The first round of the LPL Split 3 playoffs concluded on Friday, September 12. After EDward Gaming was eliminated yesterday by JD Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas were knocked out by Anyone's Legend with a 3-1 score. This Split 3 elimination also ends their run for the Regional Finals via championship points. Only six teams remain in contention for the Split and Worlds: Top Esports, Bilibili Gaming, Weibo Gaming, JDG, Invictus Gaming, and AL.

The upcoming LPL matches will see WBG face JDG on the 13th, IG take on AL on the 14th, and TES clash with BLG for a spot in the final on the 15th. Between Split 2 and Split 3, AL has been unrecognizable. They finished fourth in the Ascend group with an 8-6 record and lost their opening playoff match against Weibo. They narrowly redeemed themselves against NIP, a team from the Nirvana group, but will need to quickly regroup if they want a deep run in this split. Though they have a strong chance of qualifying for Worlds through championship points if they win their next BO, combined with the points earned from Split 2.

Doinb kicks things off, Tarzan closes it out

The first game was won by NIP. Qiyana has become an increasingly prioritized pick in the LPL, so it made sense that they picked her. The team’s carries led the way, with Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang on Annie and Hu "Leave" Hong-Chao on Yunara opening the score in the longest game of the BO. Afterwards, AL executed their game plan flawlessly.

Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong’s performance on Naafiri was dominant. The third game was controlled by their solo lanes: Li "Flandre" Xuanjun on Jayce and Cui "Shanks" Xiao-Jun on Akali wreaked havoc on NIP’s backline. The final game was a total stomp, lasting just 25 minutes. Wang "Hope" Jie finished 10/0/14 on Miss Fortune, Shanks played Kassadin, and Tarzan was imperial on Xin Zhao, securing AL’s survival in the race for the Playoffs.