BK ROG Esports is headed to the 2025 LFL Spring Split Grand Final. With a 3-1 win over Gentle Mates on Wednesday, BKR has now completed an impressive lower bracket run and will face Karmine Corp Blue for the title and the first seed at the upcoming EMEA Masters Spring. Gentle Mates will be the LFL's third seed.

It’s a huge statement from a team that barely made it into playoffs through the Last Chance round. BKR has now taken down GameWard, Ici Japon Corp, Vitality.Bee, and Gentle Mates in succession, losing just two games in the process. The victory also marks BKR’s best playoff run since Summer 2023 (when they lost 3-0 to Karmine Corp), and potentially sets them up for their first-ever LFL trophy.

BKR's unstoppable ambition

Few expected BKR to make it this far. After finishing third in the group stage and posting a shaky 1-2 record in the Swiss round, the team had to claw its way through every round of the lower bracket. Gentle Mates, by contrast, went unbeaten in Swiss and qualified directly for round two of playoffs. But while M8 may have had the momentum on paper, it was BKR who dictated the pace on Summoner’s Rift.

The series began with a tense, back-and-forth game where Gentle Mates briefly held control around the 25-minute mark. But a string of misplays and poorly coordinated teamfights allowed BKR to flip the momentum and take the opening win. M8 answered back convincingly in the second game, dominating from start to finish and exposing gaps in BKR’s coordination. But from that point on, the series tilted heavily in BKR’s favor.

Game 3 saw Gentle Mates draft Rammus jungle in a high-risk composition that lacked damage. BKR punished the gamble efficiently, keeping the tempo in their hands and denying any comeback window. Last Game was a complete stomp: BKR didn’t concede a single kill and left Gentle Mates with just one turret and three Void Grubs to their name. Aatrox and Akali ran riot on the topside, and the match was all but over by the 20-minute mark.

The rise of a new champion?

With this convincing win, BKR is now locked in for their third EMEA Masters appearance and is one series away from their first LFL championship. They’ll face Karmine Corp Blue in the final this Thursday, in a best-of-five that promises fireworks. While KCB cruised through the upper bracket and swept Gentle Mates 3-0 last week, BKR’s momentum may be the x-factor in this clash of styles. The Spring Split concludes with BKR vs. KCB at 6 PM CET.