Updated on December 17, 12:52 p.m. (GMT+8): Added more images and made minor improvements.
Teamfight Tactics Japanese pro player Haruto “title” Nishigaki came into Macao Open 2024 as one of the big favorites.
The Zeta Division pro already made history as the first two-time TFT world champion, winning Runeterra Reforged in 2023 and Magic n’ Mayhem Tactician’s Crown a month before Macao Open. He made Top 8 at Macao Open and was one of the last two standing in the decider.
His achievements in TFT esports has led some fans to compare him to League of Legends icon Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok who has won five world championships with T1 and qualified seven times to the Worlds final, more than any other player.
While title doesn’t see himself in the same league as Faker, his pro practices and habits that has led him to compete consistently at the highest level of TFT esports are surprisingly similar to Faker, ONE Esports discovers.
He’s still looking for another title — the story of TFT esports pro, title
Title has been using his in-game name for about 10 years now. “I don’t remember the actual reason why I chose it. I probably thought it was a cool English word as a kid and picked it as my handle,” he said.
Now 22 years old, he started gaming at a young age thanks to his parents, who are also gamers. This made it easier to bridge the subject of wanting to become a full-time Teamfight Tactics pro for they were “very supportive” of his decision.
He started with Riot Games’ MOBA League of Legends first, but prefers the ranked system in TFT which he says is “more suitable to my playstyle” as a single-player game as opposed to a 5-man team-based match.
Competing professionally since 2021, title has won multiple TFT tournaments at regional and international levels. These tournaments were all held online, making TFT Macao Open his first offline LAN event, which he admits did impact his form.
“To be here with spectators is a very different experience. The newness definitely contributed to my nervousness, but once I was able to calm down, I started to focus,” said title, who also felt additional pressure entering the competition as a two-time world champion.
“Everyone was expecting me to win. I wanted to win and I didn’t want to lose. I felt like the feeling of not wanting to lose became stronger,” he added.
Title topped his lobby in Round 1 at Macao Open, placed second in Round 2, third in Round 3 and Round 4, and barely made it through Round 5’s Top 32. He finally had a comfortable showing in Round 6’s Top 16, topping his lobby once again to qualify for Top 8.
In the final, he finished in first and second place, then dropped to 7th in game three and four, delaying his On Check status. Finishing 4th in game five, he eventually went toe-to-toe with an On Check Shiquz in the deciding game six, surviving with just one HP.
In the last moments, Shiquz managed to roll for a 2-star Viktor — one up title’s 1-star Viktor — which got the crowd going at the venue. Shiquz won the round, becoming a first-time TFT world champion. The Chinese player attributed his success to Rumble more so than the 6-cost unit, he commented in the post-game press conference.
Despite the loss, title is still regarded as the most consistent player in the TFT esports scene so far. He’s competed in five Tactician’s Crown and won two. Here at the Macao Open, his first international LAN event, he placed third overall.
He attributes his continued success to the TFT community in Japan. “After Riot Games removed stats from the game, the Japanese community came together to test Augments, working together to figure out the strongest comps. They also look at how I play and analyze my games,” title shared.
He also prepares based on tournament format and makes sure that he doesn’t feel uncomfortable about anything in-game no matter the set.
While he doesn’t think Japanese players possess a distinct playstyle, title did feel in Macao Open that players from China tend to gun for first place and open their board strongly with fervor. He also didn’t know about the Renata Glasc reroll comp and only found out about it during the tournament while watching others play.
Unlike many other participants, title is one of the few full-time TFT pros in the scene who competes alongside Challenger ladder players, streamers, and influencers.
“TFT and sleep” is his daily schedule where he spends about three hours studying TFT and the rest playing the game, which mirrors Faker’s training schedule — he once said on stream that he’s married to League of Legends. Occasionally, if title feels burned out, he’ll go out for a meal with friends.
Falling short at Macao Open, title is still searching for his third world title. “I have hopes for Japan, for more players to compete in Tactician’s Crown and local tournaments so that we can level up together as a region,” he said.
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