A straightforward 3-1 victory for Team WE over LGD Gaming today in the third best-of-five of the Knights’ Rivals. Team WE move on to the Knockout Stage, while LGD are eliminated from LPL Split 2. Tomorrow will feature the final elimination best-of-five of the first playoff phase, as Weibo Gaming takes on ThunderTalk Gaming.

Team WE were the clear favorites coming into today’s match. Placed in the Ascend Group, they faced top LPL teams like Bilibili Gaming, Anyone's Legend, and Top Esports across 18 BO3s, totaling 43 games — a level of competition and intensity sustained over several weeks. In contrast, LGD, placed in the Nirvana Group, only played five BO3s against lower-tier teams, amounting to just 13 games. That gap in preparation and competitive rhythm was too much for LGD to overcome.

A very bloody series

Game 1 was bloody and the longest of the series, and it started well for LGD. Qiu "Shaoye" Guo-Bin picked up a triple kill early on with Senna, giving his team a solid foothold. But that momentum didn’t last, thanks to Wang "Monki" Meng-Qi’s relentless Skarner ganks on the bot lane, helping his AD carry Kim "Taeyoon" Tae-yoon bounce back. The Korean botlaner finished with a dominant 11/3/8 on Varus, locking in the first win for Team WE.

Game 2 turned into a kill fest — 42 deaths in just 28 minutes — and LGD looked revitalized. Shaoye shined on Zeri, but the MVP went to Wu "Climber" Hong-Tao for his strong performance and impact throughout the game. In Game 3, it was Zhao "Vampire" Zhe-Can who earned MVP honors. The solo laners also had a clean showing, with Kim "Karis" Hong-jo going deathless on Akali, finishing 5/0/5. To close out the series, Dai "Cube" Yi locked in a rarely seen K’Sante pick, ending 5/0/9 with decisive engages that paved the way for Team WE to claim their spot in the Knockout Stage.

Header photo credit: Team WE's Weibo/Riot Games