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Chen “Bin” Zebin has never been accused of playing it safe. But picking Kai’Sa, a champion almost exclusively played as a bot lane carry, in the top lane during the LPL 2026 Grand Finals is a different level of audacity entirely.
The Bilibili Gaming top laner locked in the unconventional pick for the first time in his professional career during the best-of-five series against Anyone’s Legend on September 13, 2026, at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. In a match with a championship on the line, Bin decided this was the moment to debut something nobody saw coming.
Why Kai’Sa top is such a wild card
Kai’Sa is a marksman, designed to deal sustained damage from the back line of a team fight while being protected by teammates. Top lane, by contrast, is traditionally the domain of bruisers and tanks, champions who can absorb punishment in isolated one-on-one matchups during the early phases of the game. Putting a squishy marksman in that role is inherently risky because it trades durability and frontline presence for raw damage output.
Bin’s history of high-stakes aggression
Bin has collected multiple LPL championships and Finals MVP titles across his career, establishing himself as one of the most decorated top laners in the league’s history. His champion pool has historically skewed toward aggressive, carry-oriented picks such as Renekton and Jayce, rather than the safe, utility-first selections that many top laners default to in high-pressure situations.
BLG entered the Grand Finals as heavy favorites after a dominant playoff run. The team swept AL and several other opponents in earlier rounds.
What unconventional picks mean for the LPL meta
The LPL has long been the league most willing to push the boundaries of champion selection. While the LCK in Korea tends to favor disciplined, meta-standard drafts, Chinese teams have historically embraced innovation, sometimes to their detriment, but often to spectacular effect on the international stage.
For Anyone’s Legend, facing an unknown quantity in a Grand Finals is a nightmare scenario. AL’s preparation would have centered on Bin’s known champion pool, the picks he gravitates toward, his tendencies on specific champions, his power spikes and vulnerability windows. Kai’Sa top throws all of that preparation into uncertainty. Even if AL had scouted the possibility, there’s no substitute for the hundreds of professional games of data that exist for Bin’s standard picks.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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