and wanting something unique, I hesitated between Silver Fate and Dice. Both are risky, but since it was the finals and I had already qualified, I chose Dice. However, the Dice gave me a health boost—which turned out to be a bug that I only realized later.
Zhiyou Shanshang:My strategy in this game hinged on the second Hextech augment: I really hoped it would be Gold, because components could combine into two Iceborn Gauntlets. If I got an Iceborn-exclusive augment, I could confidently play the Oracle Ahri composition. Unfortunately, it wasn't Gold, but Silver. The last three augments were not ideal, so I had to play for the floor—luck was good early on, but I played poorly later.
Q: Zhiyou Shanshang, from your perspective, in the current high-level competitive environment, do you lean more towards macro management or rolling for units? Do you think this approach will be suitable against overseas players at the World Championship?
Zhiyou Shanshang:I might be a player who leans more towards macro management. As you may have noticed, from the qualifiers to the Swiss stage, I rarely played "reroll" compositions—maybe only two or three games. I also played "Big Red" very little, only twice throughout the entire tournament. Because I am highly proficient in all three variations of the Ahri composition, I feel more comfortable playing macro-oriented comps, plus I have a deep understanding of Hextech.
Q: Wu Yu Zhaozhao, you finished fourth and successfully qualified, narrowly securing your World Championship ticket. Looking back at the finals, what were your feelings at the moment you confirmed your qualification?
Wu Yu Zhaozhao:I feel I didn't perform as well as I could have. After the third game, I finished fifth with very high HP, which caused some emotional fluctuation. However, I managed to adjust quickly while resting in the venue.
Qualifying for the World Championship by the skin of my teeth is actually satisfactory. At least it didn't lead to any major consequences, although there were minor mistakes.
Q: Wu Yu Zhaozhao, after facing the other players in your group, who do you think put the most pressure on you during the TOC Finals? What aspects of their playstyle impressed you the most?
Wu Yu Zhaozhao:The player who pressured me the most was Zhiyou Shanshang; I'm somewhat afraid of his macro play. Since I also lean towards macro management, sometimes when we face each other, we compare our transition phases. Seeing that his board quality is higher than mine makes me quite nervous.
Q: Ace, do you feel there were too many variables in the final stage of this season? Can you share any decision-making strategies to reduce late-game variance?
Ace:During matches, I pay attention to details. For example, after choosing a Hextech augment, I might hold onto some Forest cards during stages 2 and 3 because Forest is stronger in this patch. If I roll a Spatula or a Forest Emblem, the chances become much higher, so I often keep these cards to reduce variance.
Q: Baizhi, everyone currently defines you as the "Rookie Champion." What do you hope people remember about the ID "Baizhi" a year from now?
Baizhi:I hope people will recognize my strength in the future, because I believe this definitely won't be my last time standing on this stage.
Q: Baizhi, playing in your first Grand Final, newcomers are typically expected to be nervous or conservative. Is this "lack of stage fright" innate, or did you deliberately engage in some psychological preparation?
Baizhi:I'm not entirely sure what "not being stage-frightened" means. Personally, I felt very nervous, my heart was racing, and I was a bit flustered, but I tried my best to express myself. I tried to control myself during the match, but I was actually very nervous, even somewhat anxious.
Q: Zhiyou Shanshang, the World Championship stage is very different from today's arena. What do you most want to prove or showcase at the World Championship?
Zhiyou Shanshang:Since the qualifiers, I've been watching replays of foreign players, so I'm confident in showcasing my skills at this World Championship. I also hope to perform even better than I did this time.