Team Liquid mid laner APA has a bit of a reputation for using abusive language on stage before and during League of Legends matches. He put that reputation on the line today by taking some playful shots at Chinese LPL runners-up Top Esports, only to be promptly shot down by the team’s veteran jungler Tian, who kindly told the second-year pro to “shut up.”

Ahead of today’s bracket-opening series against Top Esports at MSI 2024, APA attempted to employ his now-trademark trash-talking tactic against the LPL juggernauts, reportedly throwing jabs at his lane opponent, Creme, in the lobby before the match. According to a post-series interview with Top Esports’ jungler Tian, APA attempted to taunt Creme in the lobby, saying things along the lines of “for a mid laner, you look a little nervous. Are you scared?” as translated by Riot’s in-house Chinese-English translator Shi “Wendy” Wendi.

Once the game started, APA continued trash talking, asking in all the chats: “three bans?”, referring to the game one draft bans of Taliyah, Ziggs and Aurelion Sol that Top Esports had directed at the TL mid laner in the opening game of the series. The phrase elicited a response from Tian, who clearly told APA to “shut up.”

Tian clarified in the post-match interview that there was little to no malicious intent behind the “shut up” call he made to APA, and that instead he wanted to use it as a rallying cry for his teammates to focus on the task at hand.